Saudi Arabia:
Background |
| |
| Click
on the image for
larger version |
|
Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and home to Islam's two holiest shrines in Mecca and Medina. The king's official title is the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. The modern Saudi state was founded in 1932 by ABD AL-AZIZ bin Abd al-Rahman AL SAUD (Ibn Saud) after a 30-year campaign to unify most of the Arabian Peninsula. A male descendent of Ibn Saud, his son ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz, rules the country today as required by the country's 1992 Basic Law. 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. The continuing presence of foreign troops on Saudi soil after the liberation of Kuwait became a source of tension between the royal family and the public until all operational US troops left the country in 2003. Major terrorist attacks in May and November 2003 spurred a strong on-going campaign against domestic terrorism and extremism. King ABDALLAH has continued the cautious reform program begun when he was crown prince. To promote increased political participation, the government held elections nationwide from February through April 2005 for half the members of 179 municipal councils. In December 2005, King ABDALLAH completed the process by appointing the remaining members of the advisory municipal councils. The country remains a leading producer of oil and natural gas and holds approximately 25% of the world's proven oil reserves. The government continues to pursue economic reform and diversification, particularly since Saudi Arabia's accession to the WTO in December 2005, and promotes foreign investment in the kingdom. A burgeoning population, aquifer depletion, and an economy largely dependent on petroleum output and prices are all ongoing governmental concerns. --
CIA World Factbook |
Don't
miss the GIS Maps of
Saudi Arabia |
 |
|
 |
We do not yet have any articles for Saudi Arabia.
We know there is someone in Saudi Arabia who will step up and
tell us about this great country. All you need is good photos and
a love of Saudi Arabia, its people, traditions, and natural
wonders. In return, WorldCountries.info will promote your web site
and give you free advertising. We will not rest until every country
and indigenous people of the world are represented here, so please
help us. We believe you will agree that this mission is an important
one. Meanwhile, you can use the links above or below to:
- Read the Saudi Arabia Profile
- View the Saudi Arabia Flag
- Use either the MS Virtual Earth GIS map of Saudi Arabia
or the Google GIS map of the country
- See the Saudi Arabia map used in the CIA
World Factbook
- Check out Saudi Arabia Web Resources
- Shop for Saudi Arabia Books or Music in
our Amazon Store
- Get the latest Saudi Arabia news
- Get the latest Saudi Arabia weather
|
