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Saudi Arabia
Introduction:
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.
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Official name: |
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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Capital: |
Riyadh |
Government type: |
monarchy |
Population: |
24,293,844 note: includes 5,576,076 non-nationals (July 2003 est.) |
Languages: |
Arabic |
Official Currency: |
Saudi riyal (SAR) |
Currency code: |
SAR |
Area: |
total: 1,960,582 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 1,960,582 sq km |
Climate: |
harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes |
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Map of Saudi Arabia
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