التباينات المحلية في مستويات النمو بالمنطقة الشرقية في المملكة العربية السعودية

Abstract:

The study focused on the local variations in the growth levels in the eastern region, including these elements: population, economy, industry, mining, oil, education, health, and transportation, aiming at knowing the extent to which the population was affected by these elements and their disparityin the eastern region. The desert presence led to a greater presence on the coast from the interior, by virtue of the location on the sea (for trade), and nevertheless the presence of oil and gas resources. In addition to the emergence of industrial clusters there, primarily Jubail and Dammam, and some oil industrial sites. The existence of petroleum also led to the establishment of petrochemical industries from the products of petroleum refineries and gas plants. This led to the emergence of cities specialized in this field, such as JubailIndustrial City, with the presence of these industries in some other cities. Where the total number of factories reached 2048 factories. The factories activities varied between: basic and non-basic chemical industries. It is also noteworthy that Al-Ahsa governorate comprises 92% of the total population of the region, and therefore we find that it is characterized, along with Dammam governorate, by the presence of 48% of the population of the eastern region as a whole. What indicates the importance of these ports is that the Port of Dammam maintained its global ranking of 93, which was not affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of the decline in the economy dependent on it, and continued its global trade performance at a level befitting the status of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its economic and industrial capabilities. It becomes clear from the study that Dammam, Al-Ahsa, Jubail, Al-Qatif, and Al-Khobar have acquired the largest share in all human elements. This is due to the economic and population weight in these governorates. Hence, the importance of these ports exceeds the eastern region for the whole of the Kingdom, thanks to its location in the field of production of the most important economic resources in the Kingdom, oil and natural gas. The city of Dammam is also one of the three cities that stand out in the field of consumer industries in the Kingdom. One of the results of the study is that the nature of the economic structure of the eastern region affected the attraction of the population, as it is characterized as an urban economy with a functional feature in the first place. Al-Ahsa, Dammam, Qatif, Al-Khobar, Hafr Al-Batin and Jubailrepresent urban centers mainly specialized in economic jobs with good financial returns. Thus, there are opportunities for further economic growth of the governorate. The reality of the population pattern in the region is a reflection of a more comprehensive pattern specific to the national population map of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The impact of the economic history of the large governorates in the study area appeared to emphasize the status of the six governorates at the regional level. On the other hand, the cities of the eastern region took precedence in the emergence of oil in their lands, which led to the increased growth and then the permanence of growth in those cities and governorates, and an indication of this is the naming of a large number of these cities as oil cities.