SAUDI ARABIA

KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

Untitled Slide

• Land size 2,149,690km^2(13th)
• Population 29,200,000
• Capital Riyadh
• Language Arabic
• Religion Islam

INTERESTING?

• Motto "There is no god but God; Muhammad is the messenger of God."
• Anthem "The Royal Salute"
• King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz
• Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz
• Demonym Saudi Arabian, Saudi (informal)

Untitled Slide

• Government Unitary Islamic absolute monarchy
• Legislature None
• Time zone AST (UTC+3)
• Currency Saudi Riyal(SAR)

In 1932 the two kingdoms of the Hejaz and Nejd were united as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The new kingdom was one of the poorest countries in the world, reliant on limited agriculture and pilgrimage revenues.However, in 1938, vast reserves of oil were discovered in the Al-Hasa region along the coast of the Persian Gulf, and full-scale development of the oil fields began in 1941 under the US-controlled Aramco (Arabian American Oil Company).

Oil provided Saudi Arabia with economic prosperity and substantial political leverage internationally.

By 1976 Saudi Arabia had become the largest oil producer in the world.Khalid's reign saw economic and social development progress at an extremely rapid rate, transforming the infrastructure and educational system of the country

In February 2009, Abdullah announced a series of governmental changes to the judiciary, armed forces, and various ministries to modernize these institutions including the replacement of senior appointees in the judiciary and the Mutaween (religious police) with more moderate individuals and the appointment of the country's first female deputy minister

On 29 January 2011, hundreds of protesters gathered in the city of Jeddah in a rare display of criticism against the city's poor infrastructure after deadly floods swept through the city, killing eleven people.Police stopped the demonstration after about 15 minutes and arrested 30 to 50 people.

Saudi Arabia occupies about 80% of the Arabian Peninsula

Saudi Arabia is lying between latitudes 16° and 33° N, and longitudes 34° and 56° E.

Because the country's southern borders with the United Arab Emirates and Oman are not precisely defined or marked, the exact size of the country remains unknown

Saudi Arabia is divided into 13 provinces. The provinces are further divided into 118 governorates

PROVINCE

• Al Jawf (or Jouf)
• Northern Borders
• Tabuk
• Ha'il
• Al Madinah

Untitled Slide

• Al Qasim
• Makkah
• Al Riyadh
• Eastern Province
• Al Bahah (or Baha)

Untitled Slide

• Asir
• Jizan
• Najran

Saudi Arabia's cloth

Football (soccer) is the national sport in Saudi Arabia. Scuba diving, windsurfing, sailing and basketball are also popular, played by both men and women, with the Saudi Arabian national basketball team winning bronze at the 1999 Asian Championship

Music and dance have always been part of Saudi life. Traditional music is generally associated with poetry and is sung collectively

Of the native dances, the most popular is a martial line dance known as the ʿarḍah, which includes lines of men, frequently armed with swords or rifles, dancing to the beat of drums and tambourines. Bedouin poetry, known as nabaṭī, is still very popular

Saudi Arabian cuisine is similar to that of the surrounding countries in the Arabian Peninsula, and has been heavily influenced by Turkish, Persian, and African food

A dish consisting of a stuffed lamb, known as khūzī, is the traditional national dish. Kebabs are popular, as is shāwarmā (shawarma), a marinated grilled meat dish of lamb, mutton, or chicken.

As in other Arab countries of the Arabian Peninsula, machbūs (kabsa), a rice dish with fish or shrimp, is popular

Saudi Arabia has an oil-based economy with strong government control over major economic activities. Saudi Arabia possesses 18%of the world's proven petroleum reserves, ranks as the largest exporter of petroleum

In recent years, Saudi Arabia sought to join the World Trade Organization. Negotiations have focused on the degree to which Saudi Arabia is willing to increase market access to foreign goods and services and the timeframe for becoming fully compliant with World Trade Organization obligations

Education is free at all levels. The school system is composed of elementary, intermediate, and secondary schools.

A large part of the curriculum at all levels is devoted to Islam, and, at the secondary level, students are able to follow either a religious or a technical track

The rate of literacy, which is 90.4% among males and is about 81.3% among females

Saudi Arabia remains one of the very few countries in the world not to accept the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In response to the continuing criticism of its human rights record, the Saudi government points to the special Islamic character of the country, and asserts that this justifies a different social and political order