The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the Arabian Peninsula. It occupies an area about the size of the United States east of the Mississippi River. Saudi Arabia’s population is 27 million, including 8.4 million foreign residents (2010 census), and its capital city is Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia’s geography is diverse, with forests, grasslands, mountain ranges and deserts. The climate varies from region to region. Temperatures can reach over 110 degrees Fahrenheit in the desert in the summer, while in the winter temperatures in the north and central parts of the country can drop below freezing. Saudi Arabia gets very little rain, only about four inches a year on average.
This area of the website offers facts and physical information about the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Here you can read about early Saudi Arabian history, which as part of the Middle East was the birthplace of civilization, and how the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia came into being in 1932.
Learn about the Saudi government and how the Kingdom’s political system is rooted in Islam's traditions which call for peace, justice, equality, consultation and respect for the rights of the individual.
Read about the modernization of the Kingdom’s transportation and communications infrastructure and the special emphasis on sports and recreation being accessible to all Saudis.
Facts and figures provides an overview of the physical country, including time zones, currency and more.