Saudi Arabia

In 1902 Abdul al-Aziz Ibn SAUD captured Riyadh and set out on a 30-year campaign to unify the Arabian peninsula. In the 1930s, the discovery of oil transformed the country from an underdeveloped desert kingdom to one of the wealthiest nations in the region. Following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, Saudi Arabia accepted the Kuwaiti royal family and 400,000 refugees while allowing Western and Arab troops to deploy on its soil for the liberation of Kuwait the following year.
A burgeoning population, aquifer depletion, and an economy largely dependent on petroleum output and prices are all major governmental concerns.
On the morning of the 1st of August, 2005, it was announced that King Fahd had died. Crown Prince Abdullah was affirmed as King and Prince Sultan appointed Crown Prince.

border countries: (Bahrain) Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

Saudi Arabia is a member state of the League of Arab States

Official Name:
Al-Mamlaka al-Arabiya as-Saudiya
local short form: Al-Arabiya as Saudiya
int'l short form: Saudi Arabia
int'l long form: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

ISO Country Code: sa

Local Time = UTC +3h

Country Calling Code: +966

Capital: Riyadh (pop. 4.7 million)

Major Cities:
Jeddah, Makkah, Al Madinah, Dammam with Al Khobar and Dhahran, (capital of the Eastern Region), Taif.

Government:
Monarchy with Council of Ministers and Consultative Council.
Head of State and Prime Minister: King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.
Unification: 23 September 1932.
Constitution: The Holy Qur'an (Governed according to Islamic Law)
Branches:
Executive: King (chief of state and head of government)
Legislative: none; a Consultative Council with advisory powers was formed September 1993.
Judicial: Supreme Council of Justice, Islamic Courts of First Instance and Appeals.
Political parties: None.

Geography:
Location: Asia, Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen.
Area: 2.25 million sq. km. (868 730 sq. mi.), about one-fourth the size of the continental USA.
Terrain: Deserts, plateaus, mountains in the southwest.

Climate:
Arid, with great extremes of temperature in the interior; humidity and temperature are both high along the coast.

People:
Nationality: Noun: Saudi(s), Adjective: Saudi Arabian or Saudi.
Population: 27 million (2006; Saudi citizens 72.2%; 27.8% non-Saudi residents)
GNI per capita PPP: $ 13 123 (year)
Ethnic groups: Arab (90% of native pop.), Afro-Asian (10% of native pop.)
Religion: Islam
Language: Arabic (official)
Education: Literacy: male 88%, female 74%.

Natural resources: Petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper.

Agriculture products: Wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus; mutton, chickens, eggs, milk.

Industries: Crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals, cement, construction, fertilizer, plastics.

Currency: Saudi Riyal (SAR)

(Source: Saudi Arabian Information Resource and others)

Saudi Arabia in Figures
Saudi Arabia key statistical data.