Saudi Arabia |
|
| OVERVIEW |
| |
| Background |
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.
In the 1930s, the discovery of oil transformed the country.
Following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, Saudi Arabia
accepted the Kuwaiti royal family and 400,000 refugees while
allowing Western and Arab troops to deploy on its soil for
the liberation of Kuwait the following year. A burgeoning
population, aquifer depletion, and an economy largely dependent
on petroleum output and prices are all major governmental
concerns. |
| Natural
resources |
petroleum, natural gas,
iron ore, gold, copper |
| Land
use |
arable land: 1.72%
permanent crops: 0.06%
other: 98.22% (1998 est.) |
| Population |
24,293,844
note: includes 5,576,076 non-nationals (July 2003 est.) |
| Ethnic
groups |
Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%
|
| Religions |
Muslim 100% |
| Languages |
Arabic |
| Literacy |
definition: age 15 and
over can read and write
total population: 78.8%
male: 84.7%
female: 70.8% (2003 est.) |
| Capital |
Riyadh |
| Government
type |
monarchy |
| Independence |
23 September 1932 (Unification
of the Kingdom) |
| National
holiday |
Unification of the Kingdom,
23 September (1932) |
|
|
