Jubail is a city in the Eastern province on the Persian Gulf coast of Saudi Arabia. Its full name is Madīnat al Jubayl aṣ Ṣinā`īyah (Jubail Industrial City). It has a population of 222,544 (2004 census), up 58% from the 1992 figure of 140,828.
In 1975, along with Yanbu' al Bahr, Jubail was designated as a new industrial city by the Saudi government, and has seen rapid expansion and industrialization since. The industrial city is a complex of petrochemical plants, an iron works and a number of smaller companies, plus a Royal Saudi Naval Base. It held the Middle East's largest and the world's 11th largest petrochemical company, SABIC.
Jubail is home to the world's largest seawater desalination plant. It provides 50% of the country's drinking water through desalination of the water from the Persian Gulf. |
