The large number of foreigners living in Saudi Arabia work in the oil industry, as computer technicians and consultants, and as construction and domestic workers. Arabic is spoken by almost everyone. 3 Economy Because of the scarcity of water, agriculture had been restricted to Asir and to oases strung along the wadis, but irrigation projects have reclaimed many acres of desert, particularly at Al Kharj, southeast of Riyadh, and Hofuf , in the eastern part of the country. Riyadh's desalinized water supply comes from a pipeline on the Persian Gulf. Products grown in Saudi Arabia include wheat, barley, dates, citrus fruit, vegetables, and livestock products.
Agriculture is a growing economic sector, and the country is approaching food self-sufficiency.
Manufacturing, which has also increased, produces metals, chemicals, plastics, pharmaceuticals, cement, and fertilizers. Minerals include phosphate, iron ore, copper, gold, bauxite, and uranium. Saudi Arabia has a growing banking and financial-services sector, and the country is beginning to encourage tourism, especially along the Red Sea coast. Major trading partners are the United States, Japan, Great Britain and other European Union countries, South Korea, and Singapore. Oil was discovered in Saudi Arabia in 1936, and the country is now the world's leading exporter.