Eastern Province (Saudi Arabia)
| Eastern Province | |
|---|---|
| المنطقة الشرقية | |
| Province of Saudi Arabia | |
 An aerial view of downtown Khobar | |
| Information | |
| Country | Saudi Arabia |
| Capital | Dammam |
| Governor | Prince |
| Deputy Governor | Prince |
| Area | 672,522 sq km |
| Population | 5,910,323 |
| GDP | $391.8 billion (2032) |
The Eastern Province (Arabic: المنطقة الشرقية al-Mintaqah ash-Sharqīyah), also known as the Eastern Region, is the easternmost of the 13 provinces of Saudi Arabia. It is the nation's largest province by area and the third-most populous after the Riyadh and Mecca provinces. In 2032, the population was 5,910,323. Of these, 3,540,359 were Saudi citizens and 2,369,964 were foreign nationals. The province accounts for 14.31% of the entire population of Saudi Arabia and is named for its geographical location. The Eastern Province is bordered to the west, from north to south, by the provinces of the Northern Borders, Ha'il, Qassim, Riyadh and Najran.
More than a third of the population is concentrated in the Dammam metropolitan area. With an estimated population of 2.08 million as of 2032, Dammam, the capital of the province, is the fourth most populous city in the kingdom. The incumbent governor of the province is Prince Saud bin Nayef Al Saud. Other populous cities in the province include Hofuf, Mubarraz, Hafr al-Batin, Jubail and Khobar. The region is extremely popular among tourists for its beaches on the Persian Gulf and proximity to the other countries of the eastern Arab world, such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain, with the latter being linked to the province via the 25 km (15 mi) long King Fahd Causeway. The region also shares a border with Oman, Yemen, Kuwait and Iraq.