Jeddah is a cosmopolitan city and the hub for tourism and trading. It is the largest seaport in the Red Sea, and the second-largest city in Saudi Arabia, after the capital Riyadh. This city's geographical location places it at the heart of the region - within A two-hour flying distance from most capitals in the Middle East and Africa , as well as at the junction of international airlines taking off to all major cities. Moreover, Jeddah has been a port and trading city for centuries. Its geographical location defines it as the fourth largest industrial city in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh, Jubail and Yanbu, and the second commercial center of the Middle East after Dubai.
Today, Jeddah is a major commercial center in Saudi Arabia – it has many government offices as well as consulates for countries in the Americas, Middle East, Africa, Far East, and The European Union.
Jeddah is also known in the Kingdom for its shopping districts, restaurants and cafés. The city homes many upscale department stores and boutiques. In addition, Jeddah residents are a multi-ethnic mixture, which has had a major impact on Jeddah's cuisine.
Jeddah is one of Saudi Arabia's primary resort cities. It homes the Corniche (waterfront area) - the largest in the Kingdom with a rage of luxury hotels, beaches and resorts clustered around it. To the north of the city lies a string of cutting-edge beach resorts. Scuba diving is a major attraction. Because of Jeddah's location on the Red Sea, the flora and fauna are incredible.
Jeddah also has some of the Kingdom's best horseback riding equestrian clubs. Because of its long and rich history, Jeddah is also home to numerous and wide variety of interests, and is considered one of the largest open-air art galleries in the world.
Schooling and higher education opportunities in Jeddah are immense. There are around 2000 public and private schools for female/male students, and around 20 public and governmental higher education institutions. The medium of instruction in public schools is Arabic, with emphasis on English as a second language. However, international private schools use English (and/or the home language), as the medium of instruction. The medium of instruction in all higher education institutions is English and/or Arabic.
