 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia National name: Al-Mamlaka al-'Arabiya as-Sa'udiya Government: Saudi Arabia was an absolute monarchy until 1992, at which time the Sa'ud royal family introduced the country's first constitution. The legal system is based on the sharia (Islamic law). Geography: Saudi Arabia occupies most of the Arabian Peninsula, with the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba to the west, and the Arabian Gulf to the east. Neighboring countries are Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the Sultanate of Oman, Yemen, and Bahrain, connected to the Saudi mainland by a causeway. Saudi Arabia contains the world's largest continuous sand desert, the Rub Al-Khali, or Empty Quarter. Its oil region lies primarily in the eastern province along the Arabian Gulf. Area: 756,981 sq mi (1,960,582 sq km) Population (2003 est.): 24,293,844 (growth rate: 3.1%); birth rate: 37.2/1000; infant mortality rate: 47.9/1000; density per sq mi: 32 Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Riyadh, 3,724,100 Other large cities: Jeddah, 2,745,000; Makkah (Mecca), 1,614,800 Monetary unit: Riyal Languages: Arabic, English widely spoken Ethnicity/race: Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10% Religion: Islam 100% Agriculture: wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus; mutton, chickens, eggs, milk. Industries: crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals, cement, construction, fertilizer, plastics. Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper. |
|
| LINKS >> Saudi Arabian Standards Organization Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, United States of America Commercial Office Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington DC Islamic Affairs Department at the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington DC Ministry of Higher Education Home Page in Riyadh, capital city of Saudi Arabia King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) in Riyadh Naif Arab Academy for Security Science in Riyadh King Faisal Foundation in Riyadh, and its international prizes for the arts and ciences U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council in Washington DC Saudi Arabian 100 Top Companies including SABIC, which is number one History of Saudi Aramco and details of employment possibilities Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAA) including flight information and history as national carrier Islamic Saudi Academy in Northern
Virginia, USA, grades K through 12 |
|
