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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.


Official name:

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

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

Map of Saudi Arabia

map of Saudi Arabia