SAUDI ARABIA Green background, with in white letters the Muslim creed in Arabic: "There is no god but God: Muhammad is the Messenger of God."

Country Information The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the Arabic Peninsula The size is approximately the size of the United State east of the Mississippi River. According to the 2010 census the population of Saudi Arabia is 27 million ( including 8.4 million foreign residents Its capital city is Riyadh

Language Arabic is the official language in Saudi Arabia Arabic has contributed numerous words to the English language like قطن [koton], cotton, سكر [succar], sugar, غزال [ghazal], gazelle, قيثارة [qithara], guitar, الكحول [alcoo’hool], alcohol, صحراء [sahra’a], sahara, قيراط [qeerat], carat, and ليمون [laymoon], lemon. The Arabic language uses the same punctuation marks as English, as well as the same Western rules of punctuation, but watch out as some of the symbols are inverted, such as the comma ( ، ), or reversed, for instance, the question mark ( ؟ ). This has no impact on the intonation, though.

Government Saudi Arabia is an Absolute Monarchy Current King is Abdullah ibn Abdilaziz King Abdullah since 2005 The King appoints a Crown Prince to help him with his duties. The Crown Prince is second in in line to the throne.

Government - continued Saudi Arabia is divided into 13 provinces, each with a capital city. Each province elects a Governor who holds four-year, renewable terms.

Geography of Saudi Arabia Diverse with forest, grasslands, mountain ranges and deserts Temperatures can reach 110 degrees Fahrenheit in the desert in the summer Winter temperatures in the north and central parts of the country can drop below freezing Saudi Arabia has very little rainfall, only about an average of four inches a year

Religion Islam, which is the basis of the legal system and of government. ( Unlike the United States where government and religion are separate.) Islam affects every aspect of the culture and customs in Saudi Arabia Islam guides Saudi people on how to dress, what to eat, when and how to pray, and how to conduct business

Religion continued… The eating of pork is forbidden in Islam Modesty in dress is the custom Banks are not allowed to make money in the way of interest from people-strictly forbidden by Islamic law. Muslims are required to pray five times per day. They are obligated to pray during dawn, midday, mid-afternoon, sunset and evening. Businesses are obligated to close during times of prayer.

Family Life In Saudi Arabia, unless sons and daughter go away to college, they usually remain at home with their parents The elderly are the most respected people in Saudi Arabia and are treated with the utmost reverence. If parents or grandparents become unable to live alone safely, they are automatically expected to move in with a son or daughter of their choice.

Dating in Saudi Arabia Dating is taken very seriously and is usually arranged by the parents or a close relative Dating is more formal and supervised The ultimate goal of dating is marriage

Dress Religion and customs dictate conservative dress for both men and women Saudi custom on dress is to always to conceal rather than reveal Men wear a thobe ( white in hot weather) – sometimes a bishi or mishlah over the thobe Women wear a black cloak called a abayah and veil ( they often wear bright and lavishly embroidered clothing under the abayah.

Examples of Dress

Education In 1932 when the Kingdom was established education was available to very few people, mostly children of wealthy families who lived in major cities. Today there are 25 public and 27 private universities, some 30,000 schools and a large number of colleges and other institutions. Education, books and health services are open and free to all citizens.

Education continued … Education below the university level is a requirement for every Muslim Muslim religion emphasizes the importance of learning Teaching credentials are not mandatory in the Arab world Classes are teacher centered, not student centered