Before the plants
Jubail Governorate lies on the northern stretch of the Kingdom's Arabian Gulf coast, which it closes together with Khafji. People lived here from about 3000 BCE to 300 CE, and in the early Islamic era the place was known as Ainain. Before industry arrived it was a coastal village living from pearling and fishing.
An industrial city
Jubail Industrial City was established in 1975, and the governorate is administered by the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu. It contributes about 7% of the Kingdom's GDP. The 2022 census counted 505,162 residents, 9.9% of the Eastern Province's population.
Shore and ruins
The city has seven beaches, five in the industrial city and two in Jubail itself; the newest, Al-Fanateer, covers 19.3 hectares, and the city-centre waterfront 69 hectares. Offshore lie Jinnah, al-Juraid and Karan islands.
The ground keeps older layers: the Jubail Church, found in 1986; the al-Dafi site, uncovered between 1982 and 1986; Mardumah, found in 2011; and Dosariyah. Inland lies Thaj, once linked to Jubail's port.