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Jubail Facts: Where It Is and What to Expect
Jubail (Al Jubail) is a coastal governorate in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, on the Arabian Gulf north of Dammam. It has two distinct parts: Jubail Balad, the old town, and Jubail Industrial City to the north, which the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu has managed since 1975. The 2022 census counted 505,162 residents in the governorate.
Where exactly is Jubail?
Jubail sits on the Gulf coast in the north of the Eastern Province. Saudipedia places the governorate between Khafji Governorate to the north, Nairyah to the west, and Ras Tanura, Qatif, Abqaiq and Dammam to the south.
Distances by road, calculated with OSRM on OpenStreetMap data (October 2026), from the old town:
| From Jubail old town to | Road distance | Typical drive |
|---|---|---|
| King Fahd International Airport (DMM) | about 81 km | about 1 hour |
| Central Dammam | about 86 km | about 1 hour |
| Dhahran | about 96 km | 1 to 1.25 hours |
| Central Al Khobar | about 106 km | 1.25 hours or more |
Add roughly 20 km if you start from Al Fanateer in the Industrial City. Wikipedia's distance table gives similar figures (96 km to Dammam, 104 km to Khobar). Drive times are routing estimates. Traffic changes them.
For transfers from the airport, see Airport to Jubail transport.
Old town or Industrial City: which Jubail is which?
The two halves feel like different towns. Jubail Balad is the historic settlement, a fishing and pearling town before the 1970s, according to both Visit Saudi and Saudipedia. It still holds the governorate's older districts and landmarks such as the Crease (Al-Tawiya) Tower.
Jubail Industrial City is newer. The Saudi government chose Jubail for a planned industrial city in 1975 and created the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu (RCJY) the same year to build and run it. Its northern shoreline is where you find Al Fanateer Beach, Al Nakheel Beach and Corniche Park and Dareen Hills Park, about 15 km north of the old town in a straight line.
Visit Saudi calls Jubail "one of the largest industrial cities in the world". The industry story, including the shift to hydrogen and cleaner energy, has its own page: From black gold to green gold.
How many people live in Jubail?
Jubail Governorate had 505,162 residents in the 2022 census (General Authority for Statistics, 2022 data, as reported by Saudipedia and City Population). That makes it the fifth-largest governorate in the Eastern Province by population. Wikipedia lists a lower figure of 474,679 for the city itself. The difference comes from the boundary: city versus whole governorate.
What is the climate like in Jubail?
Jubail has a hot desert climate with mild winters and long, very hot summers. The figures below are averages we calculated from Open-Meteo's ERA5 reanalysis data for 2015 to 2024 at the old town's coordinates.
| Months | Average daytime high | Average night low |
|---|---|---|
| December to February | 21 to 23°C | 12 to 14°C |
| March and November | 26 to 28°C | 17 to 19°C |
| April and October | 32 to 35°C | 21 to 24°C |
| May and September | 37 to 40°C | 26 to 28°C |
| June to August | 41 to 42°C | 29 to 31°C |
July and August each averaged more than 25 days a year above 40°C in that period. Visit Saudi marks December to February as the winter season, which matches the data. For a beach or corniche day, winter mornings and late afternoons are the comfortable choice.
What time zone is Jubail in?
Jubail runs on Arabia Standard Time, UTC+3, all year. Saudi Arabia does not use daylight saving time, so the clock never changes (Wikipedia, Time in Saudi Arabia; IANA time zone Asia/Riyadh).
For visas, dress, money and getting around, see Jubail travel tips.
Frequently asked questions
Is Jubail the same place as Dammam?
No. Jubail is a separate governorate on the Gulf coast, north of Dammam. By road the old town of Jubail is roughly 85 km from central Dammam, about an hour's drive in normal traffic. Al Khobar and Dhahran lie further south, beyond Dammam.
Which part of Jubail do visitors usually mean?
Most visitors mean one of two places. Jubail Balad is the old town, the historic centre. Jubail Industrial City, run by the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu since 1975, lies to the north and holds Al Fanateer Beach and the large parks along the shore.
When is Jubail coolest?
From November to March. In 2015 to 2024 reanalysis data, average daytime highs in Jubail stayed between about 21 and 28°C in those months, while July and August averaged around 42°C. Visit Saudi names December to February as the winter season.
Sources and last checked
Last checked: October 2026. All sources accessed 7 October 2026.
- Visit Saudi, Al Jubail, Saudi Tourism Authority, page updated 19 August 2026 (primary)
- Saudipedia, Jubail Governorate, location, history and 2022 census figure (secondary)
- City Population, Saudi Arabia administrative division, 2022 census figures from the General Authority for Statistics (secondary)
- Wikipedia, Jubail, distance table and city population (secondary)
- Wikipedia, Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, founding year (secondary)
- Wikipedia, King Fahd International Airport, IATA code and location (secondary)
- OSRM routing service, road distances on OpenStreetMap data, own calculation
- Open-Meteo historical weather API, ERA5 reanalysis 2015 to 2024, own calculation
- Wikipedia, Time in Saudi Arabia, UTC+3 without daylight saving (secondary)