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Saudi Arabia - GENERAL INFORMATION
 
Population - Local time - Languages - Religion - Political system - Climate - Tourism - Food



Population



Main Cities Population
Riyadh   2,800,000  
Jeddah   2,000,000  
Mecca   1,000,000  
Medina   600,000  
Dammam   600,000  
Taif   400,000  
Tabouk   300,000  



Total population (millions): 23.2
Source: World Bank 2004

Urban population: 88%
Source: World Bank 2004

Average annual population growth: 3.0%
Source: World Bank 2004

Surface area (km²) : 2,149,690


Population origin

Origin of the population% Of the population
Saudi Arabians 82.2
other Arab origins 3.5
Yemenites 9.8
Other 4.5




Local time


It is %T:%M %A in Riyadh


GMT+3


Languages


Official language: Arabic
Business language: Arabic and English.

Free translation tools in Saudi Arabia :
Arjeeb
Free English-Arabic-English translation of texts and web pages

Ectaco
Free Arabic-English-Arabic dictionary



Religion


Religious practises : Sunni Muslims : 99%
Christians : 0,7%
Others : 0,3%.


Political system


Saudi Arabia is an Islamic monarchy, it does not admit either election, parties, or trade unions and does not recognise nor guarantee any public or private freedom.

The Parliament is composed of a consultative Council (maljis al Chara) of 90 members designated by the King, of a cabinet, a legislative and executive authority. The Islamic law (Charia) represents the fundamental law of the State.
There are no political parties.
Capital: Riyad
State chief: the King Abdullah since August,1 of 2005.


Climate

 


Tourism

Number of visitors in Saudi Arabia 2002 2003 2004 World rank
Number of visitors (1000) 7512   7332   8580   22
Source : World Tourisme Organization, data available in November 2005

 

Tourist sites


Saudi Arabia represents 4/5 of the Arabic peninsula. It is mainly deserts, which begin to have a certain tourist interest. The main places of interest are:
-Riyadh, royal capital, is a modern city built on the city site of origin. There are still some vestiges from the past such as the fort and the traditional palaces near Deera's place.
-The Western Coast is considered as the business centre, with the port and the ancient city of Jeddah.
-The Mecca is the highly spiritual reference place for the Islamic world. The Abdullah Bin Abdul Muttalib's house, house where the prophet Muhammad was born can be visited.

For more information about tourism in Saudi Arabia , check out the following web site(s) :
Information portal on tourism in Saudi Arabia


Food


Traditional dishes


The Saudi cooking is typical from the Middle East. The food is the same as in Lebanon, Turkey, Syria etc. The local recipes are very often spiced up. All dishes are accompanied with a very light bread, called Pita. The rice, lentils, chickpeas and wheat seeds (burghul) are the main garnitures.
The most popular dishes are:
Kebabs: grills of spiced beef accompanied with soup or vegetables.
Hummus: Mushed chickpeas served with olive oil.
Mezzes: large variety of hors d'oeuvre (about 40) often spicy.
Muhalabia: rice pudding.

Food-related taboos


Pork is forbidden by the Muslim religion. Alcohol is prohibited and subject to fines. However, cocktails and beers without alcohol are served in big hotels.

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Last modified in October 2005
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