Saudi Arabia, the map of which is shown below, is a country in the southwestern part of Asia, covering about 80% of the area of the Arabian Peninsula. The origin of its name is connected with the royal family Saud, who founded the state and continues to be in power until today.
General Description
Saudi Arabia has an area of 2.15 million square kilometers. The state borders on Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, UAE, Qatar, Yemen and Oman. In addition, it is washed by the waters of the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. Its capital is Riyadh, which is home to over five million people. Other major cities in Saudi Arabia are Jeddah, Mecca and Medina. Their population exceeds the one million mark.
The north of the country is characterized by a subtropical climate, while the south is dry, continental. Thus, the winter is warm here, and the summer is hot. It is impossible notnote the fact that there are no permanent rivers and water sources on the territory of the country, and temporary streams are formed only as a result of intense rains. The problem of providing fresh water is solved only through the development of companies involved in the desalination of water bodies, as well as through the drilling of artesian wells.
Political structure
In March 1992, the first documents regulating the political structure of the state and the basic principles of its management were adopted. Based on them, the country of Saudi Arabia is a theocratic absolute monarchy. Its constitution is based on the Koran. The Saudi dynasty has been in power since 1932. The King has full legislative, executive and judicial power. Its powers are only theoretically limited by local traditions and Shariah norms. The government in its current form has been functioning since 1953. It is headed by the king, who determines the main directions of its activities. There is also a Council of Ministers in the country, which is entrusted not only with executive, but also with legislative functions. All decisions taken by this authority are approved by decree of the king of the country of Saudi Arabia. The population of the state is obliged to comply with them. Administratively, the country is divided into thirteen provinces.
Economy
The local economy is based on private free enterprise. At the same time, it is impossible not to note the fact that control over key areas of activity is carried out by the government. The state canboast the world's largest oil reserves. It accounts for about 75% of his income. In addition, Saudi Arabia is the world leader in the export of black gold and plays one of the leading roles in OPEC. The country also has reserves of zinc, chromium, lead, copper and iron ores.
Population
The first census of local residents was conducted in 1974. From that time to the present day, the population of Saudi Arabia has almost tripled. Now almost 30 million people live in the country. The vast majority of local residents are Arabs, a significant part of which has retained the tribal organization. Now there are more than 100 tribal associations and tribes in the country. It should also be noted that approximately one-fifth of the population is made up of foreign workers. Based on official UN statistics, as of 1970, the infant mortality rate in the country was 204 babies for every thousand newborns. Now there has been a significant positive shift in this indicator. In particular, due to the improvement of living standards and medical care in the state, out of a thousand newborns, only 19 children die.
Language
Arabic is the official language in a country like Saudi Arabia. The population in everyday life uses mainly the Arabian dialect, which comes from el-fushy. Within it, several dialects that are close to each other stand out at once. Togetherwith this, city dwellers and descendants of nomads speak differently. Literary and spoken languages have minor differences between themselves. In a religious context, mainly the classical Arabic dialect is used. Common languages among people from other countries are English, Indonesian, Urdu, Tagalog, Farsi and others.
Religion
Saudi Arabia is considered to be the center of the Islamic world. Almost the entire population of the country professes this particular religion. According to various estimates, up to 93% of local residents are Sunnis. The rest of the representatives of Islam are predominantly Shiites. As for other religions, approximately 3% of the country's inhabitants are Christians, and 0.4% are other confessions.
Education
Higher education in the country, although free, is not compulsory. A good job and a comfortable life in Saudi Arabia are possible without him. Be that as it may, there are a number of programs operating here, the main goal of which was to reduce the level of illiteracy of local residents. Currently, there are 7 universities and 16 higher educational institutions in the country. All of them are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Higher Education. Approximately 30 thousand students study abroad every year. In the past few decades, the government has significantly increased spending on education. At the same time, the state needs a general reform in this area, which should form a new balance between modern and traditional teaching methods.
Medicine
One of the most advanced countries in the world in terms of medicine is Saudi Arabia. The population of the state has the right to receive free services related to it. This applies to both residents of megacities and representatives of the Bedouin tribes who roam in the desert. Every year, the government allocates about 8% of the local budget for he alth care, which is simply a gigantic amount. Mandatory immunization of newborns is fixed at the legislative level. The epidemiological control system, which was established in 1986, made it possible to completely defeat and eliminate such terrible diseases as plague, yellow fever and cholera.
Demographic issues
According to scientists, if the current rate of growth in the number of inhabitants in the country continues (over the past 30 years they have been about 4% of the inhabitants per year), then by 2050 the population of Saudi Arabia will reach 45 million. In other words, very soon the country's leadership will have to solve the problem of not only providing citizens with jobs, but also ensuring a decent old age for the Saudis who are currently working. This task is not so easy even for a state with such impressive oil reserves. The emergence of such problems is associated primarily with positive changes in the areas of nutrition and medical care, as well as with the improvement of living conditions in the country.
