Saudi Arabia. The heart of the Arab and Islamic worlds, the investment powerhouse, and the hub connecting three continents.
Geography
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the Arabian Peninsula and Located in the southwest corner of Asia, the Kingdom is at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. It is surrounded by the Red Sea on the West, by Yemen and Oman on the South, the Arabian Gulf and the United Arab Emirates and Qatar on the East, and Jordan, Iraq and Kuwait on the North. Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coastline stretches about 1,760 kilometers (1,100 miles) while its Arabian Gulf coastline roughly 560 kilometers (350 miles).
Climate
Almost the entire Kingdom is arid, although there is rainfall in the north and along the mountain range to the west, especially in the far southwest, which receives the monsoon rains in summer. Sporadic rain can also occur elsewhere, sometimes very heavily, causing serious flooding, including in Riyadh, where the air and prevailing winds tend usually to be very dry.
- Currency: Saudi riyal (SAR)
- Official Languages: Arabic
- Capital: Riyadh
- Population: 35,841,000 million
- Total Area (Sq Km): 2,149,690
Resources and power
Petroleum
The economy of Saudi Arabia is dominated by petroleum and its associated industries. In terms of oil reserves, Saudi Arabia ranks first internationally, with about one-fifth of the world's known reserves. Oil deposits are located in the east.
Other resources
Other mineral resources are known to exist, and the government has pursued a policy of exploration and production in order to diversify the economic base. Geologic reconnaissance mapping of the Precambrian shield in the west has revealed deposits of gold, silver, copper, zinc, lead, iron, titanium, pyrite, magnesite, platinum, and cadmium. There are also nonmetallic resources such as limestone, silica, gypsum, and phosphorite.
Transportation and Telecommunications
The country's roads are all paved, and the automobile is a common form of transport. Taxis are found in cities and most large towns. Seaport capacity has been greatly expanded. Major cargo ports are Jeddah, Yanbuʿ, Ḍibā, and Jīzān on the Red Sea and Al-Dammām and Al-Jubayl on the gulf. The country has many small airports and airfields. The national airline, Saudi Arabian Airlines (formerly Saudia; founded 1945), provides both domestic and international service. The chief international airports are at Dhahran, Riyadh, and Jeddah.
Radio broadcasts began in the kingdom in 1948, and the first television station was established in 1965. All broadcasts are operated by the state, and programming focuses on religious and cultural affairs, news, and other topics that are viewed as edifying by the government. Radio and television services are widely accessible, as is telephone service. The government has invested significant resources in updating and expanding the country's telecommunications infrastructure, and large portions of the telephone grid have been digitized. Cellular telephone service is widespread, and access to the Internet is available in all major population centers.
Health and welfare
A great deal of attention has been given to health care, and the numbers of hospital beds, physicians, and nurses have increased greatly. In addition to numerous health institutes, hospitals, and health centres, a network of dispensaries serving communities of 10,000 or more people has been set up, complemented by a system of mobile health services reaching small communities and the remaining nomadic populations.
Medical technology is continuously being upgraded in Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom has its own facilities to train doctors, nurses and other medical personnel, and Saudi Arabians rarely travel abroad to get specialized medical treatment. These services now extend to the most remote communities in the country. The private sector, which makes a vital contribution to health services, has expanded over the past decade. It operates a number of hospitals and clinics in the country.
Major hospitals provide all sorts of sophisticated treatments including open-heart surgery, kidney transplants and cancer therapy. Saudi Arabia has one of the World's largest and best-equipped eye hospitals, the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, and one of the largest medical facilities in the Middle East, the King Fahd Medical City in Riyadh.
Education
Saudi Arabia's nationwide educational system comprises eight universities, more than 24,000 schools and a large number of colleges and other educational and training institutions.
National Day
National day is always celebrated on September 23rd. it marks September 23rd 1932, when King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud announced the unification of the country as a kingdom.
Flag of the Kingdom
The flag of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is rectangular and its width is two-thirds of its length. It has a green background inscribed in the middle with the Islamic testimony (Shahada) “La Elah Ella Allah; Mohammed Rasul Allah” (There is no God but Allah; Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah) is written in an Arabic calligraphic form called “tholuth”. Beneath it is an Arab sword, the handle of which is turned to the direction of the flag’s mast. The Flag of Saudi Arabia must not be hung at half mast or touch ground or water in respect of the Shahada written on it.
National Emblem
The national emblem of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia consists of a palm tree on top of two crossed Arab swords. Swords symbolize strength, stamina and sacrifice while the palm tree symbolizes vitality, growth and prosperity.
Founding Day
Founding Day is an official public holiday in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on February 22nd each year.
Main Cities
Riyadh is the capital city of Saudi Arabia.
Makkah and Madinah, Islam’s two holiest cities, are located in Saudi Arabia. Makkah is the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad and the focal point of Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage in which almost two million Muslims from all parts of the world participate every year. Madinah is the city where Prophet Muhammad emigrated and lived.
Riyadh, located in the central province, is the capital city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the high-tech center of modern Saudi Arabia and houses the headquarters of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Jeddah, located along the eastern coast of the Red Sea, is the commercial capital of Saudi Arabia, and serves as an entrance to the rest of the peninsula. Jeddah’s ports hence become the main thoroughfares for trade.
The twin cities of Jubail and Yanbu are a symbol of the government’s vision of Saudi Arabia’s future development. Jubail lies on the Arabian Gulf in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom. It is located 80 kilometers north of Dammam and is an ancient center and caravan junction famous for pearling.
It has the world’s largest petrochemical complex. Yanbu is located on the East Coast of the Red Sea about 350 kilometers north-west of Jeddah. It houses the Directorate General of the Royal Commission for Jubail & Yanbu. It is a typical industrial fortress and a work of art in architectural engineering.
Resources:
https://www.mofa.gov.sa/en/ksa/Pages/default.aspx
https://www.stats.gov.sa/en/page/259
To help you explore the city of Riyadh and its attractions, we are pleased to provide you with a city guide in both Arabic and English. You can access the guides through the following links:
Arabic guide:
https://visitsaudi.aflip.in/0e91499e84.html
English guide:
https://visitsaudi.aflip.in/0ac5c3e989.html
Furthermore, we invite you to explore the exciting events taking place throughout Saudi Arabia this summer by visiting the Kingdom's event calendar:
https://www.visitsaudi.com/ar/calendar