Eastren Province, Saudi Arabie

The Eastren Province ([الشرقية Ash-Sharqīyah] ) is the lairgest province o Saudi Arabie, locatit in the east o the kintra on the Persian Gulf coast, an haes land borders wi Kuwait, Qatar, the Unitit Arab Emirates, Oman, an Yemen. It haes an aurie o 710,000 km² an a population o 3,360,157 (2004 census). Its caipital is Dammam, an its govrenor is Prince Mohammed bin Fahd bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud. Geography Adjacent tae Ad-Dammam is Al-Khobar, a commercial center an a vibrant seaport. The King Fahd Causeway, completit in 1986, links the Eastren Province tae neighborin island kintra o Bahrain. The gateway tae the province is King Fahd International Airport, the lairgest airport in the warld in terms o land aurie. The soothren pairt o the province, wi mair nor hauf o the aurie, belangs tae the lairgely uninhabitit Rub' al Khali (Empty Quarter) desert. History The Saudis gained control o the aurie efter the collapse o the Ottoman Empire. The inhabitit auries haed been kent as Al-Ahsa (الأحساء) unner Ottoman rule, an the entire region wis maistly kent as Bahrain (البحرين) frae pre-Islamic times till 1521. Mony Saudi history beuks/airticles caw the Eastren Province Hasa an Qatif (الأحساء و القطيف) acause the maist famous auncient ceeties in it are Qatif an Al-Hasa. Maist ither ceeties—notably Dammam an Khobar—wur built in the 20t century. Economy Saudi Aramco, the state-awned ile producin company o Saudi Arabie, is based in Dhahran, which is locatit in the Eastren Province, an maist decisions on ile policy an production that affect the global economy are made there. The kinrick's main ile an gas fields are maistly locatit in the Eastren Province, onshore an affshore. Notable amang these are the ghawar ilefield an the lairgest crude increment in the warld. Petroleum frae the fields is shipped tae dozens o kintras frae the ile port o Ras Tanura an is an aa uised as feedstock in numerous industrial plants in Jubail. Saudi Arabia's seicont major product, dates, an aa forms a lairge pairt o Eastren Province's economy. Ivery year thoosans o tonnes o dates are harvestit frae the date palms in the giant oases o Al-Ahsa an Qatif. Admeenistrative deevisions Leet o Ceeties Al-Hassa (Arabic: 'الأحساء'‎); in addition tae the traditional oasis, the region an aa includes the giant Empty Quarter desert, makin it the lairgest region in Saudi Arabie in terms o aurie. Abqaiq (بقيق) Jubail (الجبيل) Ras Tanura (رأس تنورة) Qatif (القطيف) Saihat (سيهات) Tarut Island (جزيرة تاروت) Safwa (صفوى) Awamia (العوامية) Khobar (الخبر) Dhahran (الظهران) Dammam (الدمام) Hafar Al-Batin (حفر الباطن) Khafji (الخفجي) No'ayriyah (النعيرية) See an aa Provinces o Saudi Arabie Al-Hasa Qatif Hafar Al-Batin Bahrain (historical region) Saudi Aramco Empty Quarter King Khalid Military City Shi'a Islam in Saudi Arabia External links Eastern Province Emirate official website Archived 2007-02-05 at the Wayback Machine (in Arabic) Central Department of Statistics and Informations Archived 2007-12-15 at the Wayback Machine (in Arabic)