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introduction: saudi arabia saudi arabia 2012


First recognised as a single state in 1744, it would be a further 200 years before the foundations for the current Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were laid. In 1902, Abdulaziz bin Saud (known also as Ibn Saud) marked the beginning of his reign as ruler of the region when he captured the Al-Saud's ancestral home of Riyadh. Thirty years later, he proclaimed the formation of the 'Land of the Two Holy Mosques' as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and himself as the monarch. In the beginning, the new kingdom was one of the poorest countries in the world, reliant on limited agriculture and revenues from pilgrims. However, in 1938 vast reserves of oil were discovered along the coast of the Arabian Gulf and full-scale development of the oil fields began in 1941. Oil provided Saudi Arabia with economic prosperity and substantial political leverage internationally. Cultural life rapidly developed, primarily in the Hejaz, which was the centre for newspapers and radio. Today, the region is a vast Islamic state with a population nearing 30 million. As the Arabian Peninsula's largest country, it is bordered by Iraq on the north and north- east, Jordan on the northwest, Bahrain, the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar to the east, Oman in the southeast and Yemen in the south. West of the country lies the popular diving resort of the Red Sea, with the Arabian Gulf located in the northeast.


THE KINGDOMBOASTS A BEAUTIFUL COASTAL REGION


Oil provided Saudi Arabia with economic prosperity and substantial political leverage internationally


KING FAHAD BRIDGE


AL MADINAH


DIVERSE TOPOGRAPHY Saudi Arabia's terrain and geography is varied, with harsh sweeping deserts and rocky mountain ranges covering the Kingdom. Travelling in the west brings you to the coastal region of Tihamah where the land rises from sea level to a peninsula-long mountain range, Jabal al-Hejaz, before it plateaus at the central region of Nejd. The land towards the shores of the Arabian Gulf in the east is typically rocky and sandy, while venturing along the southern border brings you to the hostile Rub' al Khali (Empty Quarter) desert. Saudi Arabia's freshest climate is in the south western Asir region, where the largest mountains rise to 3,000 metres. The region offers a welcome reprieve from the typically arid, swelteringly hot conditions throughout Saudi Arabia, which remains one of few places on the planet to record summer temperatures of 50ûC and above.


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