Saudi Arabia (Geography)
Saudi Arabia comprises 4/5 of the Arabian
Peninsula; the borders go mostly through desert deserts and are only determined
after conflicts with neighboring countries. The largest oil and natural gas
fields are located in the eastern part of al-Hasa and offshore in the Persian
Gulf. Al-Hasa also houses most of the growing industry, while the capital
Riyadh is located in the central region of al-Najd, separated from the coast by
desert. To the west, in al-Hijaz, lie the holy cities and the great port city
of Jeddah. Here and to the south are the country's highest mountains, Asir,
which are the only areas where agriculture can be practiced without irrigation.
The climate is everywhere hot and dry with extremely hot
summers. Outside the Asir Mountains, precipitation is very low. Only during a
few weeks of spring rain does a sparse vegetation bloom in the desert. Rivers do
not exist, and wadier very sporadically; the oases in the desert are based on
groundwater. In some places, modern agricultural projects utilize fossil water,
ie. deep-lying groundwater from the more humid climate of former times. The
entire southeastern quarter of the country is covered by the arid and impassable
sand desert al- Rub al-Khali.
Population
The country's first census was conducted as late as 1962, but the figures
from both this and later censuses are considered completely unreliable, and
there is generally a great deal of uncertainty regarding Saudi Arabia's
population and other demographic conditions. The background is
political-strategic: Saudi Arabia wants to strengthen its status and prestige as
an Arab, Islamic and Middle Eastern superpower, and in this context it does not
count positively that the population is actually quite small compared to the
countries competing for the superpower role. Against this background, the
official estimate of the population should be read with skepticism. Population
growth has certainly been quite high for a number of years, e.g. the large
health sector has ensured a low infant mortality rate, but many doubt that there
are so many native Saudis. An ever-increasing proportion of the population now
lives in cities, women gain access to higher education and job opportunities,
and the nuclear family is gaining ground. These are all factors that will reduce
population growth in the future.
- Countryaah:
Do you know how many people there are in Saudi Arabia? Check this site to
see population pyramid and resident density about this country.
However, the position of women is still characterized by a very strict
interpretation of Islam, and in general, civil and human rights in the Western
sense are considered incompatible with Saudi Arabian customs and beliefs. On the
other hand, the health and education systems have been greatly expanded, and in
general Saudi Arabia is, materially speaking, a very modern society. Among other
things. The road network in the vast country has been expanded with good
highways and motorways, and private motoring is completely dominant in
traffic. Aviation is also of great importance with three international and 24
domestic airports.
Pilgrims. Saudi Arabia has a very special role as host for the
approximately 2 mio. pilgrims who come to Mecca every year in the last month of the
Islamic calendar. The vast majority arrive in Jeddah, and during the hectic
weeks it is a huge task to serve the pilgrims. Among other things. health care
must protect against epidemics when so many people from all over the world
gather. Several times, panic attacks have caused many to be trampled to
death; in addition, there are the dangerous situations that arise when pilgrims
are mostly in the open air, often with temperatures close to 50 °C. See
also Mecca, hajj and Islam.
Industries
From the start of commercial oil production in 1938, the oil has belonged to
the royal family. However, since King Faysal's reform program in 1964, it has
become clear that the regime has aimed to promote the structural development of
the Saudi economy. The large increases in oil prices in the 1970's provided Saudi
Arabia with huge revenues, but subsequent price declines have underlined the
need to invest in sectors of the economy other than oil. The construction of a
large public sector, including large investments in the military, has meant that
there has been a rapid distribution of wealth, but it has created a public
sector that is primarily a distribution mechanism and less suitable for
conducting state planning. out into life. In the 1990's, greater emphasis has
been placed on practical results in the form of agricultural and industrial
production. Keywords are diversification and Saudiization; There
is an increasing focus on private individuals supplementing and replacing the
royal family as initiators and investors. Much of the new industry is located in
two new cities, Jubail on the Persian Gulf and Yanbu on the Red Sea.
Oil production has throughout the years been run with great efficiency by
Aramco, the Arabian American Oil Company. It was American until 1973, when the
Saudi state nationalized 25% of the shares; in 1976 it took full ownership. It
has continuously invested in new exploration and more efficient technology and
has thus maintained its leading position in the world market. In 2005, the
Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimated that Saudi Arabia had an oil
reserve of 262 billion. barrels, which corresponds to approximately 1/4of
the world's known oil reserves. The country also has the world's fourth largest
gas reserve. Saudi Arabia's gas and oil are extracted from more than 1,000 wells
located both on the mainland and in the Persian Gulf, but originate mainly from
eight superfields, including the world's two largest oil fields, the Ghawar and
Saffaniya fields. Saudi Arabia is the world's largest oil producer with a
production of 10-11 million. barrels a day (2005). EIA estimates that even with
a production of 15 million. barrels of oil a day, there will be enough oil for
at least 50 years of unchanged production. For both oil and gas, the reserves
are relatively easily accessible, which means that production costs are low. Oil
and gas production in Saudi Arabia will therefore remain profitable, even if oil
prices fall sharply.
Agriculture. Despite the vast desert areas, Saudi Arabia is
self-sufficient in many foods. In the southwestern provinces, cultivation can be
done without irrigation, but much is grown in large irrigated farms in the
desert. From the air, they are seen as circular green spots that reflect the
irrigation system that runs around a deep water well.
Saudi Arabia - language
Standard Arabic, which is the official language, is the country's written
language. The modern spoken dialects have evolved predominantly from the
Qur'anic language and not from the original pre-Islamic dialects. English is
widespread, also in the education system.
Saudi Arabia (Religion)
Saudi Arabia is religiously dominated by an Islamic interpretation formulated
by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhaband since then has been the ideological reference
for the various states that the Saudi family has tried to establish, thus also
modern Saudi Arabia. The political legitimacy of the Saud family is ensured
through close cooperation with the jurists. In recent years, this collaboration
has been the subject of growing criticism. It is claimed that the Saud family,
through its control of the country's riches, has made the jurists dependent on
the state and thus, in effect, has freed itself from its traditional cooperation
with them. It is estimated that approximately 85% of the population follow the Wahhabi
version of Islam, while the remaining 15% are Shia Muslims. Wahhabism is based
on a strict interpretation of Islam, which is strongly judgmental of what
is being interpreted as deviant traditions.
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