Which country has no permanent rivers?
Quick Answer
Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the world with no permanent rivers; it relies on groundwater and desalinated seawater instead.
The Full Story
About 20 countries have no permanent rivers, and Saudi Arabia, at around 2.15 million square kilometres, is by far the largest of them. Its dry valleys, called wadis, fill with water only briefly after rare rainstorms. For centuries people relied on oases and springs fed by underground aquifers, many of which hold ancient 'fossil' water that is not being replenished. Today Saudi Arabia is one of the world's largest producers of desalinated water, turning seawater from the Red Sea and the Gulf into drinking water. Other countries without permanent rivers include Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Libya, Malta and the Maldives.
Key Facts
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