Saudi Arabia

Located in the Arabian Peninsula, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was established in 1932 by Abd al Aziz, the leader of Al Saud (House of Saud) and a Wahhabi imam. The country is home to Mecca and Medina, the two holiest places for followers of Islam, and the Saudi ruling family gains legitimacy from safeguarding them. Saudi Arabia shares its borders with Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait in the north; Bahrain, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates in the east; and Oman and Yemen in the south. The capital is Riyadh. As of 2010, the estimated population is 28.7 million, of which 5.6 million are foreign nationals. Saudi Arabia has 25% of the world’s oil reserves, and it is the world’s dominant oil exporter; thus, it is ...