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Dammam is the capital of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. With a population of 1,532,300 as of 2022, Dammam is the kingdom's fourth-most populous city after Riyadh, Jeddah, and Mecca. Dammam constitutes the core of the Dammam metropolitan area, also known as the Greater Dammam area, which comprises the 'Triplet Cities' of Dammam, Dhahran, and Khobar. The region is closely linked to the city through social, economic, and cultural ties. As of 2022, the Dammam metropolitan area's population was 2,190,900. The area that eventually became Dammam was settled by the Dawasir tribe around 1923, with permission of King Ibn Saud. The area was originally a fishing hamlet. It developed after the discovery of oil in the region, becoming a port city and an administrative center. Following the unification of Saudi Arabia, Dammam was made the capital of the newly formed Eastern Province. Dammam is known for being a major administrative center for the Saudi oil industry, contributing to the export volume of the city's King Abdul Aziz Sea Port. With a cargo capacity of 2,038,787 TEUs as of 2022, the port is the second largest on the Persian Gulf, the third largest in Saudi Arabia, and eight largest in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region by cargo capacity. The city and the rest of the Eastern Province are served by the King Fahd International Airport (KFIA), the largest airport in the world in terms of land area, located about 31 km (19 mi) northwest of the city.