In the Name of Allah the
Almighty
(23Septemberr: National Day)
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , country with an area of approximately 868,000 square
miles, occupying about four-fifths of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by
Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait on the north; by the Persian (Arabian) Gulf, Qatar, the
United Arab Emirates, and Oman on the east; by a portion of Oman on the
southeast; by Yemen on the south and southwest; and by the Red Sea and the Gulf
of Aqaba on the west. The capital is Riyadh. Saudi Arabia is named for the house
of “Saud”, the founding and ruling dynasty that dates from the 18th century.
In 1923 the British government invited all the Arab rulers to attend a
conference at Kuwait and if possible to agree on a settlement of their
differences. The conference ended in complete disagreement. On Jan. 8, 1926, Ibn
Saud, was proclaimed king of the Hejaz in the Great Mosque of Mecca. In 1927 he
also changed his title of sultan to king of Najd and its dependencies and
British fully acknowledged Saudi independence. The history of the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia begins properly on Sept. 18, 1932, when by royal decree the dual
kingdom of the Hejaz and Najd with its dependencies, administered since 1927 as
two separate units, was unified under the name of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The chief immediate effect was to increase the unity of the kingdom and to
decrease the possibility of Hejazi separatism, while the name underscored the
central role of the royal family in the kingdom's creation. No attempt was made
to change the supreme authority of the king as the absolute monarch of the new
regime; indeed, his power was emphasized in 1933 by his choice of his son Saud
as heir apparent.
From the date of its establishment in September 1932, Saudi Arabia enjoyed full
international recognition as an independent state, although it did not join the
League of Nations. Ibn Saud viewed this flood of wealth and the consequent
changes in morality with distaste and bewilderment. He died on Nov. 9, 1953. Ibn
Saud was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, Saud, his second son, Faisal,
being declared heir apparent. On Nov. 2, 1964, King Saud was deposed and Faisal
was proclaimed king. The National Guard, the royal princes, and the Ulama
supported Faisal in the struggle for power against Saud. Faisal was more
competent than Saud; it was he who developed the ministries of government and
established for the first time an efficient bureaucracy.
Saudi Arabia is a Muslim and an Arab state, and these two attributes have had a
fundamental influence on the country's foreign relations. It is a founding
member of the Arab League and of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. The
extraordinary economic changes that occurred starting in the 1960s altered
neither the government nor the centrality of religion. Since the mid-20th
century, however, the pace of life in Saudi Arabia has accelerated greatly. The
interior of the Arabian Peninsula contains extensive sand surfaces. Among them
is the world's largest sand area which dominates the southern part of the
country and covers more than 250,000 square miles. Much of Saudi Arabia's
vegetation belongs to the North African–Indian desert region. Plants are mostly
small herbs and shrubs that are useful as forage. There are a few small areas of
grass and trees in southern Asir. The date palm is widespread, though about
one-third of the date palms grown are in Ash-Sharqīyah province.
Animal life includes the wolf, hyena, fox, honey badger, mongoose, porcupine,
baboon, hedgehog, hare, sand rat, and jerboa. Larger animals such as the
gazelle, oryx, leopard, and mountain goat were relatively numerous until about
1950, when hunting from motor vehicles reduced these animals almost to
extinction. Birds include falcons (which are caught and trained for hunting),
eagles, hawks, vultures, owls, ravens, flamingos, egrets, pelicans, doves, and
quail, as well as sand grouse and bulbuls. There are several species of snakes,
many of which are poisonous, and numerous types of lizards. There is a wide
variety of marine life in the gulf. Domesticated animals include camels (now
little used for transportation), fat-tailed sheep, long-eared goats, salukis,
donkeys, and chickens.
More than 70 percent of Saudi Arabia's total population lives in cities, and
almost all of the rest lives in government-supported agricultural enterprises.
Less than 1 or 2 percent of the total land area is used for crops. Of the
cultivated land about 45 percent is worked by rain-fed dry farming, 40 percent
is in tree crops, and the remainder is irrigated. The largest towns are
cosmopolitan in character, and some are associated with dominant functions:
Mecca and Medina are religious, Riyadh is political and administrative, and
Jiddah is commercial and diplomatic. Arabic is a Semitic language. It originated
in Arabia, where the language is presumed to be the “purest.” Classical written
Arabic is standard throughout the Arab world, while spoken Arabic varies
considerably.
An increasing number of outsiders enter and leave Saudi Arabia. By the late
1980s the estimated number of foreign workers was between one-fourth and
one-fifth of the country's total population. At first most of these were Arab,
such as Yemenis, Egyptians, Palestinians, Syrians, and Iraqis. Increasing
numbers of non-Arab Muslims such as Pakistanis have been employed, as have large
numbers of non-Muslim Koreans and Filipinos who are hired in group contracts for
specified periods. Among specialized technical workers, most are Europeans and
Americans. Also of note is the number of people making the annual pilgrimage
(hajj) to Mecca. By the late 1980s the number approached 2.5 million a year, of
whom about half traveled from Arab countries and half from African and Asian
countries. Saudi Arabia is the home of Islam, and its native population is
almost entirely Muslim. Islam is a political as well as a religious system, and
it is the source of the government's legitimacy. The king upholds Islam, applies
its precepts, and is subject to them.
Long-range economic development is directed through the implementation of
five-year plans. In contrast to most developing countries, in Saudi Arabia there
is an abundance of capital. The first two five-year plans (1970–80) established
most of the country's basic transport and communications facilities. The economy
of Saudi Arabia is dominated by petroleum and its associated industries. In
terms of oil reserves, Saudi Arabia ranks first, with almost one-fourth of the
world's known reserves. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia inherited the simple, tribal
economy of Arabia. Many of the people were nomads, engaged in raising camels,
sheep, and goats. Agricultural production was localized and subsistent. Domestic
food production has been given special attention in the kingdom's development
planning and now agriculture contributed about 4 percent of the gross domestic
product. The kingdom has achieved self-sufficiency in wheat, eggs, and milk,
among other items, though it still imports about 70 percent of its food needs.
Wheat is the primary cultivated crop, followed by sorghum, barley, and millet.
Watermelons, tomatoes, dates, grapes, onions, and pumpkins and squash are also
important crops. The manufacturing sector has expanded widely. Manufactures
include rolled steel, petrochemicals, fertilizers, pipes, copper wire and cable,
truck assembly, refrigeration, plastics, aluminum products, metal products, and
cement. Small-scale enterprises include baking, printing, and furniture
manufacturing.
Saudi Arabia's government is based on the law of Islamic Shariah. Muslim law
prescribes civil as well as religious rights, duties, obligations, and
responsibilities for both ruler and ruled. Law is revealed and not created, and
it is interpreted by the learned religious men. The person of the king combines
legislative, executive, and judicial functions. As prime minister he presides
over the Council of Ministers. This council is a legislative body, although it
is also responsible for such executive and administrative matters as foreign and
domestic policy, defense, finance, health, and education, which it administers
through numerous separate agencies. Appointment to and dismissal from the
council are prerogatives of the king. Major policy decisions are made by
consensus, and opinion is sought primarily within the royal family (comprising
the numerous descendants of the kingdom's founder, Ibn Saud). Many members of
the royal family hold sensitive government posts. Succession to the throne is
not hereditary; the crown prince, who also serves as deputy prime minister, is
designated by the royal family with the support of the Ulama and the Council of
Ministers. The same consultative process also designates the second deputy prime
minister, who is the second heir apparent after the deputy prime minister. The
kingdom is divided into administrative regions, which in turn are divided into
districts. Provincial governors are appointed and are responsible for such
functions as finance, health, education, agriculture, and municipalities. The
consultative principle operates at all levels of government, including the
government of villages and tribes.