Dhahran

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Dhahran الظهران Dhahran الظهران Location in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Coordinates: 26°16′N 50°09′E / 26.267°N 50.150°E / 26.267; 50.150Coordinates: 26°16′N 50°09′E / 26.267°N 50.150°E / 26.267; 50.150 Country  Saudi Arabia Province Eastern Province Government  • Mayor Bandar Al-Subayi Area  • City 100 km2 (40 sq mi)  • Land 100 km2 (40 sq mi)  • Water 0 km2 (0 sq mi) Elevation 17 m (56 ft) Population (2012)  • City 138,135  • Metro 5,100,000 Time zone EAT (UTC+3) Postal Code 31261 Area code(s) +966-3

Dhahran (Arabic الظهران aẓ-Ẓahrān) is a city located in Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, and is a major administrative center for the Saudi oil industry. It forms part of the Dammam Metropolitan ; The Dammam metropolitan area, or greater Dammam, is the metropolitan area associated with the city of Ad Dammam, Eastern Province, and its suburbs. It is the area that is closely linked to the city through social, economic, and cultural ties. The Dammam metropolitan area: mainly known as greater Dammam, is the largest metropolitan area in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia formed by three main neighboring cities: Dammam, Dhahran, and Khobar these 3 respectable cities are sometimes referred to as the triplet cities. The metropolitan area of the triplet cities has an estimated population of 4,140,000 as of 2012. Greater Dammam also includes many other smaller cities such as: Al Qatif, Safwa, and Ras Tanura. The complete metropolitan area has an estimated population of 5,100,000; making it the 5th largest populated area in the Kingdom.

Large oil reserves were first identified in the Dhahran area in 1931, and in 1935, Standard Oil drilled the first commercially viable oil well. Standard Oil later established a subsidiary in Saudi Arabia called the Arabian American Oil Company (ARAMCO), now fully owned by the Saudi government and known as Saudi Aramco. Dhahran has been Saudi Aramco's headquarters for 80 years and is its first and largest gated compound with over 9,700 residents. Employees and dependants of Aramco, known as Aramcons, have a tendency to use Dhahran to solely refer to the Aramco camp while using Khobar and/or Dammam to refer to the area outside the camp. The Saudi Aramco Residential Camp makes up most of the city of Dhahran today.