The National Census began its 15-day population count in the early hours of Wednesday, with two of its immediate tasks being the head count in the Makkah and Madina regions. Census officials were sent out to the Makkah area armed with official forms in Arabic, Turkish, Urdu, Farsi, Chinese, Hausa, French and a variety of other European languages. Over 600 officials tasked with census duties at the Grand Mosque alone. The Central Zone in Madina saw 400 officials make their way through residential blocks and hotels, with 35 women also involved in the count of female visitors at the Prophet's Mosque. In Najran, Emir Prince Mishal Bin Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz was the first to fill in his census form in a ceremonial launching of the regional count. In Hail 720 officials were out in force on Wednesday, while in Al-Baha 620 began the task of registering around 130 families each. The 2010 National Census for Population and Housing, scheduled to end on May 12, is the fourth in the history of the Kingdom. Around 35,000 enumerators and 10,000 census officials have been deployed across the country, approaching family residences from 5 P.M. to 9.30 PM to complete a 59-point questionnaire seeking demographic, social and economic data.
