Saudi Arabia At A Glance

* The first Saudi state was established in 1744 under the leadership of Mohammad Bin Saud.
* The second Saudi state was established in 1824 under the leadership of Turki Bin Abdullah.
* The third Saudi state was established in 1926 under the leadership of Abdul Aziz Bin Abdur Rahman and its unification as well as its independence was proclaimed on 23 September 1932 and since then its national day has been observing on 23 September every year.
* National Name: Al-Mamlakatul Arabiya As-Saudia (The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)
* Government type : Monarchy with an appointed Council of Ministers and an appointed Majlis al-Shura. Saudi citizens enjoy the right of direct petition to the government to have theie voiees heard. Legal decisions are based on Islamic Shariah, and there is no separate constitution.
* Head of State: The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud since January 23, 2015.
* Area : 2,240,000 sq. k.m. (829,995 sq. miles)   
* Language : Arabic. (English is also spoken)
* Population (2010):
 27,136,977 out of them 18,707,576 are Saudis, male: 9527,173 and female: 9180,403, growth rate: 1.8%, birth rate: 28.5/1000; infant mortality rate: 11.5/1000; life expectancy are : around 72 years, density per sq. mile: 33.
* Religion : Islam       
* Flag :        
 It is of green colour. Its length is two thirds of its size and it carries the creed of monotheism; “La Ilaha Illa Allah Muhammadur Rasulullah” (There is no god but Allah; Muhammad (pbuh) is the messenger of Allah). An unsheathed sword symbolizing Justice follows below the inscription. The flag of the Kingdom is the only one in the world that can never be flown at half-mast because of the inscription of 'Tawhid'.
* Emblem :       
Two cross swords represent the emblem of the Kingdom with a palm tree at the top. The palm tree symbolizes prosperity and growth while the swords represent justice, power and safety.
* Climate :       
 Temperature varies from 120 C to 510 C.
Rainfall: scanty and irregular. Long, hot and dry summer. Temperature drops markedly at night. In winter night slight snowfall is seen.
* Ethnicity/Race : Arab-90%, Afro-Asian-10%       
* Literacy Rate :     95% (2012)   
* Location: 
 Southwest Asia, at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa; extending from the Red Sea in the west to the Arabian Gulf in the east; bordered on the north by Jordan, Iraq and Kuwait, on the south by Yemen and Oman, and on the east by the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain.
* Currency :       
 Saudi Riyal (SR). Exchange  rate USD $1=SR 3.75.
* Total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) : USD 115 billion.
 National Airlines : Saudia. The current flight schedule between the kingdom and Bangladesh is : Dhaka –Jeddah, Dhaka-Riyadh, Dhaka –Dammam.
* Administrative Division :       
 The Kingdom is divided into 13 administrative regions; which are:
1) Riyadh    2) Holy Makkah    3) Holy Madinah  4)    Qassim    5)    The Eastern Region    6)    Asseer 7)    Tabuk    8)    Hail    9)    The Northern Border 10)    Jazan    11)    Najran    12)    Al-Baha 13)    Al-Jouf       
* Time:
 Greenwich Mean Time plus three (GMT+3)=Eastern Standard Time plus eight (seven during Daylight Savings Time).
* Holidays:
 Closure of all offices and schools on Eid Al-Fitr.
* Business:
 Government offices: Sunday to Thursday from 7:30 am to 2:30 pm; private business from 8:00 am to noon and 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm; general banking from 8:00 am until noon and from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm and markets and shops from 8:00 am until 10:00 pm.
* Health :       
 Highest per capita health expenditure in the world. Free medical facilities for all citizens, including expatriates. Number of hospitals-213, beds-45,500, doctors-30,700, primary health centers-3130 (2004).
* Education    Saudi children begin school at six and continue for twelve years under they graduate from high school. After high school students can continue their education in vocational and training school as well as university education. Education is free to citizens up-to the university level.    
* Industry :       
 Over 3785 industrial units at a cost of more than SR 300 billion (2004) No. of workers-350,000.
* Agriculture:       
 Cultivable land 4.5 million hectors. Land under actual cultivation 2.9 million hectors. Pasture land - 48 million hectors. Main crops: The Date crop in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is more than the domestic need. It is noteworthy that the Saudis consume a large quantity of dates estimated at 29 kg per person annually. The number of date factories in KSA 40.
Other crops- Wheat, Cereals, fruits, potato and vegetables. 4 million tones wheat grow in KSA per year and a large number of various kind of vegetable and fruits and flora cultivate their.
* Electricity:       
 Over 90 percent of the total areas have been covered under Electrification program at the end of 6th development plant (1996-2000).
* Tourism:       
 Most Attractive tourist resorts are : Taif, Al-Shifa, Al-Hada, Al-Baha, Abha, Khamis Mushait, Al-Namas, Al-Ahsa, Besides, there is a beautiful half-moon beach in the eastern region and port city Jeddah's beautiful 'coral reefs' and long beaches.
* Minerals:       
 Total crude oil reserves-260 billion barrels (25 percent of world reserve); Total gas reserve-180 trillion cubic feet. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which owns the 4th largest reserve of national gas. Other minerals: Lead, Nickel, Zinc, Gold, Tin & Tungsten, Iron, Copper, Uranium, Phosphates, Bauxite, Potassium, Granite and Marbles.
* Transportation & Communication
(a) Airports    : 26 Airports, including 04 (four) International Airports are (1) Jeddah, (2) Riyadh, (3) Dammam and (4) Madinah. Rest 22 is domestic.
(b)    Railways : Total 1,392 km (2002)
(c) Highways    : Highways: Total 151,470 km; Paved: 45,592 km. unpaved: 105,878 km. (1999).
(d)    Ports and Harbors    :    (1) Ad Dammam, (2) Al Jubayl, (3) Duba, (4) Jeddah, (5) Jizan, (6) Rabigh, (7) Ra's Al Khafji, (8) Mishab, (9) Ra's Tannura, (10) Yanbu' Al Bahr, (11) Madinatul Uanbu' Al Sinaiyah.
* Mass Media and Communication   
(a) Daily News Papers and Weekly Magazine :
The most widely distributed in KSA are 11. There are : (1) Al-Riyadh, (2) Al-Jazira, (3) Okaz, (4) Al-Watan, (5) al-Iqtissadiya, (6) Al-Madinah, (7) Al-Youm, (8) Al-Riyadiyah (9) Al-Riyadah (10) Assharq Al-Awsat (11) Al-Hayat.
There are also dozens of weekly magazine specialized in money, business, commerce, health, medicine, sports, woman's topics, social affairs etc.
(b) Radio Broadcast Station : A.M. 43, F.M. 31, Shortwave 2 (1998)
(c) Television Broadcast Station : 117 (1997)
(d) Post Office : 683.
(e) Telex Lines : 30,000 (2008)
(f) Internet Service Providers: 22 (2002)
* Dams :       
 230 Dams with storage capacity of 850 million cubic meters. Bisha and Najran dams are biggest dam of the country.
* Desalinization Plants:       
 27 plants with capacity to produce 573 million cubic meters daily.
* Historical Sites :       
 Ancient historical monuments and important archeological sites are located mainly at (1) Makkah al-Mukarramah, (2) Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, (2) Al-Alua, (3) Madain Saleh and (4) Najran.
* Expansion of the two Holy mosques:
 The two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah have been expended at a cost of 70 billion Riyals. Total expanded area of the two Holy Mosques comes to 575,000 sq. meters allowing spaces for more than four million persons to pray at a time.