Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia

Country statistics

area:	2,149,690sq km (829,995sq mi) 22,147,500
capital (population):	Riyadh (3,627,700)
government:	Absolute monarchy
ethnic groups:	Saudi 82%, Yemeni 10%, other Arab 3%
languages:	Arabic (official)
religions:	Wahhabi (Sunni) Muslim 95%, Shi'a Muslim 5%
currency:	Saudi riyal = 100 halalah

Arabic kingdom on the Arabian Peninsula, sw Asia. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia occupies about 75% of the Arabian peninsula in sw Asia. More than 95% of the land is desert. The Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea lie off the w coast. The w coastal lands divide into two main regions: the Hejaz (Arab. ‘boundary’) plain in the nw, which includes the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, and Saudi Arabia's main port, Jiddah. In the sw is the Asir (Arab. ‘inaccessible’) highland region, which contains the country's highest point, Sawda, at 3133m (10,279ft). The Tihama is a narrow, fertile, sw coastal plain. In the centre lies the Najd (Arab. ‘plateau’), which contains Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh. The plateau descends e to the Al Hasa lowlands. This region is the centre of the Saudi oil industry, and contains Saudi Arabia's largest oasis. In the n is the Nafud Desert. The bleak Rub' al Khali (‘Empty Quarter’), the world's largest expanse of sand, dominates the s of Saudi Arabia.

Climate and Vegetation

Saudi Arabia has a hot, dry climate. Summer temperatures in Riyadh often exceed 40°C (104°F). The Asir highlands have an average rainfall of 300–500mm (12in–20in). The rest of the country has less than 100mm (4in). Grass and shrub provide pasture on the w highlands and parts of the central plateau. The deserts contain few plants, except around oases.

History

Mecca is the holiest place in Islam. It was the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad in ad 570, and is the site of the Kaaba. In the 18th century, the Wahhabi (a strict Islamic sect) gained the allegiance of the Saud family, who formed an independent state in Nejd. With the support of the Bedouin, the Wahhabi rapidly conquered most of the Arabian Peninsula. In the 1810s, Ottoman Turks conquered the region.

Abdul Aziz ibn Saud laid the foundations of the modern state of Saudi Arabia. In 1902, Ibn Saud captured Riyadh, and by 1906 captured the whole of the Nejd. In 1913, the Turkish province of Al Hasa also fell. In 1920, Ibn Saud seized the Asir, and by 1925 he gained the whole of the Hejaz. In 1932, the territories combined to form the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Ibn Saud became King, ruling in accordance with the sharia of Wahhabi Islam.

In 1936 the US company Arabian Standard Oil, which later became the Arabian American Oil Company (Aramco), discovered oil. In 1945, Saudi Arabia joined the Arab League. In 1953, Ibn Saud died, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Saud, who ruled with the aid of Crown Prince Faisal. The overthrow of the Yemeni royal family by pro-Nasser republican forces heightened Saud's concern at the growing power of Nasser's Egypt. Saud sent troops to Yemen to aid the monarchists. In 1964, Saud was overthrown and Faisal became king. In 1970, Saudi troops withdrew from Yemen. In 1971, British troops withdrew from the Gulf. Faisal supported the creation of the United Arab Emirates and sought to increase national ownership of Saudi's oil wealth. In 1974, Saudi Arabia agreed to a 60% share in Aramco.

In 1975, King Faisal was assassinated, and Crown Prince Khalid became king. The rise of Islamic fundamentalism, especially in Iran, challenged Khalid's conservativism. In 1979, Shi'ite fundamentalists captured the Great Mosque in Mecca. The rebellion was brutally suppressed. Saudi Arabia's support for Iraq in the Iran-Iraq War (1980–88) led to Iranian attacks on Saudi shipping. In 1982, Khalid died and was succeeded by Prince Fahd. In 1990, more than 1400 pilgrims died in a stampede during the Hajj. When Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, King Fahd invited coalition forces to protect it against possible Iraqi aggression. Saudi air and land forces played a significant role in the Allied victory in the Gulf War (1991).

Politics

The King retains supreme authority, although a 60-man Consultative Council of royal nominees has been in existence since 1963. In 1996, King Fahd suffered a stroke and control of the government passed to his half-brother, Crown Prince Abdullah. In the same year, the Council's president ruled out elections on Islamic grounds. Saudi Arabia has no formal constitution. In May 2003, suicide bombers suspected of having links with al-Qaeda killed 35 people in the capital Riyadh.

Economy

Saudi Arabia is the world's largest producer and exporter of crude oil (2000 GDP per capita US$10,500). It has c.25% of the world's known oil reserves, and oil and oil products make up 85% of its exports. Oil revenue has been used to develop education, services, light industry, farming, and to purchase military hardware. The construction of desalination plants played an important part in improving the supply of freshwater. In the mid-1980s, world oil prices slumped and many infrastructure projects were abandoned. Agriculture employs 48% of the workforce, although only 1% of the land is fertile. Crops grown in Asir and at oases include dates and other fruits, vegetables, and wheat. Some nomadic livestock herders remain. Mecca is visited by more than 1.5 million pilgrims a year, making a vital addition to state revenue.

Political map

Physical map

Websites

http://www.saudiembassy.net