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Saudi Arabia

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Saudi Arabia is a huge country located in West Asia. It sits right in the center of the Middle East. Most of the land covers the Arabian Peninsula. It is the largest country in the Middle East region. It is also the fifth-largest country in all of Asia.

Flag of Saudi Arabia
Flag of Saudi Arabia

The land is mostly dry desert, lowlands, and mountains. It is very special because it has coasts on two different seas. One coast is along the Red Sea to the west. The other coast is along the Arabian Gulf to the east.

Flag of Bahrain
Flag of Bahrain

Many different groups of people have lived here for a long time. Some people lived in this area 125,000 years ago. Scientists found rock carvings of dogs that are 8,000 years old. These are the oldest pictures of dogs in the whole world.

Flag of Jordan
Flag of Jordan

In the early seventh century, the religion of Islam began here. The prophet Muhammad united the people of the peninsula. After he died in 632, his followers spread the religion to many other lands. They moved into North Africa and parts of Asia. Many famous Muslim states started in this very region.

The modern country of Saudi Arabia was founded in 1932. King Abdulaziz was the leader who brought different areas together. He united lands like Hejaz and Najd into one single state. This happened through many political and military campaigns. Since then, the country has been ruled by the House of Saud. This is called an absolute monarchy.

Flag of Kuwait
Flag of Kuwait

The country uses Arabic as its official language. Islam is also the official religion of the state.

Saudi Arabia is a very important part of the world economy. This changed after people found petroleum in 1938. Now, it is the second-largest oil producer on Earth. It also holds the world's second-largest oil reserves.

Flag of Qatar
Flag of Qatar

The country is very wealthy and has a high income. It offers free health care to all its people. It also provides free university tuition for students. Many people move here from other countries to work. In fact, about 40% of the people were born elsewhere.

There are many big cities where people live and work. Riyadh is the capital city and the largest one. Jeddah is another major city that people visit.

Flag of Egypt
Flag of Egypt

Two cities, Mecca and Medina, are very holy in Islam. The population is about 32.2 million people. Many of these people are very young. About half of the population is under 25 years old. This makes the country feel very lively and full of energy.

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