Description

The smaller city of Buraydah, northwest of Riyadh, shows the same pattern of urban growth and agricultural development. From 1972 to 1986, the population of Buraydah almost tripled, from 60,000 to about 180,000 people. The rapid growth continued, and the population was 378,422 in 2004 and 669,000 in 2020. The 48-year increase is over 1,000%.

New roads are visible in these images, and irrigated land has increased. Buraydah and Riyadh both lie in Saudi Arabia’s central corridor of settlement and development.

Imagery

Every picture has a story to tell
Dec. 25, 1972, Landsat 1 (path/row 180/42) — Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
June 15 and 22, 1989, Landsat 5 (path/row 167,168/42) — Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
May 26 and June 2, 2002, Landsat 7 (path/row 167,168/42) — Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
June 17 and 24, 2013, Landsat 8 (path/row 167,168/42) — Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
July 27 and Aug. 5, 2019, Landsat 8 (path/row 167,168/42) — Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
June 9, 2022, Landsat 9 (path/row 168/42) — Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
June 20, 2023, Landsat 8 (path/row 168/42) — Buraydah, Saudi Arabia

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