The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
is the largest country on the Arabian Peninsula.
It borders Jordan on the northwest, Iraq
on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar,
Bahrain, and United Arab Emirates
on the east, Oman on the southeast, and
Yemen on the south, with the Persian
Gulf to its northeast and the Red Sea
to its west. It is called "the land of
the two holy mosques", a reference to
Mecca and Medina, Islam's two holiest
places. It is also referred to as Saudi
Arabia or Saudi.
The climate is very dry and hot. Dry desert
with great extremes of temperature and the terrain
is mostly uninhabited, sandy desert. In most parts
of the country, vegetation is limited to weeds,
xerophytic herbs and shrubs. Animals include
the ibex, wildcats, baboons,
wolves, and hyenas in the highlands.
Small birds are found in the oases. The coastal
area of the Red Sea, especially the coral
reefs, have a rich marine fauna. Saudi Arabia
has a coastline of 2,640 kilometers. Saudi
Arabia consists mostly of semi-desert and desert
with oases. The western regions are plateau
and the east is lowland. The southwest region
has mountains as high as 3,000 metres (9,840 ft),
and is an area known for the greenest and freshest
climate in all of the country.
Saudi Arabia has an oil-based economy with
strong government controls over major economic
activities. Saudi Arabia is in possession
of 260.1 billion barrels of oil reserves
as of 2003, about 24% of the world's proven total
petroleum reserves. It ranks as the largest
exporter of petroleum and plays a leading
role in OPEC. Moreover, the proven reserves
increase gradually as more oil fields are discovered,
unlike most other oil-producing countries.
Saudi Arabia is a destination for men and women
from South and East Asia, East Africa and the
Middle East seeking work. Hundreds of thousands
of low-skilled workers from regions of the developing
world migrate to Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabian culture revolves almost entirely
around the religion of Islam. Islam's
two holiest sites, Mecca and Medina, are located
in the country. Every day, five times a day,
Muslims are called to prayer from the minarets
of mosques which dot the country. The weekend
consists of Thursday and Friday. The public
practice of any religion other than Islam,
including Christianity and Judaism, the
presence of churches, and open possession of Christian
religious materials are outlawed in Saudi Arabia.
One of Saudi Arabia's most compelling folk
rituals is the Ardha, the country's national
dance. This sword dance is based on
ancient Bedouin traditions: drummers beat
out a rhythm and a poet chants verses while sword-carrying
men dance shoulder to shoulder. Al-sihba folk
music, from the Hijaz, has its origins
in Arab Andalusia, a region of medieval
Spain. In Mecca, Medina and Jeddah,
dance and song incorporate the sound of the
al-mizmar, an oboe-like woodwind instrument.
The drum is also an important instrument according
to traditional and tribal customs. |
