Jubail

Jubail is a massive industrial city located in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

It sits directly on the coast of the Persian Gulf. The city serves as a vital hub for the global petrochemical industry. It is a key part of the national economy for Saudi Arabia. The city contributes about 7% of the country's total Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

This economic power comes from its specialized industrial zones and large-scale manufacturing.

The city is divided into two very different areas. One area is the Old Town, known as Al Jubail or Jubail Balad. This part of the city was once a small fishing village. The other area is Jubail Industrial City. This is a massive site for civil engineering. It covers a total area of 1,016 square kilometers.

The industrial area includes refineries, steel mills, and aluminum facilities.

Jubail operates through complex industrial and utility systems. A major part of this is the petrochemical industry. The city is home to SABIC, which is the largest petrochemical company in the Middle East. It is also the fourth largest in the entire world. To keep the city running, it uses an Independent Water and Power Project (IWPP). This system produces 2,743.6 megawatts of electricity every day. It also produces 800,000 cubic meters of water daily.

A specialized plant called the Saline Water Conversion Corp. (SWCC) manages water production. This plant produces 5.6 million cubic meters of desalinated water each day. In 2019, it earned a Guinness World Record for this massive output.

The history of Jubail stretches back thousands of years. Human habitation in this region dates back at least 7,000 years. Early people from the Dilmun civilization lived in settlements there. In the early Islamic period, the area was called 'Aynayn. This name means "two springs" because of the local freshwater.

Later, the modern town was established around 1911. It became a center for the pearling and fishing industries. At its peak, the town supported over 200 pearling boats.

Economic changes shifted the direction of the city in the 20th century. During the 1930s, the global economic depression hit the region. At the same time, Japan developed a cultured pearl industry. This caused the local pearling trade to decline rapidly. However, oil exploration brought new interest to the area. In September 1933, geologists arrived to search for oil.

These teams included Robert Miller, Schuyler "Krug" Henry, and Karl Twitchell. They used the harbor and freshwater springs as a base.

The modern industrial era began in 1975. The Saudi government chose Jubail to host a new industrial city. This was part of a plan to use natural gas reserves. This plan helped diversify the economy of the Kingdom. The project involved massive construction of roads, pipelines, and ports. A company called Bechtel has managed this project for over 40 years. In 2004, they began managing Jubail II, a $3.8 billion expansion.

This expansion added more residential and industrial space.

Today, Jubail is a highly connected and modern urban center. It has two major seaports: the Jubail Commercial Seaport and the King Fahd Industrial Seaport. As of 2011, it ranked 92nd in the world for total cargo volume. The city is connected to other cities by the Dhahran-Jubail and Abu Hadriyah highways. It is also served by the King Fahd International Airport. Residents have access to many amenities like Fanateer Mall.

There are also many beaches, such as Fanateer Beach and Banana Beach. The city's population reached 474,679 people by 2022.