meet saudiarabia FACT FILE
All you need to know
GEOGRAPHY Saudi Arabia is the 13th
largest
country in the world in terms of land area, stretching from the Red Sea in the west to the Arabian Gulf in the east. It is the biggest of the seven coun- tries on the Arabian Peninsula, dwarfing its neighbours, which include Jordan and Iraq in the north, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE in the northeast, Oman in the east and Yemen in the south.
CLIMATE Saudi Arabia has a desert clim- ate with high day time tempera- tures that plummet at night. Average summer temperatures are around 45°C, but can reach a high of 54°C during the summer months. Winter temperatures average around 29°C, but can
KNOW MUST WOMEN Local women wear the abaya
accompanied by a headdress to cover the hair. Te abaya is not mandatory for foreign women, but it is advisable to wear one and cover the hair as a mark of respect. In some parts of the
country, loose-fitting clothing that covers the arms, shoulders and legs, is acceptable. Some public buildings, including
certain shopping malls, are women-only or will have
women-only floors or women- only shopping hours. Other
venues, such as restaurants, have separate areas for single men, women and families.
ALCOHOL
Alcohol is not permitted anywhere in Saudi Arabia.
drop to around 10°C to 5°C at night – although in the desert it can be even colder. The climate in the Asir region in the south- west differs from the rest of the country and receives around 30 centimetres of rain during the winter season, which falls from October to March.
VISAS Except for GCC nationals, all visitors (for business or leisure) require a visa. Everyone who enters the kingdom should have a passport with at least six months validity and along with the appropriate documen- tation. Visas can be obtained from the visa department in the Saudi Embassy or from Saudi Consulates located in all major cities around the world.
CURRENCY The country’s currency is the Saudi Riyal (SAR) and the exchange rate is pegged to the US dollar at a rate of US$1 = SAR3.75. Bank notes are marked in Arabic and English, in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 and 500 riyals. There are 100 hotels in Riyadh. Shops, hotels and car-hire firms also accept internation- ally recognised credit cards.
BUSINESS HOURS The working week is Saturday to Wednesday, although some offices and businesses also operate on Thursday mornings. Government offices are open from 7.30am to 2.30pm. Banks are open from 9am to 4pm and private businesses are open from 8am to noon and 3 to 6pm.
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