SAUDI ARABIA. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
A state in Southwest Asia, occupying more than 80% of the Arabian Peninsula and several coastal islands in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. Area - about 2,240,000 km². Capital - Riyadh (over 4 million), major cities: Jeddah (about 2 million), Mecca, Medina. Administrative division - 13 regions. Population - 22.7 million (2004), of which 6.7 million are foreigners. The official language is Arabic, English is also widely spoken. The state religion is Sunni Islam. About 10% of the population are Shiites. Religious laws dictate the daily life of Saudis.
The basis of legislation is Sharia law. The kingdom is home to the holy sites of Islam: Mecca (the birthplace of the founder of Islam, Muhammad) and Medina (the location of Muhammad's tomb), which are visited annually during the pilgrimage by over 2 million Muslims. The currency is the Saudi riyal = 100 halalas.
It has diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation (established with the USSR in 1926. The mission was withdrawn in 1938; in September 1990, an agreement was reached for full normalization of diplomatic relations; the embassy in Riyadh has been functioning since May 1991).
The national holiday is September 23 - the Day of Proclamation of the Kingdom (1932).
Saudi Arabia is an absolute theocratic monarchy. The head of state and spiritual leader is the king (since August 2005 - Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud), who also serves as the prime minister, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and the supreme judge. The crown prince is Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
The Council of Ministers has existed as an executive body since 1954. Its members are appointed by the king. All leading ministerial posts are held by representatives of the royal family. In 1992, three decrees were published - "Fundamentals of the System of Governance," "Regulations on the Consultative Council," and "System of Territorial Organization," which for the first time established the general principles of state structure and governance of the country. In 1993, the first meeting of the Consultative Council took place, whose members are appointed by the king for a term of 4 years. The council is tasked with developing recommendations for the government on issues of socio-economic development of the country, preparing conclusions on various legal acts and international agreements. In 2005, the number of members of the Consultative Council was increased to 150. The chairman of the council is Saleh bin Humayed (since 2002).
The activities of political parties and trade unions are officially prohibited. A number of opposition political, social, and religious organizations operate illegally.
In the first half of 2005, municipal elections were held.
Saudi Arabia in its current borders was formed in January 1926 (until 1932 it was named after the united Arabian principalities - Hijaz, Najd, and annexed territories) after many years of struggle for the unification of the principalities of the Arabian Peninsula into a single centralized state. The leading role in this struggle was played by the ruler of the principality of Najd, Abdulaziz Al Saud, who became the first king of Saudi Arabia (1932).
In the 1970s-1990s, due to enormous oil revenues and significant military-strategic position, Saudi Arabia's role in international affairs, especially among Muslim states, increased significantly. Riyadh plays an important role in the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Saudi Arabia has been a member of the UN and the Arab League since 1945, a member of the IMF and the World Bank since 1957, and a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries since 1960. It is an active participant in many programs of OPEC, the UN, and Arab and Islamic funds.
Within the framework of pan-Arab approaches, the kingdom advocates for universal peace and international stability, the elimination of weapons of mass destruction, and against international terrorism. Significant importance is attached to the creation of a regional security system in the Persian Gulf area. A Saudi military unit was deployed as part of the GCC forces in Kuwait during the anti-Iraqi operation of the American-British coalition in 2003. There is a focus on maintaining military-political and economic cooperation with the USA and other Western countries.
In matters of Middle Eastern regulation, Riyadh advocates for a fair resolution of the Palestinian problem and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from all occupied Arab territories within the framework of the pan-Arab position.
The country's economy is primarily based on oil, with reserves amounting to 35.8 billion tons (1st place in the world). Oil production in 2004 was 451 million tons, of which 390 million tons were exported. 97% of oil is produced by the company "Aramco." Currency oil revenues reached 104 billion dollars in 2004 (about 85% of total export earnings).
GDP in 2004 was 248.4 billion dollars.
Based on oil revenues, a fairly rapid process of industrial development is being implemented within the framework of 5-year plans, which are developed with the participation of leading industrial and engineering consulting companies from Western countries.
Mining, chemical production, construction materials, metal products, plastics, textiles, paper, and food products are being developed. The overwhelming majority of enterprises in this sector are joint ventures, 51% of which belong to Saudis, the rest to foreigners.
The government pays great attention to the development of agriculture. The country self-sufficiently provides its population with basic food products. However, the recent trend of reducing subsidies and conserving water resources has led to a decrease in agricultural production. The wheat harvest in 2004 amounted to 2.5 million tons. The kingdom exports vegetables, chicken eggs, poultry meat, and other products.
The positive trade balance reached 82 billion dollars in 2004.
Saudi Arabia is the largest exporter of oil and petroleum products in the world. Major trading partners: Japan, the USA, the UK, and Southeast Asian countries.
The revenue side of the state budget in 2004 amounted to 105 billion dollars, while expenditures were 79 billion dollars. The kingdom's foreign currency reserves (excluding gold) amounted to 15 billion dollars. Foreign assets are about 90 billion dollars. The national debt in 2004 was approximately 173 billion dollars.
American capital ranks first in terms of foreign investments in the Saudi Arabian economy.
The length of paved roads is 50,000 km. The length of railways is 1,300 km. There is a network of oil pipelines. There are 25 airports (of which 3 are international) and 9 seaports.
The aviation fleet consists of 113 transport and passenger aircraft. The "Saudi National Shipping Company" has 21 vessels for transporting petroleum products. The kingdom accounts for more than 60% of intra-regional transportation.
The free education system covers 2.5 million students. The country has 16 higher education institutions, including 7 universities.
The number of students exceeds 200,000. A significant number of students study abroad.
Several daily newspapers are published ("Al-Oqaz," "Al-Bilad," "Al-Jazeera," "Al-Watan," "Um al-Qura," "Al-Madina," "Al-Yawm," "Kafilat az-Zeit," "Al-Iqtisadiya," "Saudi Gazette," "An-Nadwa," "Riyadh," "Ash-Sharq al-Awsat"), as well as magazines. The government information agency is the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).