Riyadh is Saudi Arabia's largest city and the
country's capital. The city of Riyadh was once known as Hajr al-Yamamah.
Additionally, Riyadh serves as the provincial capital and administrative hub
for the Riyadh Governorate.
It is the largest city on the Arabian
Peninsula and is located in the an-Nafud desert, on the eastern side of the
Najd plateau. It is the most visited city in the Middle East, drawing an
estimated 18 million visitors annually to its 600-meter (2,000-foot) average
altitude above sea level. In 2022, Riyadh had a population of 7,538,000 people,
making it the most populated city in Saudi Arabia, the third most populous in
the Middle East, and the sixteenth most populous in Asia.
In 1590, a first-century Arab scribe first
used the term "Riyadh" to refer to the city.
Riyadh is Saudi Arabia's political and
administrative capital. The city is home to numerous government institutions,
including the Consultative Assembly (also called the Shura or Shura Council),
the Council of Ministers, the King, and the Supreme Judicial Council.
The city is divided into fifteen districts
that are overseen by the Riyadh Municipality, led by the mayor of Riyadh, and
the Riyadh Development Authority, led by Faisal bin Bandar Al Saud, the
governor of Riyadh Province.