|
|
|
|
|
Saudi Arabia: COUNTRY PROFILE
COUNTRY PROFILE: SAUDI ARABIA
March 2005
COUNTRY
Formal Name: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Al Mamlakah al Arabiyah as Suudiyah).
Short Form: Saudi Arabia.
Term for Citizen(s): Saudi Arabian(s) or Saudi(s).
Capital: Riyadh (estimated population 3.6 million).
Major Cities: Jiddah (2.6 million), Mecca (1.6 million), Ad Dammam/Khobar/Dhahran (1.6 million), and Medina (854,500). Mecca and Medina have religious significance that far outweighs their respective populations.
Independence: Following Ottoman dominance, Egypt controlled Arabia from 1818 to 1824. For the remainder of the nineteenth century, Egypt, Britain, and the Ottomans vied for control of the region. On September 23, 1932, Abd al Aziz ibn Abd ar-Rahman Al Saud established the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Unification brought together competing tribes into a modern state, covering an area approximating present boundaries.
Public Holidays: In accordance with strict Wahhabi theology, Eid al Fitr and Eid al Adha are Saudi Arabia's only national holidays. Both holidays are dependent on the Islamic lunar calendar, and thus the dates of celebration vary from year to year. In recent years, Shia Muslims have been allowed to celebrate the holiday of Ashura in select cities of Eastern Province and in the south. Ashura is not, however, a national holiday. Saudis commemorate September 23 as their Independence Day.
Flag: Saudi Arabia’s flag features white lettering on a green background. The Arabic text reads: “There is no god but God: Muhammad is the Messenger of God.” Below the letters, also in white, is a sword.
16 Aug 2006 - AME Info, ...and the name behind the authoritative Emerging Markets series, has appointed Michelle Solomon as its Senior Country Director in Saudi Arabia - the first ... Ford supplements service campaign in Saudi Arabia Aug 14, 2006 - AME Info, Last year, the service campaign involved 960 units across Saudi Arabia, and included 2000 model year Ford F-150, Expedition and certain 2001 model year F-150 ... How cell phones changed courting in Saudi Arabia Aug 13, 2006 - San Francisco Chronicle, ...(08-13) 04:00 PDT Jidda, Saudi Arabia -- Three am, two luxury cars side by side on an empty street, slicing through the sticky seaside air at 100 mph. ... TNT to invest USD 1 million in Saudi Arabia Aug 12, 2006 - AME Info, TNT Express, the world's leading B2B express delivery company, will invest over USD 1 million to expand its services in Saudi Arabia. ... Saudi Arabia sends humanitarian aid to Lebanon Aug 13, 2006 - Monsters and Critics.com, Dubai - Saudi Arabia on Sunday sent a fleet of 30 trucks with humanitarian aid, including 660 tons of foodstuffs and medical supplies, for Lebanon, the Saudi ... Saudi Arabia Welcomes Turkey's Support To Palestine, King Abdullah Aug 14, 2006 - Turkish Press, ISTANBUL - Saudi Arabia welcomes Turkey's efforts to support Palestine and to find a fair solution to Arabian-Israeli clash, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al ... TNT to invest $1 million in Saudi Arabia Aug 12, 2006 - Strategiy, TNT Express, the world’s leading B2B express delivery company, will invest over US$ 1 million to expand its services in Saudi Arabia. ... Saudi Arabia Airlines to privatize catering division Aug 13, 2006 - Middle East North Africa Financial Network, ...(MENAFN) Saudi Arabian Airlines kicked off the long-awaited bidding process for a stake of up to 49 percent of its catering division, Arab News reported. ... Saudi Arabia's Rawabi Telecom Selects Pactolus Communications ... Aug 15, 2006 - VoIP Magazine (press release), Service Creation Environment by Rawabi Telecom and Software (RTS), a subsidiary of Rawabi Holding Company, one of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's largest and ... Cops call on job-seekers to Saudi Arabia Aug 10, 2006 - Times of India, MUMBAI: The families of three engineers, who have been to Saudi Arabia in the recent past "to look for jobs", have been called to police stations and asked to ... Turkey and Saudi Arabia Sign 6 Deals Aug 9, 2006 - Zaman Online, Sezer later held an official welcoming ceremony for the King at the Cankaya Presidential Palace, where he stressed that Turkey sees Saudi Arabia “a stable ... Indian missing in Saudi Arabia Aug 11, 2006 - Daily News & Analysis, DUBAI: Saudi Arabian authorities have launched a search operation for an Indian man who went missing in the Kingdom on Tuesday. ... Turkey courts Saudi Arabia Aug 11, 2006 - Miami Herald, Turkey's prime minister shifts his attention from Europe to Saudi Arabia for increasing economic cooperation between the two countries. BY SUZAN FRASER. ... Saudi Arabia , Turkey Set to Boost Trade Ties Aug 10, 2006 - Middle East North Africa Financial Network, ISTANBUL, 11 August 2006 — Saudi Arabia and Turkey set out a new vision of economic relations yesterday during a business meeting here jointly chaired by ... Saudi Arabia may not need to ‘make up for Alaska loss’ Aug 9, 2006 - Gulf Times, LONDON: Oil power Saudi Arabia stands willing to make up lost supplies from BP’s closure of its giant Alaskan oilfield, but it may not need to. ... Saudi Arabia would be pleased to see aid useful Aug 9, 2006 - Antara, Banda Aceh (ANTARA News) - Saudi Arabia is pleased to have been able to help tsunami victims in Aceh and will be happier if its humanitarian aid is used ... Move to open up aviation sector in Saudi Arabia for foreign ... Aug 10, 2006 - Middle East North Africa Financial Network, JEDDAH — There is a move to open up investment in the aviation sector in Saudi Arabia to foreign companies. The General Authority ... Saudi Arabia, Singapore to enhance education ties Aug 10, 2006 - Middle East North Africa Financial Network, Singapore's Minister of Education showed, during a seminar attended by students from Saudi Arabia, China, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia, that they want to ... This series of profiles of foreign nations is part of the Country Studies Program, formerly the Army Area Handbook Program. The profiles offer brief, summarized information on a country’s historical background, geography, society, economy, transportation and telecommunications, government and politics, and national security. In addition to being featured in the front matter of published Country Studies, they are now being prepared as stand-alone reference aides for all countries in the series, as well as for a number of additional countries of interest. The profiles offer reasonably current country information independent of the existence of a recently published Country Study and will be updated annually or more frequently as events warrant. |
| what's new | rainforests home | help support the site | madagascar | search | about | contact |
Copyright Rhett Butler 1994-2006 |
