Kingdom of Saudi Arabia المملكة العربية السعودية al-Mamlaka al-‘Arabiyya as-Su‘ūdiyya | |
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Motto: لا إله إلا الله، محمد رسول الله "Lā ʾilāha ʾillāl–lāh, Muhammadun rasūl allāh" "There is no god but God; Muhammad is the messenger of God."[1][a] (Shahada) | |
Anthem: السلام الملكي (as an instrumental) "as-Salâm al-Malaki" "The Royal Salute" | |
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Capital and largest city | Riyadh |
Official languages | Arabic |
Demonym(s) | Saudi |
Government | Unitary Islamic absolute monarchy |
• King | Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud |
Mohammad bin Salman | |
Legislature | None - legislation by king's decree. |
Establishment | |
23 September 1932[5] | |
Area | |
• Total | 2,250,000 km2 (870,000 sq mi) (12th) |
• Water (%) | 0.7 |
Population | |
• 2024 estimate | 41,344,786[6] (34th) |
• Density | 12/km2 (31.1/sq mi) (216th) |
GDP (PPP) | 2024 estimate |
• Total | $3.059 trillion[7] |
• Per capita | $24,056.715 |
GDP (nominal) | 2024 estimate |
• Total | $2.094 trillion |
• Per capita | $19,890.183 |
HDI (2011) | ![]() high · 56th |
Currency | Saudi riyal (SR) (SAR) |
Time zone | UTC+3 (AST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+3 ((not observed)) |
Driving side | right |
Calling code | +966 |
ISO 3166 code | SA |
Internet TLD | .sa, السعودية. |
Saudi Arabia,[b] officially known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA),[c] is a country in West Asia including most of the Arabian Peninsula. The land area is approximately 2,150,000 km2 (830,000 sq mi), so Saudi Arabia is geographically the 5th-largest state in Asia and 2nd-largest state in the Arab world after Algeria. Saudi Arabia is bordered by Jordan and Iraq to the north, Kuwait to the northeast, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates to the east, Oman to the southeast, and Yemen to the south. It is separated from Palestine and Egypt by The Red sea. It is the only nation with both a Red Sea coast and the Arabian Gulf coast, and most of its land is dry and barren. Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Arabs and Islam [9] and sometimes called "the Land of the Two Holy Mosques" in reference to Al-Masjid al-Haram (in Mecca), and Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (in Medina), the two holiest places in Islam. Arabic is the exclusive official language in Saudi Arabia.
Sunni Islam is the state religion.[10] The practice of non-Islamic religions is not allowed in public but it's allowed in private.[11] The Hanbali school of faith has a big influence, and the ultra-conservative Wahhabism religious movement within Sunni Islam has been called "the predominant feature of Saudi culture".
Saudi Arabia is the largest state in western Asia by land area (most of the Arabian Peninsula) and the second-largest in the Arab World. It has an estimated population of 27 million, of which 8.8 million are registered foreign expatriates and an estimated 1.5 million are illegal immigrants. Saudi nationals comprise an estimated 16 million people.[12]
Saudi Arabia has the world's largest petroleum reserves and is the world's largest oil exporter.[13] Oil accounts for more than 90% of exports and nearly 75% of government revenues, facilitating the creation of a welfare state.[14] However, human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have expressed concern about the state of human rights in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has cities that are important to the Muslim religion. Many Muslims from around the world visit Mecca in Saudi Arabia to make a pilgrimage. The pilgrimage is one of the "pillars of Islam". Other big cities are Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. The pilgrimage is called hajj in the Arabic language. Somebody who makes a pilgrimage to Mecca is called a hajj in the Arabic language. People who are not Muslim are not allowed to enter Mecca.
Most people speak the Arabic language.
The currency of Saudi Arabia is referred to as the Saudi Riyal.[15]
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