Profile
Background and figures as recorded in the CIA World Factbook.
Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and home to Islam's two holiest shrines in Mecca and Medina. The king's official title is the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. ABD AL-AZIZ bin Abd al-Rahman AL SAUD (Ibn Saud) founded the modern Saudi state in 1932 after a 30-year campaign to unify most of the Arabian Peninsula. One of his male descendants rules the country today, as required by the country's 1992 Basic Law.
- Capital
- Riyadh
- Government
- absolute monarchy
- Population
- 36,544,431
- Area
- 2,149,690 sq km
- Location
- Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen
- Climate
- harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes
- Natural resources
- petroleum; natural gas; iron ore; gold; copper
- Languages
- Arabic (official)
- Religions
- Muslim (official; citizens are 85-90% Sunni and 10-12% Shia); other (includes Eastern Orthodox; Protestant…
- Independence
- 23 September 1932 (unification of the kingdom)
- Administrative divisions
- 13 regions (manatiq, singular - mintaqah); Al Bahah, Al Hudud ash Shamaliyah (Northern Border), Al Jawf, Al Madinah al M…
- Currency
- Saudi riyals (SAR)
- Export partners
- China 21%; India 12%; Japan 12%; USA 6%…
- Import partners
- China 21%; UAE 8%; USA 7%; India 6%…
Source: CIA World Factbook — a work of the US government, in the public domain