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	SAUDI ARABIA


	PROFILE
		Official Name
		Geography
		People
		Government
		Economy
		History
		Principal Government Officials
		Travel & Business Information
		Useful Links

OFFICIAL NAME:

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

GEOGRAPHY:

Area: 1,960,582 million sq. km. (784,233 sq. mi.), slightly more than one-fifth the size of the continental United States.
Cities (2003 est.): Capital--Riyadh (pop. 3.7 million). Other cities--Jeddah (2.7 million), Makkah, (1.6 million), Dammam/Khobar/Dhahran, (1.6 million).
Terrain: Primarily desert with rugged mountains in the southwest.
Climate: Arid, with great extremes of temperature in the interior; humidity and temperature are both high along the coast.

PEOPLE:

Nationality: Noun--Saudi(s). Adjective--Saudi Arabian or Saudi.
Population (2004 est.): 26.7 million (19.7 million Saudis, 7 million foreign nationals).
Annual growth rate: 3.1%.
Ethnic groups: Arab (90% of native pop.), Afro-Asian (10% of native pop.).
Religion: Islam.
Language: Arabic (official).
Education: Literacy--male 84.7%, female 77.8%.
Health: Infant mortality rate--48/1,000. Life expectancy--male 67 years, female 71 years.
Work force: 7.0 million (about 35% foreign workers); industry--25%; services (including government)--63%; agriculture--12%.

GOVERNMENT:

Type: Monarchy with Council of Ministers and Consultative Council. Unification: September 23, 1932.
Constitution: The Holy Qur'an (Governed according to Islamic Law), Shari’a, and the Basic Law.
Branches: Executive--King (chief of state and head of government). Legislative--a Consultative Council with advisory powers was formed September 1993. Judicial--Supreme Council of Justice, Islamic Courts of First Instance and Appeals.
Administrative divisions: 13 provinces.
Political parties: None.

ECONOMY:

GDP (2002 est.): $242 billion.
Annual growth rate (2002 est.): 0.6%.
Per capita GDP (2002 est.): $10,560.
Natural resources: Hydrocarbons, gold, uranium, bauxite, coal, iron, phosphate, tungsten, zinc, silver, copper.
Agriculture: Products--dates, grains, livestock, vegetables. Arable land--1.72%.
Industry: Types--petroleum, petrochemicals, cement, fertilizer, light industry.
Trade (2001 est.): Exports--$66.9 billion: petroleum and petroleum products. Imports--$29.7 billion: manufactured goods, transportation equipment, clothing and textiles, processed food products. Major trading partners--U.S., Japan, South Korea, western Europe.

HISTORY:

Except for a few major cities and oases, the harsh climate historically prevented much settlement of the Arabian Peninsula. People of various cultures have lived in the peninsula over a span of more than 5,000 years. The Dilmun culture, along the Gulf coast, was contemporaneous with the Sumerians and ancient Egyptians, and most of the empires of the ancient world traded with the states of the peninsula.

The Saudi state began in central Arabia in about 1750. A local ruler, Muhammad bin Saud, joined forces with an Islamic reformer, Muhammad Abd Al-Wahhab, to create a new political entity. Over the next 150 years, the fortunes of the Saud family rose and fell several times as Saudi rulers contended with Egypt, the Ottoman Empire, and other Arabian families for control on the peninsula. The modern Saudi state was founded by the late King Abdul Aziz Al-Saud (known internationally as Ibn Saud). In 1902, Abdul Aziz recaptured Riyadh, the Al-Saud dynasty's ancestral capital, from the rival Al-Rashid family. Continuing his conquests, Abdul Aziz subdued Al-Hasa, the rest of Nejd, and the Hijaz between 1913 and 1926. In 1932, these regions were unified as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Boundaries with Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait were established by a series of treaties negotiated in the 1920s, with two "neutral zones"--one with Iraq and the other with Kuwait--created. The Saudi-Kuwaiti neutral zone was administratively partitioned in 1971, with each state continuing to share the petroleum resources of the former zone equally. Tentative agreement on the partition of the Saudi-Iraqi neutral zone was reached in 1981, and partition was finalized by 1983. The country's southern boundary with Yemen was partially defined by the 1934 Treaty of Taif, which ended a brief border war between the two states. A June 2000 treaty further delineated portions of the boundary with Yemen. The location and status of Saudi Arabia's boundary with the United Arab Emirates is not final; a de facto boundary reflects a 1974 agreement. The border between Saudi Arabia and Qatar was resolved in March 2001. The border with Oman also is not demarcated.

King Abdul Aziz died in 1953 and was succeeded by his eldest son, Saud, who reigned for 11 years. In 1964, Saud abdicated in favor of his half-brother, Faisal, who had served as Foreign Minister. Because of fiscal difficulties, King Saud had been persuaded in 1958 to delegate direct conduct of Saudi Government affairs to Faisal as Prime Minister; Saud briefly regained control of the government in 1960-62. In October 1962, Faisal outlined a broad reform program, stressing economic development. Proclaimed King in 1964 by senior royal family members and religious leaders, Faisal also continued to serve as Prime Minister. This practice has been followed by subsequent kings.

The mid-1960s saw external pressures generated by Saudi-Egyptian differences over Yemen. When civil war broke out in 1962 between Yemeni royalists and republicans, Egyptian forces entered Yemen to support the new republican government, while Saudi Arabia backed the royalists. Tensions subsided only after 1967, when Egypt withdrew its troops from Yemen.

Saudi forces did not participate in the Six-Day (Arab-Israeli) War of June 1967, but the government later provided annual subsidies to Egypt, Jordan, and Syria to support their economies. During the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, Saudi Arabia participated in the Arab oil boycott of the United States and Netherlands. A member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Saudi Arabia had joined other member countries in moderate oil price increases beginning in 1971. After the 1973 war, the price of oil rose substantially, dramatically increasing Saudi Arabia's wealth and political influence.

In 1975, King Faisal was assassinated by a nephew, who was executed after an extensive investigation concluded that he acted alone. Faisal was succeeded by his half-brother Khalid as King and Prime Minister; their half-brother Prince Fahd was named Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister. King Khalid empowered Crown Prince Fahd to oversee many aspects of the government's international and domestic affairs. Economic development continued rapidly under King Khalid, and the kingdom assumed a more influential role in regional politics and international economic and financial matters.

In June 1982, King Khalid died, and Fahd became King and Prime Minister in a smooth transition. Another half-brother, Prince Abdullah, Commander of the Saudi National Guard, was named Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister. King Fahd's brother, Prince Sultan, the Minister of Defense and Aviation, became Second Deputy Prime Minister. Under King Fahd, the Saudi economy adjusted to sharply lower oil revenues resulting from declining global oil prices. Saudi Arabia supported neutral shipping in the Gulf during periods of the Iran-Iraq war and aided Iraq's war-strained economy. King Fahd played a major part in bringing about the August 1988 cease-fire between Iraq and Iran and in organizing and strengthening the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a group of six Arabian Gulf states dedicated to fostering regional economic cooperation and peaceful development.

In 1990-91, King Fahd played a key role before and during the Gulf war. King Fahd's action also consolidated the coalition of forces against Iraq and helped define the tone of the operation as a multilateral effort to reestablish the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Kuwait. Acting as a rallying point and personal spokesman for the coalition, King Fahd helped bring together his nation's GCC allies, Western allies, and Arab allies, as well as nonaligned nations from Africa and the emerging democracies of eastern Europe. He used his influence as Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to persuade other Arab and Islamic nations to join the coalition.

King Fahd suffered a stroke in November 1995. From 1997, Crown Prince Abdullah took on much of the day-to-day responsibilities of running the government. Upon King Fahd’s death on August 1, 2005, Abdullah assumed the throne as King. Prince Sultan, Minister of Defense and Aviation, became Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister.

PRINCIPAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS:

King, Prime Minister, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques--King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud
Minister of Foreign Affairs--Prince Saud Al Faysal bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud

TRAVEL & BUSINESS INFORMATION:

Following are are the top 10 tips you need to make your trip easier:

1. Make sure you have a signed, valid passport and visas, if required. Also, before you go, fill in the emergency information page of your passport!

2. Read the Consular Information Sheets (and Public Announcements or Travel Warnings, if applicable) for the countries you plan to visit.

3. Familiarize yourself with local laws and customs of the countries to which you are travelling. While in a foreign country, you are subject to its laws.

4. Make 2 copies of your passport identification page. This will facilitate replacement if your passport is lost or stolen. Leave one copy at home with friends or relatives. Carry the other with you in a separate place from your passport.

5. Leave a copy of your itinerary with family or friends at home so that you can be contacted in case of an emergency.

6. Do not leave your luggage unattended in public areas. Do not accept packages from strangers.

7. You should register with the nearest embassy or consulate of your country. Registration will make your presence and whereabouts known in case it is necessary to contact you in an emergency. Remember to leave a detailed itinerary and the numbers or copies of your passport or other citizenship documents with a friend or relative in your own country.

8. To avoid being a target of crime, try not to wear conspicuous clothing and expensive jewelry and do not carry excessive amounts of money or unnecessary credit cards.

9. In order to avoid violating local laws, deal only with authorized agents when you exchange money or purchase art or antiques.

10. If you get into trouble, contact the nearest embassy of your country.

USEFUL LINKS:

al-Bab - Saudi Arabia - Offers extensive links to resources about the country including the media and news, travel, maps, politics and government, people, economy and environment.

AME Info: Saudi Arabia - A guide that includes information on visa regulation, travel, money, business and social profiles, climate, dialing codes, accommodations, history and maps.

ArabNet - Saudi Arabia - Offers an overview with information about the country's history, geography, business, culture, government, transport and tourism.

4 Arabs: Saudi Arabia - A directory with categorized links to business / economy, cities, computers / internet, culture, education, entertainment, government / politics, health, media, personal pages, reference, science and travel.

BBC News - Country Profile: Saudi Arabia - Provides overview, key facts and events, timelines and leader profiles along with current news.

CIA - The World Factbook: Saudi Arabia - Features map and brief descriptions of the geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military and transnational issues.

Columbia University Libraries - Middle East Studies: Saudi Arabia - Directory of categorized links from the WWW-VL.

Datarabia - Government, royal family, and business directory; includes royal biographies and contacts for businesses and local officials.

Findouter-Saudi - A directory with categorized links to business / economy, computers / internet, news / media, entertainment, travel / tourism, recreation /sports, education, health, government, society / culture, science, reference, shopping and religion.

Hejleh: The Country and People of Saudi Arabia - Provides general information from the Columbia University Press along with a directory of categorised web links.

IndexMundi.com: Saudi Arabia - General country information that includes a country background, geography, demographics, government, economy, telecommunications, transportation, military and transnational issues.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - Directory of news and information covering the government, economy, education, commerce, media and on-line resources.

NationMaster - Saudi Arabia - Profile includes information for various aspects of the country, with a special emphasis on statistics and rankings.

Saudi Cities - - Information about major cities including history and picture galleries with lists of businesses, hotels, shopping establishments, hospitals, and links to government sites.

Saudi Links - A comprehensive collection of links. The site also contains a KSA facts page and an Arab facts section.

The Saudi Network - Provides business information and links to the Arabian Gulf and Middle East area.

Saudi Yellowpages - Provides database on businesses, industry, schools, colleges, hospitals, cities, hotels and links to other International Yellowpages.

SaudiSearch.com - A comprehensive directory, with categorized links to arts, business, internet, education, government, health, news, media, recreation, reference, science, shopping, society, culture, sports and tourism.

UK Foreign Office - Country Profiles: Saudi Arabia - Overview of country's geography, history, politics, economy, international relations, travel and current affairs.

US Department of State - Saudi Arabia - Country portal offers a map and links to Background Notes, USAID page, the US embassy and the current ambassador, press releases, fact sheets, annual Human Rights Reports and other major reports including Country and Industry Market Reports.

US Library of Congress - Country Study: Saudi Arabia - December 1992 country profile provides information about its historical setting, society and environment, economy, government and politics, and national security.

US Library of Congress - Portals to the World: Saudi Arabia - Annotated directory of selected online resources.

Wikipedia - Saudi Arabia - Hyperlinked encyclopedia article covers the country's history, government and politics, geography, economy, demographics, language and culture.