Saudi Arabia's Hidden Treasures

AI Translated Image

1. Oil. Saudi Arabia ranks 1st or 2nd globally in oil reserves. While the sheer volume is similar to Venezuela, Saudi oil quality is overwhelmingly superior, meaning Saudi Arabia wins big time on bang for your buck.

AI Translated Image

2. Natural Gas. Saudi Arabia is ranked 6th in natural gas reserves, just edging out China. It can't compete with Russia or Iran, but considering the country's size, they've got an insane amount buried there.

AI Translated Image

3. Phosphate. Saudi Arabia has about 1 billion tons of phosphate reserves (some data suggests 2.7 billion), placing them around 9th to 10th globally.

AI Translated Image

4. Gold. A recent discovery of a 125km gold vein made headlines. It’s expected to boost Saudi GDP and help Crown Prince Bin Salman's Saudi Vision 2030 project. However, they're not exactly top-ranked globally (Russia is #1 for gold reserves).

AI Translated Image

5. Rare Earth Elements (REE). Saudi Arabia and the US signed a resource agreement this year. The main focus was REE, where Saudi ranks 4th globally. Specifically, the Jabal Sayid mine holds 550,000 tons of heavy REE and 350,000 tons of light REE. REE is vital for stealth fighters and missiles, which is why when the US and China fight, China cuts off REE first. To prevent this, the US made deals with countries like Australia and Saudi Arabia.

AI Translated Image

6. Mecca. Strictly speaking, this isn't a natural resource, but the money spent by pilgrims is absolutely bonkers, allowing Saudi to rake in tens of trillions of KRW every year just by sitting there. Crown Prince Bin Salman aims to boost tourism earnings (including pilgrims) to $150 billion.

7. Others. Saudi also has zinc, copper, bauxite, and uranium reserves. Mineral resource development is accelerating fast under the Crown Prince's directive.