133 Facts About Saudi Arabia: History, Culture, Geography And More

If we talk about its size, then, in the Arab world, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) bags the second rank and the largest in the Middle East.

As we all know, the holiest cities, Mecca and Medina, of Islam reside in this country while the largest city, Riyadh, is this country's capital.

The landscape of this middle eastern country is mostly made up of the arid desert, but that doesn’t mean that other types of terrain don’t exist there as you can find lowland, mountains, and steppes as well.

Arabic is the official language of this land, and the main population consists of 93% of Islamic people.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the perfect example of absolute monarchy with Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud as the ruling king and Mohammed bin Salman as the crown prince, the next in line. The government is called the Unitary Islamic absolute monarchy.

This middle eastern country is a very crucial member of the oil exporters and extractors, taking the top rank for the exporters of petroleum in the global market. It has a huge impact on the oil prices based on its greater oil production capacity.

Saudia Arabia is the largest economy in the Middle East and is among the top 20 in the world economies.

Not only does this country play a big role due to its economy, but it is also a rich source of human history, Islamic culture, and even geographical richness. Hajj pilgrimage is also an extremely important contributor to Saudi Arabia's economy as all followers of Islam want to complete a Hajj Pilgrimage at least once in their lives.

This pilgrimage is meant only for Muslims and non-Muslims are not allowed on this pilgrimage.

Read on for some more interesting facts related to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Afterward, also check out facts about South Africa and facts about Spain.

Fun Facts About Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia as we read in the introduction is a very important part of the world petroleum trade as well as natural gas. While this is all true, some fun facts are both knowledgeable and interesting to the general people. Therefore, in this section, we will be looking at some of these amazingly fun facts.

• According to the World Bank, Saudi Arabia is best for doing business in the Middle East.
• This nation also takes the credit for having the most advanced type of banking system on this planet.
• King Salman is the third richest king in the world with a net worth of $18 billion.
• Saudi Arabia is also the only country to ban women from driving.
• Jeddah, the tallest water fountain in the world, is homed in Saudi Arabia.
• Riyadh is the largest city and the capital is also home to the monarch.
• Desalinization is a very crucial process, as freshwater as a resource is declining. So, Saudi Arabia takes the credit for having a desalination plant, which is the largest in the world.
• Being a rich source of oil, 0.3 gal (1 l) of oil is cheaper than one liter of potable water.
• Alcoholic beverages, which are a source of amusement to people around the globe, are banned in this nation.
• Camels are major livestock in the Arabian nations, thus, Saudi Arabia has a camel market that is the biggest in the world.
• Dates are a very sacred fruit in Islam. This nation also happens to be the third-largest producer of this fruit.
• Wedding ceremonies in Saudi Arabia are held separately, as per men and women.
• Smoking, a threat to human life, is banned in government buildings and most public places.
• Another very interesting fact about this nation is that birth control is considered illegal.
• The world’s largest airport, King Khalid Airport, is located in Saudi Arabia.
• People from other religions are not allowed Saudi citizenship.
• On an official account, Saudi women are not allowed to travel overseas without the consent of their husbands.

Historical Facts About Saudi Arabia

Many people are fans of history, especially when this history is summed up into some interesting facts! So, here are interest-piquing historical facts about the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's history.

• Among the most ancient cities, one named Mada, in Saleh is located in Saudi Arabia.
• The two biggest and the oldest mosques are in Makkah and Madinah, the biggest pilgrimage of the Islamic Community.
• The founder of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is considered to be Ibn Saud, who in 1932, combined the four regions and announced one nation. He crowned himself to be the king of the nation. The present King Salman, who is in power, seems to be in a health crisis.
• Among the many old civilizations, Al-Magar is considered to be among the first civilizations in the world and is situated in this nation.
• Prophet Muhammad was born in this country, making it understandable to have Islam as the national religion.
• Sharif of Mecca, a local ruler, is said to have had control of Mecca and Madinah during the 10th and early 20th centuries.
• Televisions were introduced in this nation during the year 1965 by King Faisal.

Geographical Facts About Saudi Arabia

While talking about any nation, their geography is as important as their history. Here are some important aspects related to Saudi Arabia's geography.

As Saudi Arabia is a desert country with the largest sand desert in the world, the traditional dress and the natural resource, oil, will be something that is influenced by the geographical location of the country. Hence, we will be having a look at some geographical facts about this middle eastern country.

• This is the 10th largest country on the world map.
• This country occupies the largest portion of the Arabian Peninsula. The south extension of the land opens in Yemen, while the east to the Persian Gulf and the west to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, combine.
• The bordering countries are Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen while the Island of Bahrain is connected through a causeway in the Persian Gulf.
• The largest sand desert in the world is in Saudi Arabia. Rub-Al Khali is the name of the sand desert and it is the largest continuous desert of its kind in the world.
• The natural source of fresh water in any country is a river. Saudi Arabia is the only country where there is no natural river.
• The largest oil, reserve named Al-Ahsa, in Ghawar Oil Field is homed in this land.
• Speaking of oil, Saudi Arabia has the largest oil supply in the world with more oil than any other country.
• The Persian Gulf is considered the lowest point of Saudi Arabia.
• The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula and is again homed in this nation.
• Eastern Province is the primary oil source of this nation, and it is extended up to the Persian Gulf.
• The country experiences a maximum rainfall of 3.9 in (100 mm) which is very low and insufficient for cultivating crops.
• The soil is not very fertile but the most fertile soil of this country is on the coastal plains of Asir.
• 2250 flowering plant species can be found in this nation with as many as 246 being endemic and all exotic species.
• Being in between Eurasia and Africa, the Saudi Arabia Peninsula allows a place to intermingle the species from both regions. Some of the species created are used in homeopathy.

Facts About Saudi Arabia’s Culture

Every country has its unique culture, which is not only the pride of that nation but also helps in making their country unique from the rest of the world.

Whether this culture is in the form of their traditional dress, their national language, religion, or their faiths and beliefs, every single factor added to this list, makes up the nation as a whole. Saudi Arabia has a rich culture as per their tradition, beliefs, and faith.

Here, under this section, some facts will make the understanding of this nation better.

• Saudi Arabia’s national dress for women is Black Abaya.
• The largest Camel market is in Riyadh, with as many as 100 camels sold daily.
• There is a death penalty for crimes like adultery, insulting the royal family, insulting Islam, armed robbery, and many more.
• Witchcraft is a very serious crime, and can receive the death penalty which is why Harry Potter is banned here.
• There is huge gender segregation. So much so that Saudi Arabia was the last country to provide voting rights for women, doing so in 2015.
• The present King Salman has made some changes like lifting curbs from women driving and the rule about having to take a male guardian overseas has been relaxed. The prince is also bringing some positive changes.
• Women have faced a lot of discrimination, and playing sports or interacting normally with men is something that is a far-fetched dream for them.
• Nomadic Arabs like Bedouins can be found in the Arabian deserts.
• The Committee for the Preservation of Virtue and for the Prevention of Vice is the religious force, commonly known as Mutaween. They ensure the strict dress code, segregation of the sexes, and daily attendance of prayer.
• Other religions can be practiced in private but public congregations are not allowed and only Islamic festivities and congregations can be done within this land.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 133 Facts about Saudi Arabia: History, culture, geography and more then why not take a look at Argentina facts, or Iran facts?