Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is a sovereign Arab state in Western Asia constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula. With a land area of approximately 2,150,000 km2 (830,000 sq. mi), Saudi Arabia is geographically the fifth-largest state in Asia and second-largest state in the Arab world after Algeria. Saudi Arabia is bordered by Jordan and Iraq to the north, Kuwait to the northeast, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates to the east, Oman to the southeast and Yemen to the south; it is separated from Israel and Egypt by the Gulf of Aqaba. It is the only nation with both a Red Sea coast and a Persian Gulf coast, and most of its terrain consists of arid desert, lowland and mountains. As of October 2018, the Saudi economy was the largest in the Middle East and the 18th largest in the world. Saudi Arabia also has one of the world's youngest populations: 50 percent of its 33.4 million people are under 25 years old. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded in 1932 by Ibn Saud. He united the four regions that form modern Saudi Arabia and has been referred to as the "founder of the Kingdom". Saudi Arabia has since been an absolute monarchy, effectively a hereditary dictatorship governed along Islamic lines. The ultraconservative Wahhabi religious movement within Sunni Islam has been a strong element in Saudi culture since the 18th century. Saudi Arabia is sometimes called "the Land of the Two Holy Mosques" in reference to Al-Masjid al-Haram (in Mecca) and Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (in Medina), the two holiest places in Islam. The state's official language is Arabic. Petroleum was discovered on 3 March 1938 and followed up by several other finds in the Eastern Province. Saudi Arabia has since become the world's largest oil producer and exporter, controlling the world's second largest oil reserves and the sixth largest gas reserves. The kingdom is sometimes called the "land of the two holy mosques" in reference to Mecca and Medina, the two holiest places in Islam. In 2017, Saudi Arabia was ranked as the world's second most repressive regime for journalists after Eritrea. In 2019, it was ranked 169th out of 180 countries by Reporters Without Borders in its Worldwide Press Freedom Index. Saudi Arabia has a population of over 34 million people (as of 2018), and its capital and largest city is Riyadh. The official language is Arabic. The country's geography is dominated by the Arabian Desert, the fertile regions of the Najd in the center, the Rub' al-Khali in the southeast, and the Tihamah coastal plain in the southwest. The climate is mostly arid and hot, with very little rainfall. The country experiences extreme heat in the summers, with temperatures often reaching 50 °C (122 °F). The economy of Saudi Arabia is one of the top twenty economies in the world, and it depends heavily on oil exports. The Saudi government is working to diversify the economy and reduce its dependence on oil, but this will take time. In the meantime, the country continues to be a major destination for foreign workers, especially from South Asia. The culture of Saudi Arabia is a rich one, with influences from Arab, Islamic, and Bedouin traditions. The Saudi government does not allow public displays of religious symbols, but the private practice of religion is allowed. The country is home to two of the holiest sites in Islam, Mecca and Medina, and pilgrims from all over the world come to Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj (pilgrimage) each year. The Saudi government is an absolute monarchy, and the king is both the head of state and the head of government. The country has a unicameral legislature, the Shura Council, which is advisory only. The Saudi judiciary is independent, but the king has the final say in all legal matters. The Saudi Arabian economy is the largest in the Middle East and the 18th largest in the world. The country is the world's leading producer of oil, and its reserves are estimated to be the second largest in the world. The government is working to diversify the economy and reduce its dependence on oil, but this will take time. In the meantime, the country continues to be a major destination for foreign workers, especially from South Asia. The culture of Saudi Arabia is a rich one, with influences from Arab, Islamic, and Bedouin traditions. The Saudi government does not allow public displays of religious symbols, but the private practice of religion is allowed. The country is home to two of the holiest sites in Islam, Mecca and Medina, and pilgrims from all over the world come to Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj (pilgrimage) each year.