Country Profile: Saudi Arabia

Brief description:

Saudi Arabia is a country of southeastern Asia. Its area is 1960582 sq kilometers and population is 26.2 million. Officially, it is called Kingdom of Saudi Arab consultative Assembly. Riadh is the capital. 99% of the population is Muslim. The official language is Arabic.

Brief history:

The first concrete evidence of human presence in the Arabian peninsula dates back, 15000 to 20000 years .Bands of hunter gatherers roamed the land , living off wild animals and plants. As the European ice cap melted during the last ice Age , some 15,000 years ago. The climate in the peninsula became dry. This climate change forced human to move into the lush valleys and oases . No longer able to survive as hunter gatherers, they had to develop anothers means of survival.

As a result, agriculture developed .animals, including goats, cattle, sheep, horses and camels were domesticated and people abandoned hunting altogether. These advances made intensive farming possible. In turn, settlements became more permenant , leading to the foundations of what we call civilization language, writing, political systems, art and architecture.

Over the centuries, the peninsula has played an important role as an ancient trade center and as the birthplace of Islam. Around the year 610,prophet Mohammad (sm) proclaim the oneness of God universally. Less than 100 years after the birth of Islam, the Islamic Empire extended from spain to parts of India and china.

During 17^th century, Islamic Empire broke up into smaller muslim kingdoms. The Arabian peninsula gradually entered a period of relative isolation.

The first Saudi state was established in the year 1744 by wahabi movement . by 1788 , the Saudi state ruled over the entir central plateau known as the Najd, By the early 19^th century, its rule extended to most of the Arabian peninsula. Including Mokkah and Madina . The wahabi movement was erushed (1811-18) by an Egyptian expetition under the son of Muhammad Ali. After reviving in 1924,the wahabis were defeated in 1891 by the Rashid dynasty, which gained effective control of central Arabia. In 1902  Ibn soud reconquest Riyadh from Rashid dynasty.

After establishing Riyadh as his headquarters, Abdul aziz captured all of the Hijaz, including Makkah and Madina.On September 23,1932, the country was named the kingdom of Saudi Arabia , an Islamic state with Arabic as its national language and the Holy Quran as its constitution . oil was discovered in 1939 by the U.S. owned Arabian standard oil company and commercial production started in 1938. In 1939 oil exploitation started which allowed king Abdul Aziz Ibn saud to begin a large scale  modernization program. During his rule he started building the country’s infrastructure. he established roads and basic communications systems, introduced modern technology, and improved education, health care and agriculture. It joined the Arab league in 1945, but it played a minor role in the Arab wars with Israel in 1948, 1967 and 1973.

King Faisal played an active role in organizing the Arab oil embargo of 1973, directed against the United states and other nations that supported Isroel. This resulted in oil prices four times higher than earlier and revenues increases greatly in 1974.In 1980, Saudi Arabia take ful control over Aramco.

Saudi religious interests were threatened by the fall of Tran’s shah in 1979 and by the growth of Islamic fundamentalism. Saudi Arabia supported Iraq in the Iran – Iraq war throughout the 1980s. In 1991, when Iraq invaded Kuwait, It supported Kuwait. The Saudi government restricted the U.S led invasions of Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq(2003).

In 1992, king Fahad announces the ‘Basic’ system of Government “emphasizing the duties and responsibilities of a ruler . He proposes setting up a consultative council (majlis al –shura).In 1993, he decrees the division of Saudi Arabia into thirteen administrative divisions. In December 1993, The consultative council is inaugurated . It is composed of a chairman and 60 members chosen by the king . In 1997 king Fahad increases the members of the consultative council from 60 to 90. In 1999, Twenty Saudi women attend a session of the consultative council for the first time.

In September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on New York and Washington 15 of the 19 hijackers involved were Saudi nationals.

Consequently, on December 2001 , king Fahad calls for the eradication of terrorism, saying it is prohibited by Islam. Government takes the unprecedented step of issuing Ib cards to woman . In 2010 , website wikileaks suggest us concern that Saudi Arabia is the ‘most significant’ source of funding for Sunni terrorist groups world wide. In early 2011, during Arab revolution, Saudi forces helped suppress anti government demonstrations in neighboring Bahrain .

In 2012 , Saudi agrees to allow its woman athletes to compete in the Olympic for the first time . In February, 2013, king Abdullah swears in 30 woman to the previously all male shura consultative council a major step in female participation in public life.

Population:

The total population of Saudi Arabia  is 26.2 million.

Currency:

 Saudi riyal

Official language:

 Arabic

Capital City:

Riyadh

Population:

Total  population is more than 34,000000.

Currency:

 The name of the currency of Canada is Canadian Dollar  (CAD)

Language:

 English and French are the official languages of Canada.

Capital City: Ottawa
Largest City: Toronto
Demonym : Canadian
Anthem: " O Canada"
Government : Federal Parliamentary  Constitutional Monarchy
Calling Code : +1
Time Zone:
                (UTC -3.50 to -8)
               Summer(DST) - (UTC-2.5 to -7)