Area
- 2,149,690 sq km: All of it land, no water. Thus it’s mostly sandy desert. It’s about 1/5 the size of the United States.
- It has 2,640 km of coastline.
People
- Population: 28,571,770 (July 2017)
- 37 percent are immigrants
- 83.8 percent are in urban areas
- Arabic is the official language
Religion
- Muslim is the official religion
- 85 percent – 9o percent Sunni
- 10 percent – 15 percent Shia
Government
- Gained independence Sept. 23, 1932
- Ruled by absolute monarchy
- Royal decree established a constitution March 1, 1992.
- Legal system based upon Islamic (sharia) law with secular influences
- Only children of a father who is a Saudi citizen or a Saudi mother and an unknown father.
- Only males older than 18 can vote.
National leadership
- Chief of state & head of government: King and Prime Minister SALMAN bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud; Crown Prince MUHAMMAD BIN SALMAN bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud; (the monarch is both chief of state and head of government)
- Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch every four years and includes many royal family members
- Elections/appointments: None. The monarchy is hereditary but a committee of Saudi princes offers advice in selecting Saudi kings.
- Legislative branch: Unicameral, 150 seat Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura. Each member appointed by the monarch to serve four years.
Source: Central Intelligence World Factbook
(Central Intelligence Agency map)
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