when was the kingdom of saudi arabia established
Saudi Arabia The area of modern-day Saudi Arabia formerly consisted of four distinct regions: Hejaz, Najd and parts of Eastern Arabia (Al-Ahsa) and Southern Arabia ('Asir).[9] The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded in 1932 by Ibn Saud. He united the four regions into a single state through a series of conquests beginning in 1902 with the capture of Riyadh, the ancestral home of his family, the House of Saud. Saudi Arabia has since been an absolute monarchy, effectively a hereditary dictatorship governed along Islamic lines.[4][5] The ultraconservative Wahhabi religious movement within Sunni Islam has been called "the predominant feature of Saudi culture", with its global spread largely financed by the oil and gas trade.[4][5] Saudi Arabia is sometimes called "the Land of the Two Holy Mosques" in reference to Al-Masjid al-Haram (in Mecca) and Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (in Medina), the two holiest places in Islam. As of 2013, the state had a total population of 28.7 million, of which 20 million were Saudi nationals and 8 million were foreigners.[10] As of 2017, the population is 33 million.[6] The state's official language is Arabic.
Economy of Saudi Arabia The economy of Saudi Arabia is dependent on oil and has strong government control over major economic activities. The Saudi economy is the largest in the Arab world.[13] Saudi Arabia has the world's second-largest proven petroleum reserves and the country is the largest exporter of petroleum.[14][15] It has also the fifth-largest proven natural gas reserves. Saudi Arabia is considered an "energy superpower".[16][17] It has third highest total estimated value of natural resources, valued at US$34.4 trillion in 2016.[18]