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Saudi Arabia
Country Overview
In 1902, ABD AL-AZIZ bin Abd al-Rahman Al Saud captured Riyadh and set
out on a 30-year campaign to unify the Arabian Peninsula. A son of ABD
AL-AZIZ rules the country today, and the country's Basic Law stipulates
that the throne shall remain in the hands of the aging sons and grandsons
of the kingdom's founder.
Location:
Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen
Land boundaries:
total: 4,431 km
border countries:
Iraq 814 km, Jordan 744 km, Kuwait 222 km, Oman 676
km, Qatar 60 km, UAE 457 km, Yemen 1,458 km
Climate:
harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes
Terrain:
mostly uninhabited, sandy desert
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal Sawda' 3,133 m
Nationality:
noun: Saudi(s)
adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian Ethnic groups:
Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%
Religions:
Muslim 100%
Languages:
Arabic
Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
conventional short form: Saudi Arabia
local long form: Al Mamlakah al Arabiyah as Suudiyah
local short form: Al Arabiyah as Suudiyah
Government type:
monarchy
Capital:
Riyadh
Administrative divisions:
13 provinces (mintaqat, singular - mintaqah); Al Bahah, Al Hudud ash
Shamaliyah, Al Jawf, Al Madinah, Al Qasim, Ar Riyad, Ash Sharqiyah (Eastern
Province), 'Asir, Ha'il, Jizan, Makkah, Najran, Tabuk
Independence:
23 September 1932 (unification of the kingdom)
National holiday:
Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932)
Flag description:
green, a traditional color in Islamic flags, with the Shahada or Muslim
creed in large white Arabic script (translated as "There is no
god but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God") above a white horizontal
saber (the tip points to the hoist side); design dates to the early
twentieth century and is closely associated with the Al Saud family
which established the kingdom in 1932
Currency (code):
Saudi riyal (SAR)
Exchange rates:
Saudi riyals per US dollar - 3.745 (2004), 3.745 (2003), 3.745 (2002),
3.745 (2001), 3.745 (2000)
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