Area and Population:

The urban boundary of Jeddah is 1765 km², with the total area of the municipality being 5460 km².

The population of the municipality of Jeddah [2009] is approximately 3.4 million, with a growth rate of 3.5% per annum. Jeddah is the second largest city in Saudi Arabia, and represents almost 14% of the total population of the kingdom estimated at 25.37 million [2009].

Geographical Location:

The city of Jeddah is located on the west coast of the Kingdom (latitude 29.21 north & longitude 39.7 east), in the middle of the eastern shore of the Red Sea south of the Tropic of Cancer. To the east are the plains of Tihama, which are considered the low heights of the Hijaz region. To the west along the beach there are parallel chains of coral reefs.

Climate:

Jeddah is directly affected by the climate of the geographic location which means high temperatures and humidity during the summer. These temperatures are around the early the 40s, when the city falls under the influence of a low seasonal zone with a solid and warm air mass. Humidity reaches its highest levels in summer because of the high temperature of sea water and it is lower in winter due to the impact of the moderate air mass associated with high pressure.

The prevailing winds over Jeddah are North West winds due to the city's coastal location on the shore of the Red Sea. These winds are usually light-to-moderate winds for much of the year. However, sometimes Southern winds blow through winter, spring and fall accompanied by a rise in temperature. These winds get active sometimes and their speed may cause great sandstorms. They may also be accompanied by thunderstorms and heavy rain.

The most common type of rainfall is that accompanied by thunderstorms, which usually fall during the winter season as well as in the spring and fall due to the passage of low pressure from the west to the east and their meeting with the zone of Sudan's low pressure heat in the region.