The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, or KSA, is a sovereign country that comprises the central portion of the Arabian Peninsula

Arabian Peninsula

The Arabian Peninsula is a land mass situated north-east of Africa. Also known as Arabia or the Arabian subcontinent, it is the world's largest peninsula and covers 3,237,500 km2...

 of Southwest Asia

Southwest Asia

Western Asia, West Asia, Southwest Asia or Southwestern Asia are terms that describe the westernmost portion of Asia. The terms are partly coterminous with the Middle East, which describes a geographical position in relation to Western Europe rather than its location within Asia...

. Saudi Arabia is bordered by Jordan

Jordan

Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...

 on the northwest, Iraq

Iraq

Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

 on the north and northeast, Kuwait

Kuwait

The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...

, Qatar

Qatar

Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...

, Bahrain

Bahrain

' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...

, and the United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...

 on the east, Oman

Oman

Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...

 on the southeast, and Yemen

Yemen

The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....

 on the south. The Persian Gulf

Persian Gulf

The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...

 lies to the northeast and the Red Sea

Red Sea

The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...

 to its west. It has an estimated population of 27.6 million, and its size is approximately 2,150,000 square km (830,000 square miles).

The Kingdom is sometimes called "The Land of The Two Holy Mosques" in reference to Mecca

Mecca

Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...

 and Medina

Medina

Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...

, the two holiest places of Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

. The Kingdom was founded by Abdul-Aziz bin Saud, whose efforts began in 1902 when he captured the Al-Saud’s ancestral home of Riyadh

Riyadh

Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to 5,254,560 people, and the urban center of a...

, and culminated in 1932 with the proclamation, and recognition of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia is the world's leading petroleum exporter and petroleum

Petroleum

Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...

 exports fuel the Saudi economy

Economy of Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has an oil-based economy with strong government control over major economic activities. Saudi Arabia possesses 18% of the world's proven petroleum reserves, ranks as the largest exporter of petroleum, and plays a leading role in OPEC, although its influence has waned in recent...

. Oil accounts for more than 90 percent of exports and nearly 75 percent of government revenues, facilitating the creation of a welfare state

Welfare state

A welfare state is a "concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those...

, which the government has found difficult to fund during periods of low oil price

Price of petroleum

The price of petroleum as quoted in news generally refers to the spot price per barrel of either WTI/light crude as traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange for delivery at Cushing, Oklahoma, or of Brent as traded on the Intercontinental Exchange for delivery at Sullom Voe.The price...

s. Human rights

Human rights

Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...

 groups such as Amnesty International

Amnesty International

Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...

 and Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...

 have repeatedly expressed concern about the state of human rights in Saudi Arabia

Human rights in Saudi Arabia

Human rights in Saudi Arabia are intended to be based on Islamic religious laws under rule of the Saudi royal family. The government of Saudi Arabia, and the Saudi legal system, has been criticized for its treatment of religious and political minorities, homosexuals, apostates, and women...

, although these concerns have been dismissed by the Saudi government.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Saudi Arabia:

General reference

• Pronunciation
  International Phonetic Alphabet
  The International Phonetic Alphabet "The acronym 'IPA' strictly refers [...] to the 'International Phonetic Association'. But it is now such a common practice to use the acronym also to refer to the alphabet itself that resistance seems pedantic...
  
  :
• Common English country name: Saudi Arabia
  Saudi Arabia
  The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
  
  
• Official English country name: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• Adjectives: Saudi, Saudi Arabian
• Demonym(s):
• Etymology
  Etymology
  Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
  
  : Name of Saudi Arabia
• International rankings of Saudi Arabia
  International rankings of Saudi Arabia
  -Cities:Riyadh*Metropolitan area by population*Most expensive cities-Communications:*The World Factbook: number of mobile phones in use ranked*OECD: number of broadband Internet users ranked...
  
  
• ISO country codes: SA, SAU, 682
• ISO region codes: See ISO 3166-2:SA
  ISO 3166-2:SA
  ISO 3166-2:SA is the entry for Saudi Arabia in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization , which defines codes for the names of the principal subdivisions of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1.Currently for Saudi Arabia, ISO 3166-2...
  
  
• Internet
  Internet
  The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
  
   country code top-level domain
  Country code top-level domain
  A country code top-level domain is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, a sovereign state, or a dependent territory....
  
  : .sa
  .sa
  .sa is the Latin alphabet Internet country code top-level domain of Saudi Arabia. Domains of this type can be registered through SaudiNIC, a department of the Communication & Information Technology Commission...
  
  

Geography of Saudi Arabia

• Saudi Arabia is: a country
• Location:
  • Northern Hemisphere
    Northern Hemisphere
    The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
    
     and Eastern Hemisphere
    Eastern Hemisphere
    The Eastern Hemisphere, also Eastern hemisphere or eastern hemisphere, is a geographical term for the half of the Earth that is east of the Prime Meridian and west of 180° longitude. It is also used to refer to Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australasia, vis-à-vis the Western Hemisphere, which includes...
    
    
  • Eurasia
    Eurasia
    Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
    
    
    • Asia
      Asia
      Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
      
      
      • Southwest Asia
        Southwest Asia
        Western Asia, West Asia, Southwest Asia or Southwestern Asia are terms that describe the westernmost portion of Asia. The terms are partly coterminous with the Middle East, which describes a geographical position in relation to Western Europe rather than its location within Asia...
        
        
  • Middle East
    Middle East
    The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
    
    
    • Arabian Peninsula
      Arabian Peninsula
      The Arabian Peninsula is a land mass situated north-east of Africa. Also known as Arabia or the Arabian subcontinent, it is the world's largest peninsula and covers 3,237,500 km2...
      
      
  • Time zone
    Time zone
    A time zone is a region on Earth that has a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. In order for the same clock time to always correspond to the same portion of the day as the Earth rotates , different places on the Earth need to have different clock times...
    
    : UTC+03
  • Extreme points of Saudi Arabia
    • High: Jabal Sawda
      Jabal Sawda
      Jabal Sawda is a peak located in Saudi Arabia, with an altitude of around 3,000 metres .Most authorities claim that the peak, with a questioned altitude of 3,133 m, is the highest point in Saudi Arabia, but SRTM data indicates an elevation of 2,985m, with higher elevations elsewhere in the...
      
       3133 m (10,279 ft)
    • Low: Persian Gulf
      Persian Gulf
      The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
      
       and Red Sea
      Red Sea
      The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
      
       0 m
  • Land boundaries: 4,431 km

 Yemen 1,458 km

 Iraq 814 km

 Jordan 744 km

 Oman 676 km

 United Arab Emirates 457 km

 Kuwait 222 km

 Qatar 60 km

• Coastline: 2,640 km
• Population of Saudi Arabia: 24,735,000 - 46th most populous country
• Area of Saudi Arabia: 2,149,690 km²
• Atlas of Saudi Arabia

Environment of Saudi Arabia

• Climate of Saudi Arabia
  Climate of Saudi Arabia
  The climate of Saudi Arabia is marked by high temperatures during the day and low temperatures at night. Most of the country follows the pattern of the desert climate, with the exception of the southwest....
  
  
• Environmental issues in Saudi Arabia
• Ecoregions in Saudi Arabia
• Renewable energy in Saudi Arabia
• Geology of Saudi Arabia
• Protected areas of Saudi Arabia
  • Biosphere reserves in Saudi Arabia
  • National parks of Saudi Arabia
• Wildlife of Saudi Arabia
  • Flora of Saudi Arabia
  • Fauna of Saudi Arabia
    • Birds of Saudi Arabia
    • Mammals of Saudi Arabia
• Saudi Environmental Society
  Saudi Environmental Society
  The Saudi Environmental Society was founded as a national non-profit society in 1427AH according to a decision of the Ministry of Social Affairs No. , and is registered in the charities records under the number and the date of 14/5/1427 AH...
  
  

Natural geographic features of Saudi Arabia

• Glaciers of Saudi Arabia
• Islands of Saudi Arabia
• Lakes of Saudi Arabia
• Mountains of Saudi Arabia
  • Volcanoes in Saudi Arabia
• Rivers of Saudi Arabia
  • Waterfalls of Saudi Arabia
• Valleys of Saudi Arabia
• World Heritage Sites in Saudi Arabia

Ecoregions of Saudi Arabia

Administrative divisions of Saudi Arabia

• Emirates of Saudi Arabia
  • Governorates of Saudi Arabia
    Governorates of Saudi Arabia
    ||Governorates are the second level of regional administration within Saudi Arabia. Each of Saudi Arabia's 13 emirates is sub-divided into governorates. Governorates are further sub-divided into sub-governorates , though some sub-governorates report directly to the emirate capital rather than to...
    
    
    • Municipalities of Saudi Arabia

Emirates of Saudi Arabia

Municipalities of Saudi Arabia

• Capital of Saudi Arabia: Riyadh

Government and politics of Saudi Arabia

Main article: Politics of Saudi Arabia

Politics of Saudi Arabia

The politics of Saudi Arabia takes place in the context of an Islamic absolute monarchy. The King of Saudi Arabia is both head of state and the head of government, but decisions are, to a large extent, made on the basis of consultation among the senior princes of the royal family and the religious...

• Form of government
  Form of government
  A form of government, or form of state governance, refers to the set of political institutions by which a government of a state is organized. Synonyms include "regime type" and "system of government".-Empirical and conceptual problems:...
  
  :
• Capital of Saudi Arabia: Riyadh

• Elections in Saudi Arabia
  Elections in Saudi Arabia
  Elections in Saudi Arabia have been historically rare. Municipal elections were held in 2005 and were planned for 2009. After two years' delay, they are to be held in 2011...
  
  
  • (specific elections)
• Political parties in Saudi Arabia
• Political scandals of Saudi Arabia
• Taxation in Saudi Arabia

Executive branch of the government of Saudi Arabia

• Head of state
  Head of State
  A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
  
  : King of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia
  Abdullah of Saudi Arabia
  Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, is the King of Saudi Arabia. He succeeded to the throne on 1 August 2005 upon the death of his half-brother, King Fahd. When Crown Prince, he governed Saudi Arabia as regent from 1998 to 2005...
  
  
• Head of government
  Head of government
  Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
  
  : Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia
  Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia
  The Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia is formally the Head of government under the Malik , the rather absolute Head of State of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.-History:...
  
  , King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia
  Abdullah of Saudi Arabia
  Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, is the King of Saudi Arabia. He succeeded to the throne on 1 August 2005 upon the death of his half-brother, King Fahd. When Crown Prince, he governed Saudi Arabia as regent from 1998 to 2005...
  
  
• Cabinet of Saudi Arabia

Legislative branch of the government of Saudi Arabia

• Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia
  Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia
  The Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia also known as Majlis as-Shura or Shura Council is the formal advisory body of Saudi Arabia, which is an absolute monarchy. It cannot pass or enforce laws, a power reserved for the King. The Consultative Assembly has limited powers in government, including...
  
  
  • Salih bin Abdullah al Humaid
    Salih bin Abdullah al Humaid
    Dr. Salih Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah Bin Humaid is the President of Saudi Majlis al Shura .- References :...
    
    

Judicial branch of the government of Saudi Arabia

• Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia

Foreign relations of Saudi Arabia

• Diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia
• Diplomatic missions of Saudi Arabia
  Diplomatic missions of Saudi Arabia
  This is a list of diplomatic missions of Saudi Arabia. King Faisal established the General Directory for the Foreign Affairs in 1926. Four years later it was given ministry status, even though it had a staff of fifteen employees in total—and no diplomatic missions abroad...
  
  

International organization membership

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a member of:

• African Development Bank Group (AfDB) (nonregional member)
• Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa
  Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa
  The Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa is a financial institution funded by the Governments of the Member States of the League of Arab States on 18 February 1974 . It is an independent international institution enjoying international legal status and autonomy in administrative and...
  
   (ABEDA)
• Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development
  Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development
  The Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development is a Kuwait-based, pan-Arab development finance institution. All member-states of the Arab League are members of the AFESD. As of 2003, it held around USD 7.3 billion in assets....
  
   (AFESD)
• Arab Monetary Fund
  Arab Monetary Fund
  The Arab Monetary Fund is a regional Arab organization, founded 1976, and operational from 1977. It is a working sub-organization of the Arab League.-Objectives:...
  
   (AMF)
• Bank for International Settlements
  Bank for International Settlements
  The Bank for International Settlements is an intergovernmental organization of central banks which "fosters international monetary and financial cooperation and serves as a bank for central banks." It is not accountable to any national government...
  
   (BIS)
• Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf
  Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf
  The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf , also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council , is a political and economic union of the Arab states bordering the Persian Gulf and constituting the Arabian Peninsula, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates...
  
   (GCC)
• Food and Agriculture Organization
  Food and Agriculture Organization
  The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
  
   (FAO)
• Group of 77
  Group of 77
  The Group of 77 at the United Nations is a loose coalition of developing nations, designed to promote its members' collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the United Nations. There were 77 founding members of the organization, but the organization has...
  
   (G77)
• Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (G20)
• International Atomic Energy Agency
  International Atomic Energy Agency
  The International Atomic Energy Agency is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The IAEA was established as an autonomous organization on 29 July 1957...
  
   (IAEA)
• International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development is one of five institutions that compose the World Bank Group. The IBRD is an international organization whose original mission was to finance the reconstruction of nations devastated by World War II. Now, its mission has expanded to fight...
  
   (IBRD)
• International Chamber of Commerce
  International Chamber of Commerce
  The International Chamber of Commerce is the largest, most representative business organization in the world. Its hundreds of thousands of member companies in over 130 countries have interests spanning every sector of private enterprise....
  
   (ICC)
• International Civil Aviation Organization
  International Civil Aviation Organization
  The International Civil Aviation Organization , pronounced , , is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth...
  
   (ICAO)
• International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol)
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
  International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
  The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is a humanitarian institution that is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement along with the ICRC and 186 distinct National Societies...
  
   (IFRCS)
• International Finance Corporation
  International Finance Corporation
  The International Finance Corporation promotes sustainable private sector investment in developing countries.IFC is a member of the World Bank Group and is headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States....
  
   (IFC)
• International Fund for Agricultural Development
  International Fund for Agricultural Development
  The International Fund for Agricultural Development , a specialized agency of the United Nations, was established as an international financial institution in 1977 as one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference. IFAD is dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries...
  
   (IFAD)
• International Hydrographic Organization
  International Hydrographic Organization
  The International Hydrographic Organization is the inter-governmental organisation representing the hydrographic community. It enjoys observer status at the UN and is the recognised competent authority on hydrographic surveying and nautical charting...
  
   (IHO)
• International Labour Organization
  International Labour Organization
  The International Labour Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that deals with labour issues pertaining to international labour standards. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. Its secretariat — the people who are employed by it throughout the world — is known as the...
  
   (ILO)
• International Maritime Organization
  International Maritime Organization
  The International Maritime Organization , formerly known as the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization , was established in Geneva in 1948, and came into force ten years later, meeting for the first time in 1959...
  
   (IMO)
• International Mobile Satellite Organization
  International Mobile Satellite Organization
  The International Mobile Satellite Organization is the intergovernmental organization that oversees certain public satellite safety and security communication services provided via the Inmarsat satellites...
  
   (IMSO)
• International Monetary Fund
  International Monetary Fund
  The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
  
   (IMF)
• International Olympic Committee
  International Olympic Committee
  The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
  
   (IOC)
• International Organization for Standardization
  International Organization for Standardization
  The International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO, is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on February 23, 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial...
  
   (ISO)
• International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
  International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
  The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an international humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide which was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human...
  
   (ICRM)
• International Telecommunication Union
  International Telecommunication Union
  The International Telecommunication Union is the specialized agency of the United Nations which is responsible for information and communication technologies...
  
   (ITU)

• International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
  International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
  The International Telecommunications Satellite Organization is an intergovernmental organisation charged with overseeing the public service obligations of Intelsat.-External links:*...
  
   (ITSO)
• Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
• Islamic Development Bank
  Islamic Development Bank
  The Islamic Development Bank is a multilateral development financing institution located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was founded by the first conference of Finance Ministers of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference , convened 23 Dhu'l Qa'dah 1393 AH.The bank officially began its activities on...
  
   (IDB)
• League of Arab States (LAS)
• Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
  Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
  The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency is a member organization of the World Bank Group that offers political risk insurance. It was established to promote foreign direct investment into developing countries. MIGA was founded in 1988 with a capital base of $1 billion and is headquartered in...
  
   (MIGA)
• Nonaligned Movement (NAM)
• Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
• Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
• Organization of American States
  Organization of American States
  The Organization of American States is a regional international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States...
  
   (OAS) (observer)
• Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries
  Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries
  The Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries is a multi-governmental organization headquartered in Kuwait which coordinates energy policies between oil–producing Arab nations, and whose main purpose is developmental.-History:...
  
   (OAPEC)
• Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
• Permanent Court of Arbitration
  Permanent Court of Arbitration
  The Permanent Court of Arbitration , is an international organization based in The Hague in the Netherlands.-History:The court was established in 1899 as one of the acts of the first Hague Peace Conference, which makes it the oldest institution for international dispute resolution.The creation of...
  
   (PCA)
• United Nations
  United Nations
  The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
  
   (UN)
• United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
  United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
  The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development was established in 1964 as a permanent intergovernmental body. It is the principal organ of the United Nations General Assembly dealing with trade, investment, and development issues....
  
   (UNCTAD)
• United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• United Nations Industrial Development Organization
  United Nations Industrial Development Organization
  The United Nations Industrial Development Organization , French/Spanish acronym ONUDI, is a specialized agency in the United Nations system, headquartered in Vienna, Austria...
  
   (UNIDO)
• United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
  United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
  United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East is a relief and human development agency, providing education, health care, social services and emergency aid to 5 million Palestine refugees living in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, as well as in the West Bank and the Gaza...
  
   (UNRWA)
• Universal Postal Union
  Universal Postal Union
  The Universal Postal Union is an international organization that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system. The UPU contains four bodies consisting of the Congress, the Council of Administration , the Postal Operations Council and the...
  
   (UPU)
• World Customs Organization
  World Customs Organization
  The World Customs Organization is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. With its worldwide membership, the WCO is recognized as the voice of the global customs community...
  
   (WCO)
• World Federation of Trade Unions
  World Federation of Trade Unions
  The World Federation of Trade Unions was established in 1945 to replace the International Federation of Trade Unions. Its mission was to bring together trade unions across the world in a single international organization, much like the United Nations...
  
   (WFTU)
• World Health Organization
  World Health Organization
  The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
  
   (WHO)
• World Intellectual Property Organization
  World Intellectual Property Organization
  The World Intellectual Property Organization is one of the 17 specialized agencies of the United Nations. WIPO was created in 1967 "to encourage creative activity, to promote the protection of intellectual property throughout the world"....
  
   (WIPO)
• World Meteorological Organization
  World Meteorological Organization
  The World Meteorological Organization is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 189 Member States and Territories. It originated from the International Meteorological Organization , which was founded in 1873...
  
   (WMO)
• World Tourism Organization
  World Tourism Organization
  The World Tourism Organization , based in Madrid, Spain, is a United Nations agency dealing with questions relating to tourism. It compiles the World Tourism rankings. The World Tourism Organization is a significant global body, concerned with the collection and collation of statistical information...
  
   (UNWTO)
• World Trade Organization
  World Trade Organization
  The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
  
   (WTO)

Law and order in Saudi Arabia

Main article: Law of Saudi Arabia and Sharia

Sharia

Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...

• Capital punishment in Saudi Arabia
  Capital punishment in Saudi Arabia
  Saudi Arabia is one of the leading countries with use of the capital punishment and number of executions worldwide. In 2010, there were 26 reported executions in the country.-Methods and scope:...
  
  
• Constitution of Saudi Arabia
• Crime in Saudi Arabia
  Crime in Saudi Arabia
  Foreign affairs ministries of different countries state that there is a low rate of crime in Saudi Arabia. However criminology researcher Dr. Ali Wardak in the book Transnational and Comparative Criminology suggested ranking societies on the basis of official crime rates is problematic...
  
  
• Human rights in Saudi Arabia
  Human rights in Saudi Arabia
  Human rights in Saudi Arabia are intended to be based on Islamic religious laws under rule of the Saudi royal family. The government of Saudi Arabia, and the Saudi legal system, has been criticized for its treatment of religious and political minorities, homosexuals, apostates, and women...
  
  
  • LGBT rights in Saudi Arabia
  • Freedom of religion in Saudi Arabia
• Law enforcement in Saudi Arabia
  • Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice
    • Mutaween
      Mutaween
      The word mutaween most literally means "volunteers" in the Arabic language, and is commonly used as a casual term for the government-authorized or government-recognized religious police of Saudi Arabia....
      
       (religious police)

Military of Saudi Arabia

• Command
  • Commander-in-chief
    Commander-in-Chief
    A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
    
    :
    • Ministry of Defence of Saudi Arabia
• Forces
  • Army of Saudi Arabia
  • Navy of Saudi Arabia
  • Air Force of Saudi Arabia
  • Special forces of Saudi Arabia
• Military history of Saudi Arabia
• Military ranks of Saudi Arabia

History of Saudi Arabia

Main article: History of Saudi Arabia

History of Saudi Arabia

The modern state of Saudi Arabia was founded in 1932 with the union of the kingdoms of the Hejaz and Nejd. Although the territory within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's boundaries is largely arid desert or rocky infertile terrain – home for much of its history to tribal nomadic societies with...

, Timeline of the history of Saudi Arabia, and Current events of Saudi Arabia

• Economic history of Saudi Arabia
• Military history of Saudi Arabia

Culture of Saudi Arabia

• Architecture of Saudi Arabia
• Cuisine of Saudi Arabia
  Cuisine of Saudi Arabia
  Food staples in Saudi Arabian cuisine include lamb, grilled chicken, falafel , shawarma , mutabbaq and Ful medames. Arabic unleavened bread, or khobz , is eaten with almost all meals, and is often used as an edible utensil to scoop foods. Kabsa, rice with chicken and lamb, is very popular and is...
  
  
• Ethnic minorities in Saudi Arabia
• Festivals in Saudi Arabia
• Humor in Saudi Arabia
• Languages of Saudi Arabia
• Media in Saudi Arabia
• National symbols of Saudi Arabia
  • Coat of arms of Saudi Arabia
    Coat of arms of Saudi Arabia
    The Saudi Arabian national emblem was adopted in 1950. According to the Saudi Constitution it consists of two crossed swords with a palm tree in the space above and between the blades....
    
    
  • Flag of Saudi Arabia
    Flag of Saudi Arabia
    The flag of Saudi Arabia is the flag used by the government of Saudi Arabia since March 15, 1973. It is a green flag featuring in white an Arabic inscription and a sword. The script on the flag is written in the Thuluth script...
    
    
  • National anthem of Saudi Arabia
• People of Saudi Arabia
• Prostitution in Saudi Arabia
  Prostitution in Saudi Arabia
  Prostitution in Saudi Arabia is strictly illegal. Prostitution is punishable by prison and flogging. Indeed adultery, fornication and sodomy are also crimes that a prostitute, or the client, could be charged with...
  
  
• Public holidays in Saudi Arabia
  Public holidays in Saudi Arabia
  Holidays in Saudi Arabia....
  
  
• Records of Saudi Arabia
• Religion in Saudi Arabia
  Religion in Saudi Arabia
  The majority religion in Saudi Arabia is Islam. Freedom of religion in Saudi Arabia is very limited.-Islam:The official form of Islam is Sunni of the Hanbali school, in its Salafi or Wahhabi version. 5% of the population are Shia Muslims...
  
  
  • Buddhism in Saudi Arabia
    Buddhism in Saudi Arabia
    The International Religious Freedom Report 2007, of U.S. Department of State, estimated that more than 8 million foreigners are living and working in Saudi Arabia, including Muslims and non-Muslims....
    
    
  • Christianity in Saudi Arabia
    Christianity in Saudi Arabia
    Accurate religious demographics are difficult to obtain in Saudi Arabia but 85 to 90% of citizens of Saudi Arabia are Sunni Muslims, who predominantly subscribe to the Government-sanctioned interpretation of Islam, while 10 to 15% of citizens are Shi'a Muslims....
    
    
  • Hinduism in Saudi Arabia
  • Islam in Saudi Arabia
    Islam in Saudi Arabia
    Islam in Saudi Arabia is the sole official religion of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, whose territory was the birthplace of the Muslim religion. Arabian trader Muhammad, resident of the city of Mecca in the Hejaz region, is the prophet of Islam. He unified the diverse tribes of the Arabian peninsula...
    
    
  • Judaism in Saudi Arabia
  • Sikhism in Saudi Arabia
• World Heritage Sites in Saudi Arabia

Art in Saudi Arabia

• Art in Saudi Arabia
  Art in Saudi Arabia
  Saudi Arabian art should be understood in the light of the country being the birthplace of Islam and to include both the arts of Bedouin nomads and those of the sedentary peoples of regions such as the Hejaz, Asir and the Najd.-Architecture:...
  
  
• Cinema of Saudi Arabia
  Cinema of Saudi Arabia
  The cinema of Saudi Arabia is comparatively small, as only two feature films from the country and one documentary were released in 2006.Saudi Arabia is a very conservative country. Although there are no cinemas in the kingdom, many Saudis watch films via satellite, DVD and video...
  
  
• Literature of Saudi Arabia
• Music of Saudi Arabia
  Music of Saudi Arabia
  The music of Saudi Arabia includes both Western and traditional music. Like many of its Persian Gulf neighbors, khaleeji folk traditions are popular styles. The most distinguished musician in recent Saudi history is Tariq Abdulhakeem, who composed hundreds of famous Saudi songs for himself as well...
  
  
• Television in Saudi Arabia
• Theatre in Saudi Arabia

Sports in Saudi Arabia

• Football in Saudi Arabia
  Football in Saudi Arabia
  - History :Saudi Premier League was called the old and the Premier League started in the league championship in 1977, which was won by the Al-Ahli...
  
  
• Saudi Arabia at the Olympics
  Saudi Arabia at the Olympics
  Saudi Arabia has competed in eight Summer Olympic Games. They first appeared in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. They have never competed in the Winter Games. By Saudi Arabian law, women are not permitted to compete in the Olympic Games...
  
  

Economy and infrastructure of Saudi Arabia

• Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2007): 25th (twenty-fifth)

• Agriculture in Saudi Arabia
  Agriculture in Saudi Arabia
  Although the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is widely thought of as a desert, it has regions where the climate has favoured agriculture and the government, by implementing major irrigations projects and adopting large scale mechanization, has progressed in developing Agriculture in Saudi Arabia, adding...
  
  
• Banking in Saudi Arabia
  • National Bank of Saudi Arabia
• Communications in Saudi Arabia
  Communications in Saudi Arabia
  Telephones - main lines in use:3,317,550 Telephones - mobile cellular:21,500,000 note:In 2004, the Saudi Telecom Company monopolization was broken by authorizing Etihad Etisalat/Mobily to compete in mobile communication, in June 2009 GO Telecom or "جو" also entered the market.Digital Radio...
  
  
  • Internet in Saudi Arabia
• Companies of Saudi Arabia
• Currency of Saudi Arabia
  Currency
  In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
  
  : Riyal
  Saudi riyal
  The Riyal is the currency of Saudi Arabia. It is abbreviated as ر.س or SR . It is subdivided into 100 Halalas . The Saudi Ghirsh is 5 Halalas.-History:...
  
  
  • ISO 4217
    ISO 4217
    ISO 4217 is a standard published by the International Standards Organization, which delineates currency designators, country codes , and references to minor units in three tables:* Table A.1 – Current currency & funds code list...
    
    : SAR
• Economic history of Saudi Arabia
• Energy in Saudi Arabia
  Energy in Saudi Arabia
  Energy in Saudi Arabia describes energy and electricity production, consumption and export in Saudi Arabia.Saudi Arabia is one of the world's largest energy producers, pumping approximately of petroleum...
  
  
  • Energy policy of Saudi Arabia
    Energy policy of Saudi Arabia
    Energy in Saudi Arabia describes energy and electricity production, consumption and export in Saudi Arabia.Saudi Arabia is one of the world's largest energy producers, pumping approximately of petroleum...
    
    
  • Oil industry in Saudi Arabia
• Health care in Saudi Arabia
• Mining in Saudi Arabia
• Saudi Arabia Stock Exchange
• Tourism in Saudi Arabia
  Tourism in Saudi Arabia
  The mountains, valleys and Red Sea beaches with turquoise water are known for some of the world's finest diving and attract some, but comparatively few, tourists. Some other spots are hard to reach, such as the Nabatean ruins, a four-hour drive from Medina, the nearest city with an airport for...
  
  
• Transport in Saudi Arabia
  Transport in Saudi Arabia
  - Railways :Saudi Arabia has several hundred route kilometres of standard gauge railways linking the capital Riyadh with the Persian Gulf. The new 440 km Haramain High Speed Rail Project will link Makkah and Medina....
  
  
  • Airports in Saudi Arabia
  • Rail transport in Saudi Arabia
    Rail transport in Saudi Arabia
    The Saudi Railways Organization provides freight services on two main lines totalling 1018 km. These connect Riyadh with the Persian Gulf port of Dammam...
    
    
  • Roads in Saudi Arabia
• Water supply and sanitation in Saudi Arabia
  Water supply and sanitation in Saudi Arabia
  Water supply and sanitation in Saudi Arabia is characterized by significant investments in seawater desalination, water distribution, sewerage and wastewater treatment leading to a substantial increase in access to drinking water and sanitation over the past decades...
  
  

See also

• Index of Saudi Arabia-related articles
• List of international rankings
• List of Saudi Arabia-related topics
• Member state of the Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors
• Member state of the United Nations
• Outline of Asia
  Outline of Asia
  The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Asia:Asia – world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
  
  
• Outline of geography
  Outline of geography
  The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to geography:Geography – science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth.- Geography is :...
  
  

External links

• Online Newspapers in Saudi Arabia
• Arab versus Asian migrant workers in the GCC countries
• The New York Times "Asterisk Aside, First National Vote for Saudis" 2005-02-10
• BBC "Q&A: Saudi municipal elections"
• BBC "Saudis' first exercise in democracy"
• Hesbah.com site of Authority for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Forum for Saudis to anonymously report "un-Islamic" activities to the Mutaween.
• "Saudi says US human trafficking criticism unfounded"
• "Documentation of Internet Filtering in Saudi Arabia"
• The Ideology of Terrorism and Violence in Saudi Arabia: Origins, Reasons and Solution

Government

• Saudi Arabian Information Resource, Saudi Ministry Education
• Saudi Arabian Information Resource, Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information
• Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, DC

Overviews;

• Understanding Saudi Arabia, Kamal Nawash
  Kamal Nawash
  Kamal Nawash is a Muslim Palestinian-born American lawyer, working for the Nawash Law Office in Washington, D.C.Nawash was the first Arab American and Muslim to be nominated to run for the Virginia State Senate , which he did as a Republican...
  
  
• BBC News Country Profile - Saudi Arabia
• CIA World Factbook - Saudi Arabia
• Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports regarding Saudi Arabia
• US State Department - Saudi Arabia includes Background Notes, Country Study and major reports
• U.S. Energy Information Administration - Country Energy Profiles - Saudi Arabia

Directories

• SAMIRAD website - Saudi Arabia Market Information and Directory directory category
• Arab Gateway - Saudi Arabia
• Yahoo! - Saudi Arabia directory category
• Datarabia - Saudi Royal Family, Business Directory - Saudi Arabia directory category

Other links

• Mark Steel: Why does Saudi Arabia need military aid?
• Saudi Arabia: Historical Demographic Data Factsheet
• Saudi Match Point - a novel set in contemporary Saudi Arabia
• Asinah - Saudi Arabia
• British Business Group, Jeddah
• eSaudi.info Information about Saudi Arabia Historical
• U.S. Department of Justice: Foreign Agents Registration Act