Jubail
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Jubail (Arabic: "الجبيل" Al Jubayl), is a city in the Eastern province on the Persian Gulf coast of Saudi Arabia. Its full name is Madīnat al Jubayl aş Şinā`īyah (Jubail Industrial City). It has a population of 222,544 (2004 census), up 58% from the 1992 figure of 140,828.
In 1975, along with Yanbu' al Bahr, it was designated as a new industrial city by the Saudi government, and has seen rapid expansion and industrialisation since.
The industrial city is a complex of petrochemical plants, an iron works and a number of smaller companies, plus a Royal Saudi Naval Base.
History
Jubail was a small fishing village until the mid-1970s at which time it became one of the Kingdom's two newly-created industrial cities.
In 1986, a group on a desert picnic, while attempting to dig their vehicle out of the sand near Jubail, found the ruins of a church. The Jubail Church is believed to have been built prior to 400 A.D. The church was likely connected to one of the five Nestorian bishoprics which are known to have existed in this area of the Persian Gulf in the 4th century. It was previously known as Al-Bunain.