Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is a country in the Middle East that covers most of the Arabian Peninsula. It is the largest country in that region, about the size of Alaska and Texas put together. Its capital is Riyadh, and about 37 million people live there. The country is ruled by a king, which makes it a monarchy.

Most of Saudi Arabia is desert. The biggest desert is called the Rub' al Khali, or the Empty Quarter. It is the largest sand desert in the world. Its dunes can rise more than 800 feet tall, as tall as a 70-story building. Summer temperatures often pass 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Few people live in the Empty Quarter, and parts of it have never been mapped on foot.

Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam, one of the world's largest religions. The prophet Muhammad was born in the city of Mecca around the year 570. Today, Mecca is the most sacred city in Islam. Every year, about 2 million Muslims travel to Mecca for a religious journey called the Hajj. At the center of the Great Mosque is a cube-shaped building called the Kaaba. Muslims around the world face toward it when they pray, five times every day.

The country became very rich in the twentieth century because of oil. Huge amounts of oil were discovered under the desert in 1938. Saudi Arabia now holds some of the largest oil reserves on Earth. Selling oil turned a land of small farming towns and camel herders into a country with skyscrapers, highways, and modern airports. Oil money paid for much of the change.

Saudi Arabia does not have a constitution like most countries. Instead, its laws are based on the Quran, the holy book of Islam, and on old traditions. The king holds most of the power. For many years, women were not allowed to drive cars or travel without a male relative's permission. Those rules began to change around 2018. Women can now drive, attend sports games, and travel more freely, though many rules are still strict compared to other countries.

The Arabian Peninsula has been home to people for thousands of years. Traders once crossed it on camels carrying spices, cloth, and incense. Today, Saudi Arabia is trying to build a different future. The government is spending billions to open the country to tourists and to build new cities in the desert that run on solar power.