| Riyadh Province | |
| Native Name: | Arabic: منطقة الرياض |
| Settlement Type: | Province |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Saudi Arabia |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Riyadh |
| Parts Type: | Governorates |
| Parts Style: | para |
| P1: | 20 |
| Area Total Km2: | 404240 |
| Population As Of: | 2022 census |
| Population Total: | 8,591,748 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | GDP |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Total |
| Demographics1 Info1: | US$ 243.8 billion (2022) |
| Postal Code Type: | Post Code |
| Postal Code: | (5+4)-Digit |
| Leader Title: | Governor |
| Leader Name: | Faisal bin Bandar Al Saud |
| Leader Title1: | Deputy Governor |
| Leader Name1: | Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz |
The Riyadh Province (Arabic: منطقة الرياض ), also known as the Riyadh Region, is a province of Saudi Arabia, located in the geographic center of the country and the center of the Arabian Peninsula. It has an area of and with a 2022 population of 8,591,748,[1] it is the second-largest region by area, behind the Eastern Province and the largest by population. The capital governorate of the province is the Riyadh Governorate and it is named after the capital of the kingdom, Riyadh, which is the most populous city in the region and the kingdom, with a little less than two-thirds of the population of the region residing within the city. The province was governed for nearly five decades by Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz from 1963 to 2011 shortly before he became the Crown Prince in 2012. Currently, it is governed by Prince Faisal bin Bandar.
Other populous cities in the region include Al Ghat, Dawadmi, Afif, Zulfi and Majma'ah. Approximately half of the region's area is desert, and it only borders other regions of the kingdom; it has no international borders. The region borders, clockwise from the north, the Eastern Province, Najran Region, 'Asir Region, Mecca Region, Medina Region and the Al-Qassim Region. It is one of the 7 regions of the kingdom that do not have a coastline.
Population development since 1992:
In addition to the Municipality of Riyadh, the region is divided into 19 governorates (muhafazat) and 1 sub-governorate (markaz):
| Period | from | to | Timeline | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1727 | 1818 | 74 years | ||
| Khedewian Invasion | 1818 | 1824 | 6 years | |
| Second Saudi State "first period" | 1824 | 1838 | 14 years | |
| Khedewian Invasion "secondly" | 1838 | 1843 | 5 years | |
| Second Saudi State "second period" | 1843 | 1865 | 22 years | |
| Civil War | 1865 | 1887 | 22 years | |
| 1902 | 1932 | 30 years | ||
| (End of Conquests) "Kingdom of Saudi Arabia" | 1932 | .... | ... |
| Name[2] | Dates | |
|---|---|---|
| Muhammad bin Saad bin Zaid | 1929–1936 | |
| Prince Nasser bin Abdulaziz | 1937–28 May 1947 | |
| Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz | 29 May 1947 – 19 December 1952 | |
| Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz (on behalf of Prince Sultan) | 3 March – 19 December 1952 | |
| 20 December 1952 – 18 April 1955 | ||
| Prince Salman bin Abdul-Aziz (on behalf of Prince Nayef) | 16 March 1954 – 18 April 1955 | |
| King Salman bin Abdulaziz | 18 April 1955 – 22 September 1960 | |
| Prince Turki bin Abdul-Aziz (on behalf of Prince Salman) | 10–21 Oct 1957 – 1957; 31 October 1960 | |
| 11 September 1961 – 20 January 1963 | ||
| 20 Jan – 5 February 1963 | ||
| Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz | 5 February 1963 – 5 November 2011 | |
| 5 November 2011 – 12 February 2013 | ||
| 14 February 2013 – 14 May 2014 | ||
| 14 May 2014 – 29 January 2015 | ||
| 29 January 2015 – present |