24 Facts About Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia on the Arabian Peninsula.

It is the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Arab world, and the largest in Western Asia, with a land area of approximately 2,150,000 km².

Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and the location of its holiest shrines, Mecca and Medina. Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and requires a trip to Mecca. Every year, approximately two million people make the journey.

Non-Muslims are not granted Saudi citizenship because Saudi Arabia is an Islamic state. Anyone who is not Muslim is prohibited from participating in public religious worship. People are, however, free to practise their religion in private.

Saudi Arabia is still ruled by an absolute monarchy. Ibn Saud is regarded as the Saudi nation's father. He unified the four regions into a single state and crowned himself king in 1932, after declaring Saudi Arabia's independence. He is one of the few people in history whose country has been named after him.

Since then, the country has been ruled by the Al Saud family, with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud as the current ruler. He is also the world's third richest monarch, with a net worth of $18 billion.

The Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world.

After a generous amount of brandy, Churchill determined the boundaries between Saudi Arabia and Jordan in 1921. According to legend, he hiccupped and his hand slipped, forming a random triangle shape, and as a result, Saudi Arabia obtained several thousand square kilometres of Jordanian land. This area has come to be known as "Winston's Hiccup."

The country is building the world's tallest building. When finished, the Jeddah tower will be the world's first 1 km (3281 ft) tall structure.

Saudi Arabia is the world's largest country without a river. The majority of the fresh water in the area is supplied by desalination plants or underground reservoirs.

Saudi Arabia is primarily a desert country. Approximately 95% of the country is classified as desert or semi-desert. The Rub Al-Khali, located in the country's south, is the world's largest sand desert.

Camel and sand are imported from Australia. The sand found in Saudi Arabia's deserts is unsuitable for activities such as construction and glass production. As a result, the country must purchase sand.

Camels are an important part of the local diet, and due to a scarcity of camels, Saudi Arabia imports them primarily from Australia.

Camels are so popular in the country that Riyadh has the largest camel market, where about 100 camels are sold every day.

Offroading with a twist is popular among the local youth. Sidewalk skiing is a popular sport in the country in which the driver tilts the car and balances on its side while driving. And one or more people are perched atop the moving vehicle.

In Saudi Arabia, the death penalty is not uncommon. The country executed 184 people last year (2019), breaking its own record. Homosexuality is a capital offence. Murder, rape, armed robbery, drug use, adultery, insulting Islam, insulting the Royal family, and witchcraft are also punishable by death.

Witchcraft is such a serious crime in the United Kingdom that the Harry Potter books have been banned.

Saudi Arabia is the world's most segregated country by gender. It became the last country to grant women the right to vote in 2015.

The discovery of oil here in 1938 changed everything for Saudi Arabia. The country has the world's second largest oil reserves (after Venezuela), and oil accounts for nearly half of the country's GDP. The Ghawar oil field in the country's east is the world's largest conventional oil field, with reserves that could fill 4,770,897 Olympic swimming pools.

Immigrants account for more than 30% of the Saudi population. The country is heavily reliant on labour from Southeast Asia and Africa. Non-nationals make up approximately 80% of the Saudi labour force.

Bedouins, also known as desert dwellers, are a nomadic Arab people who live in Saudi Arabia's desert. Typically, the community herds animals such as goats and camels. They are fiercely loyal to their family and tribe and will not submit to external authority.

The Mutaween are a religious force in the country. The full name of the committee is the "Committee for the Preservation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice." The volunteers patrol public places and enforce strict dress codes, gender segregation, and daily prayer attendance.

When he boarded the US space shuttle Discovery in 1985, Prince Sultan bin Salman became the first Saudi, Arab, and Muslim to travel in space.

Maraya Concert Hall, located in the northern Saudi region of AlUla, has set a Guinness World Record for the world's largest mirrored superstructure. The performance hall boasts state-of-the-art theatrical sound equipment, can seat up to 500 people, and has hosted notable international musicians such as musician Omar Khairat and opera singer Andrea Bocelli.