Wikipedia
Al Khobar (also spelled Khobar or ; ) is a city located in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the coast of the Persian Gulf. It is one of the largest cities in the Gulf Cooperation Council, with a population of 941,358 as of 2012. Al Khobar is a part of the Dammam metropolitan area along with Dammam and Dhahran, which together forms part as the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Saudi Arabia having an estimated combined population of over 4,100,000 as of 2012. Greater Dammam also includes many other smaller cities such as: Al Qatif, Safwa, and Ras Tanura which form an overall population of 5,212,000 as of 2012. All three urban centers are served by the King Fahd International Airport which is the largest airport in the world. The distance to the airport terminal from Khobar is about . Together, Al Khobar, Dhahran and Dammam are often known as "The Triplet Cities" by many natives and locals. Since Dammam, Dhahran and Al Khobar are less than away from each other, they essentially form one metropolitan area, the fifth largest in the kingdom and sixth in the Gulf Cooperation Council referred to the GCC, or "Al-Khaleej/Gulf" by many GCC citizens.
The Dammam metropolitan area, or mainly known as greater Dammam, is the metropolitan area associated with the city of Dammam and its suburbs. It is the area that is closely linked to the city through social, economic, and cultural ties. The Dammam metropolitan area is the largest metropolitan area in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, formed by three main neighboring cities: Dammam, Dhahran, and Al Khobar. As a major metropolitan area, it is known for its fishing and pearl diving heritage, oil industry, arts, entertainment, popular music and sports legacies. The area includes a variety of natural landscapes, parks, and beaches with a recreational coastline to the Persian Gulf.
Many of Al Khobar's residents work for Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil company, Al Khobar also hosts many regional and international companies. Traditionally, Khobar has also been a city of shopkeepers and merchants, and the city today has many modern malls and boulevards with shops run by international franchises and restaurants.
Al Khobar today has many skyscrapers built and others under construction. The nearby city of Dammam has the second-largest port in Saudi Arabia and embodies the administrative departments of the Eastern region.