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FACTS ABOUT KSA
The information on this page was written by a colleague for a private university in Riyadh. It needs significant editing - volunteer required.
At a Glance
Capital:
Government:
Absolute Monarchy
Currency:
Saudi Riyal (SAR)
US$1 = SAR 3.75
(Pegged)
€1 =
SAR 4.8
(approx. at February 2009)
UK£1 = SAR 5.3
( --
--
--
--)
Land Area:
1,960,582 km2
Population:
27,601,038
(July '07, of whom
non-nationals = 5,576,076)
Religion:
Islam
(100% of native population, by law)
Intl. Dial Code: +966
Internet TLD:
.sa
Time Zone:
GMT+3 hrs
Geography
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is the largest country in the Arabian
Peninsula. Stretching from the
southern borders of Jordan, Iraq and Kuwait in the north to Yemen and Oman in
the South, and from the Red Sea in the west to the Gulf in the east, it covers a
total land area of just under two million square kilometres.
Many people make the mistake of assuming that the landscape of
From the Arabian Gulf, the land slowly rises towards the west to the point where
it crests in a long mountainous ridge about 150km east of the
The landscape in the
There are two main sand deserts: the
Nafud
in the north, and the
Rub al Khali (meaning 'empty quarter') in the south, where dunes
rise to as high as 300 metres in the world’s largest sand-desert.
Climate
Saudi Arabia's climate is dominated by two factors:
heat
and
dryness.
With the Tropic of Cancer running across the middle of the country, high
temperatures are inevitable, and some of the highest temperatures on earth can
be experienced in KSA. Rainfall in
most areas is very low or negligible, with November to April being the 'wet'
months. During the extremely hot
summers from May to October, rainfall is virtually non-existent.
The big exception to the rainfall rule is the mountainous south-western region
of Asir, where quite a deal of rain falls during winter and where even in summer
heavy showers may be encountered.
Further towards the south-east, more summer rain can be encountered as the
Temperatures in
[See
HEALTH: General Precautions
p.20, for advice on how to cope with
Saudi weather]
History
Saudi Arabia started as an amalgam of various minor desert states ruled by
individual tribes. In 1744, the
Saudi dynasty began with the alliance of Emir Mohammad Ibn Saud of Diriyah, near
what is now Riyadh, and Mohammad Ibn Abd al Wahhab, a strict Islamic cleric,
which saw the creation of the First Saudi State.
The following century and a half saw various parties vie for control,
including the Egyptians, various Arabian tribes – most notably the Al Rashid
tribe – and the Turkish Ottomans. In
1902, Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud captured the Al Masmak Fort in Riyadh from the Al
Rashids, who had long before taken control of the city.
After the Turkish defeat in World War 1 and the departure of the Ottomans
from Arabian lands, Abdul Aziz consolidated his position and brought the various
regions together under one flag, to create the Third (and current) Saudi State
in 1932.
Since King Abdul Aziz's death in 1953, following the Saudi heredity rules of
succession, a line of his sons have ruled: Saud, Faisal (1964), Khalid (1975),
and Fahd (1982), on whose death Abdullah, the present king, acceded to power in
August 2005.
Government & Law
Saudi Arabia is what is known as a Theocratic Monarchy.
That is to say, its head of state and of government is a king, ruling
over a political entity with a strong religious ethos and basis.
The appointment of the king, who is also known as The Custodian of the
Two Holy Shrines, is by a complex set of hereditary rules, and this must be
approved by the leading members of the Royal Family, the House of
Saud. While his rule is in
theory absolute, within the constraints of the Shari'a, he is assisted in
practice in the running of the country by the Shoura Council and
the Council of Ministers.
There is also a 150-member consultative assembly, but all legislation must be
approved by the Shoura Council.
The current incumbent is King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al Saud, who
has held office since the death of his half-brother, the late King Fahd, in
2005.
Justice is administered through a system of Shari'a Courts, with the king
himself constituting the highest court of appeal.
He has the right to give a full pardon in the case of criminal
convictions. Much of the country's
civil law, such as that relating to labour, contracts and companies, is
significantly influenced by western law, albeit within the context of what the
Shari'a allows. Other areas however,
such as criminal law, family law and tort differ considerably from the west and
are heavily based on the rule of Shari'a.
[See also THINGS YOU REALLY NEED TO
KNOW: Security & Crime
pp.12-13]
Economy
KSA is unequivocally associated with one product over all else: oil.
The kingdom has a lot of it, and has the
largest reserves of petroleum in the world with over a quarter of the proven
reserves. It is also the
dominant member of OPEC, being the world's largest exporter of petroleum, which
accounts for almost half of GDP and 90% of export revenue.
In addition to crude oil and petroleum, there has been a steady increase in the
petrochemical industry, expected to continue, and the industrial cities of Yanbu
and Jubail have been the focus of most of this development.
Other industrial areas include Dammam and
Despite oil prices having been at a record high in the last year, per capita
income is much lower than it was three decades ago.
In 1980, the average income was US$23,000, while today, despite
adjustment for inflation it is just over $20,000.
This is primarily the result of a massive population boom.
In addition to education, other areas of focus for public expenditure are
technological, infrastructural and industrial development.
The proposed
King Abdullah Economic City,
at Rabigh on the Red Sea has an investment budget of US$26bn and in addition to
the construction of the kingdom's largest port there will be a major focus on
education, industry and tourism.
The greatest challenge facing
Population
KSA has an official population of just over 27.6M, and given that it was just
over 17M ten years ago, this gives Saudi Arabia one of the highest population
growth rates in the world.
Of this population, around 22M are native Saudis, with the remainder being
composed of a wide variety of expat workers, chief among who are Bangladeshis,
Filipinos, Indians and various non-Gulf Arabs, mainly Egyptians.
Unofficial figures, however, suggest that the illegal expat community may
be as high as another 2M.
Riyadh,
as the largest urban area in the kingdom has a population of 5 million, with
Jeddah
(2.5M) and the
Dammam/Khobar/Dhahran
conurbation (approx 1.5M) being the other two major centres.
Other centres of population are
Madinah,
Makkah,
Taif,
Qassim,
Al Jouf,
Al Ahsa,
Jubail,
Abha,
Tabuk,
Hail
and
Hafr Al Batin.
Language
Arabic is, as you may have gathered, the official language of Saudi Arabia.
However, English is widely spoken and is also the second language of the
kingdom. Saudi TV2 broadcasts
in English. The extent to which a
Saudi speaks English is determined to a considerable extent by his level of
education and where he lives. Most
educated Saudis, especially those living in Jeddah, Riyadh and the Eastern
Province speak English quite well; conversely, many Saudis in the more remote
regions, with little exposure to the outside world, are more limited in their
English skills.
In shops, restaurants and other business establishments, many people speak
English, and other languages, such as Hindi, Urdu, Singhalese, Bengali and
Tagalog are also widely spoken and understood.
Certain ethnic groups are more likely to speak English than others, and
this particularly applies to groups such as Indians, Sudanese and Filipinos.
Relatively few Bangladeshis, on the other hand, speak English to any
useful extent.
Saudi
People
Given the strict and conservative nature of Saudi culture, one could easily
assume that Saudis as a people are distant, austere and unapproachable.
In fact, most are
extremely friendly and genuinely curious about foreigners and other cultures.
They have often been accused by expats of being inhospitable but this is
far from the truth. Certainly an
invitation to a Saudi home is not easily forthcoming, but this has largely to do
with their shyness towards foreigners and also, and indeed probably more so,
because of the segregation of the sexes and the consequent concerns about
familial privacy.
Being invited to Saudi homes does happen, however,
and if you are indeed
invited, you will be sure to enjoy immense warmth, generosity and hospitality.
More often, however, a Saudi friend or colleague will arrange to meet you
at a restaurant or coffee shop.
In terms of attitude, some Saudis are more open-minded and tolerant than others,
and the level of open-mindedness is usually in proportion to the level of
exposure to life outside the kingdom.
However, even very conservative Saudis are usually friendly and
good-natured.
The
Special Place of Islam
Not only does Islam dominate all aspects of life in Saudi Arabia, but the
country, with the two holy cities of
Makkah
and
Madinah,
is considered the home of Islam. The
Kingdom is ruled according to the tenets of
Shari'a
(Islamic Law) and the King is officially known, among other titles, as
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.
Practices that may be considered normal in other countries, such as
integration of non-related members of the sexes, alcohol consumption, and the
consumption of pork products are all strictly illegal here.
The public practice of all religions other than Islam is forbidden, as is the
distribution of any religious or political literature.
By law, all Saudis
must
be Muslim. Having said all that, the
kingdom has now opened up to ecumenical dialogue as evidenced by King Abdullah’s
recent visit to the Vatican.
The five daily prayer times are official, and
during each one, it is mandatory for
businesses to close. The prayer
times are: Fajr (before sunrise, not really applicable to most
businesses), Dhuhr (midday), Aser (mid-afternoon),
Maghreb (sunset) and Isha (90 minutes after
Maghreb). Each prayer time lasts
approximately half an hour.
During the Holy Month of Ramadan, it is forbidden to eat, drink or
smoke in any public place between sunrise and sunset.
Apart from legal obligation, it is genuinely discourteous and insensitive
to those who are fasting to flout the rule.
Workplaces usually provide an eating area for non-Muslims.
It is considered impolite to even talk about food or drink with Muslims
during the fasting hours. During the
holy month, obviously, all restaurants close during the daytime.
Shops however, usually remain open (subject to altered trading hours) and
even ready-cooked food can be purchased for (private) consumption.
In any case, irrespective of legal obligation, cultural sensitivity should be
the main consideration governing one’s behaviour.
As you are aware by now, Saudi Arabia is a strict Islamic society, where social
norms and practices are very different to Europe and North America.
Some subjects and topics are taboo and very much to be avoided, while
others, while not taboo as such, require such a high level of caution and
diplomacy that anyone who is not accustomed to the country is better off staying
clear of them.
The major areas of sensitivity are
religion,
politics,
sexuality
and
gender
issues.
As you get used to living here over time, you will get a better 'feel' for
certain subjects and will be better able to use your discretion in how to deal
with them. Many Saudis are genuinely
curious about the outside world, especially the 'west' and will ask many
questions. Giving information, when
asked, about western culture and society, indeed even Christianity or other
religions, is not only acceptable but polite provided you keep things fairly
general and present information as exactly that: information and
not
expression of opinion.
You should
reciprocate with some questions about their culture and Islam.
In any event, this is not just about avoiding difficult situations, but
showing genuine courtesy and respect to our Saudi hosts.
In terms of behaviour, many Saudi practices in areas such as dress code
(especially for females) and gender integration vary radically from what many of
you may be used to. In public, women
in
What
is
a legal requirement is that women cover their hair, although this generally
appears to be relaxed, especially in relation to western women (who are seen as
'non-Muslim') and in the major cities.
Outside of the main centres, a loose hair covering is strongly advised
for all females whether Muslim or not.
It is illegal in
Restaurants have Single Sections and Family Sections, and men unaccompanied by a
female (who is expected to be a relative but this is rarely checked in practice)
are not allowed into the family sections.
Many banks have male and female sections, although of late more banks are
open to both sexes.
Please bear in mind that if a car containing mixed gender occupants is stopped
at a checkpoint and proof of marriage or other relationship cannot be shown,
then there is a slight possibility of trouble, and imprisonment and/or
deportation have been known to occur, albeit rarely.
If a single man is with married friends, then this should not be a
problem. Young men and women,
however, who are not related, could find themselves with a lot of explaining to
do.
In a nutshell, here are some points of etiquette to follow:
YOU SHOULD
On the other hand, these are some of the things
NOT
to do:
NEVER
Security & Crime
Generally speaking, Saudi Arabia is a safe country in terms of crime and
personal safety. The serious
terrorist threat of 2004 has now virtually disappeared, with the authorities
having got matters very much under control.
Nowadays, the risk of being the victim of a terrorist attack in KSA is
substantially less than that of being mugged (or worse) in many western cities.
That being said, certain basic precautions will not go amiss.
While obsessive checking under your car every time you return to it from
the supermarket or restaurant is really not necessary, it helps to maintain a
low profile and to be generally vigilant.
Some useful tips:
·
If travelling to remote regions, travelling in small groups rather than large is
better. Large groups of foreigners
are bound to be more conspicuous anywhere in a country where foreigners,
especially westerners, are rarely encountered outside the main urban areas
·
If you are going places within cities on foot, avoid standing in exposed places
such as median strips for a prolonged period, although the greatest danger here
is bad driving more than anything else
·
Register with your embassy on arrival in the kingdom
·
Avoid large public gatherings
There are certain precautions that you should follow:
In short, show the same level of commonsense you would in your own country.
Should you find yourself on the other side of the law for any reason, you must
contact your embassy immediately. In
the case of relatively minor transgressions, expats (depending often on their
precise nationality) are usually deported from the country, and occasionally
blacklisted so as to prevent them getting a visa in future.
Where one is accused or suspected of a more serious matter, then a period in
prison may be expected until the trial.
If convicted, penalties can be severe, and range from jail terms and
lashes to amputation of fingers (mainly for repeat offenders in cases of theft)
and capital punishment. The last
mentioned is usually by public beheading, and applies to serious crimes such as
murder, rape, armed robbery and possession of narcotics in commercial
quantities.
In the case of capital offences against persons, such as murder or rape, the
punishment can be waived on payment of blood money to the victim (or
nearest-of-kin), provided of course that it is accepted.