Mecca Province

Mecca Province منطقة مكة
Province
Makkah Province
Clockwise from top to bottom: The Great Mosque of Mecca, The Jeddah Flagpole, Ta'if, Mecca and Jeddah seen from the ISS at night and the Bab Makkah in Jeddah
Map of Saudi Arabia with the Mecca Region highlighted in red
Coordinates: 21°30′N 41°0′E / 21.500°N 41.000°E / 21.500; 41.000
Country	Saudi Arabia
Capital	Mecca
Largest city	Jeddah
Governorates	List the Holy Capital Governorate Jeddah Governorate Ta'if Governorate Qunfudhah Governorate Leith Governorate Jumum Governorate Rabigh Governorate Khulays Governorate Ranyah Governorate Turubah Governorate Khurmah Governorate Kamil Governorate Adham Governorate Aradhiyyat Governorate Muwayh Governorate Maysaan Governorate Bahrah Governorate
Government
• Governor	Khalid bin Faisal Al Saud
• Deputy Governor	Badr bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz
Area
• Total	153,148 km2 (59,131 sq mi)
Population  (2022 census)
• Total	7,769,994
• Density	51/km2 (130/sq mi)
GDP
• Total	US$ 144.1 billion (2022)[1]
ISO 3166 code	SA-02
Website	www.makkah.gov.sa

The Mecca Province (Arabic: مِنْطَقَة مَكَّة, romanized: Minṭaqat Makka,^[a] Arabic pronunciation: [ˈmin.tˤa.qat ˈmak.ka]), officially Makkah Province,^[2] is one of the 13 provinces of Saudi Arabia. It is the third-largest province by area at 153,128 km² (59,123 sq mi) and the most populous with a population of 8,557,766 as of 2017, of which 4,041,189 were foreign nationals and 4,516,577 were Saudis.^[3] It is located in the historic Hejaz region, and has an extended coastline on the Red Sea. Its capital is Mecca, the holiest city in Islam, and its largest city is Jeddah, which is Saudi Arabia's main port city. The province accounts for 26.29% of the population of Saudi Arabia^[3] and is named after the Islamic holy city of Mecca.

Historically, the area was inhabited by the Quraysh, the Banu Kinanah and the Thaqif, among other tribes. Part of the Hejaz region, the province has seen several exchanges of power between many Islamic realms within a short period of time. The province gains its significance as it contains the city of Mecca, the birthplace of Muhammad, and several other historic Islamic sites, such as the village of Hudaybiyyah, where the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah is said to have been agreed upon. More recently, the province was modernized under the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia after the oil boom.^[4] Most of the population is concentrated in three cities: Jeddah, Mecca and Ta'if. Jeddah is the largest city in the province and the second-largest in Saudi Arabia with an estimated population of 2,867,446 as of 2020.^[5] Mecca is the second-largest city in the province and third-largest in the kingdom at 1,323,624.^[5] After the city of Ta'if at third place, Rabigh, Shafa, Turbah and Jumum are other populous cities and towns in the region.^[5] The region receives Muslim pilgrims of the Umrah and the Hajj around the year and its population increases by up to 2 million during the Hajj. It has approximately 700 kilometres (430 mi) of coastline on the Red Sea and hosts oil refineries in Rabigh, port and oil export facilities in Jeddah, the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and the King Abdullah Economic City. The province also hosts part of the Haramain high-speed railway line, which is Saudi Arabia's first and only high-speed railway line.^[6]

The province is divided into 11 governorates, of which 5 have been classified Category A and the rest, Category B, with Mecca serving as the administrative headquarters and capital of the province. It is governed by an Emir, translated as Governor from Arabic, who is assisted by the Deputy Governor, both appointed by the King of Saudi Arabia. The current emir is Khalid bin Faisal Al Saud, who has held the position for a second term since 2015.^[7]

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