Saudi Arabia is a monarchy in southwestern Asia, occupying most of the Arabian peninsula. It is bounded on the north by Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait; on the east by the Persian Gulf and Qatar; on the southeast by the United Arab Emirates and Oman; on the south by the Republic of Yemen; and on the west by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. Saudi Arabia has an area of about 2,240,000 sq km (about 865,000 sq mi). The capital and largest city is Riyadh.

          



Considerably more than half the area of Saudi Arabia is desert. Rub‘ al Khali, known in English as the Great Sandy Desert and as the Empty Quarter, extends over much of the southeast and beyond the southern frontier. Partially unexplored, Rub’ al Khali has an estimated area of about 650,000 sq. km (about 250,000 sq. miles). An extension of the Syrian Desert projects into northern Saudi Arabia, and extending southeast from this region is An Nafud, an upland desert of red sand covering an area of about 57,000 sq km (about 22,000 sq mi). Ad Dhana’, a narrow extension of this desert, links An Nafud and Rub‘ al Khali. A central plateau region, broken in the east by a series of uplifts, extends south from An Nafud. Several wadis (watercourses), dry except in the rainy season, traverse the plateau region. Its western limits are delineated by a mountain range extending generally northwest and southeast along the eastern edge of the regions of Al Hijaz (Hejaz) and ‘Asìr. The highest point in Saudi Arabia, Jabal Sawda’ (3133 m/10,279ft), is located in the southwestern portion of the country.

          



Saudi Arabia is a monarchy. The government is based on the Sharia, the sacred law of Islam, which is interpreted according to the strict Hanbali rite by the learned religious elders, or ulama.

Abdullah ibn Abdul Aziz is the King of Saudi Arabia. He assumed the religious title "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques".

          



 Extreme heat and aridity are characteristics of most of Saudi Arabia. The average temperature range in January is 8 to 21°C (46 to 70°F) in Riyadh and 19 to 29°C (66 to 84°F) in Jiddah. The average range in July is 26 to 42°C (78 to 107°F) in Riyadh and 26 to 37°C (79 to 99°F) in Jiddah. The Arabian Peninsula is one of the few places in the world where summer temperatures above 48°C (120°F) are common, while in winter frost or snow can occur in the interior and the higher mountains.

          

Fertile oases, many of which are the sites of towns and villages, are scattered through the Saudi Arabian deserts north of Rub‘ al Khali, and larger tracts of pasturage are in Ad Dhana’ and the plateau region. The great Saudi Arabian oil fields are located in the coastal area adjoining the Persian Gulf. Because of the general aridity the vegetation is not extensive. Various fruit trees, notably the date palm, and a wide variety of grains and vegetables thrive in the oases and in other areas where water is available. The indigenous wildlife includes the antelope, bustard, fox, gazelle, hyena, ibex, ostrich, panther, pigeon, quail, wildcat, wild cow, and wolf.

          

According to the 1992 census, Saudi Arabia had a population of 16,929,294. The 1995 estimate is 17,608,000, yielding an average population density of about 8 persons per sq. km (about 20 per sq. mile).

 

          
 

 

  
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