مكة المكرمة Makkah al-Mukarramah Makkah
The Holy City of Mecca
Nickname(s):
Coordinates: 21°25′0″N 39°49′0″E / 21.41667°N 39.81667°E / 21.41667; 39.81667Coordinates: 21°25′0″N 39°49′0″E / 21.41667°N 39.81667°E / 21.41667; 39.81667
Country	Saudi Arabia
Province	Makkah Province
Founded by	Prophet Ismā'īl (Islamic Tradition)
Government
• Mayor	Osama al-Bar
• Provincial Governor	Khalid al-Faisal
Area
• City	760 km2 (290 sq mi)
• Urban	850 km2 (330 sq mi)
• Metro	1,200 km2 (500 sq mi)
Elevation	277 m (909 ft)
Population  (2012)
• City	2,000,000
• Density	4,200/km2 (2,625/sq mi)
• Urban	2,353,912
• Metro	2,900,000
	Mecca Municipality estimate
Time zone	UTC+3 (AST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (AST)
Postal Code	(5 digits)
Website	www.holymakkah.gov.sa

A view of Makkah during the Hajj, with Mt. Arafat in the distance.

Mecca or Makkah (called Mecca in older texts, officially: Makkah al-Mukarramah; Arabic: مكة المكرمة) is a city in Saudi Arabia. As of the 2004 census, 1,294,169 people lived there. The city is 73 kilometres (45 mi) inland from Jeddah, in the narrow sandy Valley of Abraham. It is 277 metres (909 ft) above sea level. It is 81 kilometres (50 mi) from the Red Sea.  view more...