Saudi Arabia
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Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
conventional short form: Saudi Arabia
local long form: Al Mamlakah al Arabiyah as Suudiyah
local short form: Al Arabiyah as Suudiyah
Data code: SA
Economy - overview:
This is a well-to-do oil-based economy with strong government controls over major economic
activities. Saudi Arabia has the largest reserves of petroleum in the world (26% of the
proved total), ranks as the largest exporter of petroleum, and plays a leading role in
OPEC. The petroleum sector accounts for roughly 75% of budget revenues, 40% of GDP, and 90%
of export earnings. About 35% of GDP comes from the private sector. Roughly 4 million
foreign workers play an important role in the Saudi economy, for example, in the oil and
service sectors. The Saudi economy was severely hit by the large decline in world oil
prices in 1998. GDP fell by nearly 11%; the budget deficit rose to $12.3 billion; and the
current account recorded a $13 billion deficit - the first in three years. The government
announced plans to implement large spending cuts in 1999 because of weak oil prices and
will continue to call on greater private sector involvement in the economy. Shortages of
water and rapid population growth will constrain government efforts to increase
self-sufficiency in agricultural products.
Source: CIA
Articles
-->Early Islam
The early Islamic polity was intensely expansionist, fueled both by fervor for the new religion and by economic and social factors. Conquering armies and migrating tribes swept out of Arabia, spreading Islam. By the end of Islam's first century, Islamic armies had reached far into North Africa and eastward and northward into Asia.Sunni Islam
Basic beliefs of orthodox Islam, especially as they relate to Saudi Arabia.Shia Islam
Shia are a minority in Saudi Arabia, probably constituting about 5 percent of the total population, their number being estimated from a low of 200,000 to as many as 400,000. Shia are concentrated primarily in the Eastern Province, where they constituted perhaps 33 percent of the population, being concentrated in the oases of Qatif and Al Ahsa.Shia Islam
Shia are a minority in Saudi Arabia, probably constituting about 5 percent of the total population, their number being estimated from a low of 200,000 to as many as 400,000. Shia are concentrated primarily in the Eastern Province, where they constituted perhaps 33 percent of the population, being concentrated in the oases of Qatif and Al Ahsa.Wahhabi Islam
The political and cultural environment of contemporary Saudi Arabia has been influenced by a religious movement that began in central Arabia in the mid-eighteenth century. This movement, commonly known as the Wahhabi movement, grew out of the scholarship and preaching of Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab, a scholar of Islamic jurisprudence.Wahhabi Islam
The political and cultural environment of contemporary Saudi Arabia has been influenced by a religious movement that began in central Arabia in the mid-eighteenth century. This movement, commonly known as the Wahhabi movement, grew out of the scholarship and preaching of Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab, a scholar of Islamic jurisprudence.Islamic Politics in Saudi Arabia
Factors contributing to the increased attraction of Islamic conservatism included the problem of impending loss of identity caused by overwhelming Westernization. As secular education, population mobility, the breakup of extended family households, and the employment of women have chipped away at cherished institutions of family and society, religion has become a refuge and a source of stability.The Hajj (pilgrimage) in Saudi Arabia
The hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, occurs annually between the eighth and thirteenth days of the last month of the Muslim year, Dhu al Hijjah. The hajj represents the culmination of the Muslim's spiritual life. For many, it is a lifelong ambition.
