Desalination

Desalination is the process of removing salt and other impurities from seawater to produce freshwater suitable for drinking, agriculture, or industry. Main methods include reverse osmosis (RO) and distillation (MSF, MED), with energy-efficient RO now dominant.

The most desalination-dependent countries are Persian Gulf oil states. Saudi Arabia has the world's largest desalination capacity, with UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain also relying heavily on desalinated water. These countries receive extremely low rainfall (under 100mm/year) and have virtually no rivers.

In GeoHint, hints about 'depends on desalination' or 'extremely scarce freshwater' narrow to Gulf states (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman). Israel is also known as a desalination technology leader.