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Occupying four-fifths of the Arabian Peninsula, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is bordered by Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen, with the Persian Gulf to its northeast and the Red Sea to its west. It has an estimated population of 27.5 million, and its size is approximately 2,150,000 square km (more than three times as big as Texas). The kingdom is commonly listed as the world's 14th largest nation.

Culture:

      Saudi Arabian culture revolves around the religion of Islam. Islam's two holiest sites, Mecca and Medina, are located in the country.

      Traditional men’s dress is an ankle-length shirt woven from wool or cotton (known as a thawb).

      Dress of Saudi women follows the principles of hijab (the Islamic principle of modesty). Saudi women wear a long cloak (abaya) when they leave the house to protect their modesty.

      Islamic dietary laws forbid the eating of pork and the drinking of alcohol, and this law is enforced strictly throughout Saudi Arabia.

Education:

Today, Saudi Arabia's nationwide public educational system comprises twenty universities, more than 24,000 schools, and a large number of colleges and other educational and training institutions. Open to every citizen, the system provides students with free education, books, and health services. Over 25 percent of the annual State budget is for education including vocational training. The Kingdom has also worked on scholarship programs to send students overseas, mainly to the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Japan, Malaysia, and other nations.

Economy:

Saudi Arabia is one of the few fastest-growing countries in the world with a high per capita income of $15,500. Saudi Arabia will be launching 6 Economic cities in the next few years. Moreover, the urban areas of Riyadh and Jeddah will contribute $287 billion by the year 2020. The Country is soon developing into an MEDC (Developed Country).

Saudi Arabia's economy is Petroleum based. The oil industry contributes to the Saudi economy 75% of budget revenues and 90% of export earnings. Saudi Arabia officially has about 260 billion barrels of oil reserves, comprising about 24% of the world's proven total petroleum reserves.