LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Saudi Arabia: Countries
built 501 days ago
One of Saudi Arabia's most compelling folk rituals is the Ardha, the country's national dance. This sword dance is based on ancient Bedouin traditions: drummers beat out a rhythm and a poet chants verses while sword-carrying men dance shoulder to shoulder. Al-sihba folk music, from the Hijaz, has its origins in Arab Andalusia, a region of medieval Spain. In Mecca, Medina and Jeddah, dance and song incorporate the sound of the al-mizmar, an oboe-like woodwind instrument. The drum is ... an important instrument according to traditional and tribal customs.
Source:
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ([A]l-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya, المملكة العربية السعودية... Saudi Arabia or KSA) is a large country on the Arabian peninsula. Ruled by The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, the country is one of the few absolute monarchies left in the world. Shari'a (Islamic jurisprudence) is the official law of the Kingdom. The Kingdom was first declared on 8 January 1926 by Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud, and was brought together on 22 September 1932.
Source:
Saudi Arabia has serious internal problems, which threaten to destabilize the ruling royal family. Iran remains under unilateral US sanctions. US military intervention in the Gulf and its failure to effectively and fairly engage in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict conspire to provide a hostile backdrop to western interests in the Middle East. .... It is quite possible that the Persian Gulf countries will not raise production capacity high enough or quickly enough, either for political reasons, the slowness of internal decision-making, or the hostile security environment. The consequences of this for world oil supply are immense, with the likelihood of further military interventions and conflicts within the Middle East ….
Source:
Saudi Arabia has the lowest rate of rapes per capita and is ranked among the countries with lowest cases of rape. In addition, it is ... one of countries with lowest murder cases. In the muslim world, the perception is that strict enforcement of Islamic punishments is the reason for such a low crime rate. However, is there any other possible explanation since muslims often cite enforcement of capital punishments and prevalence of Islamic law as a governing constitution (which i believe has many negative effects and should be avoided) as a way to curb down crime?
Source:
In 1990-91, Saudi Arabia played an important role in the Gulf War, developing new allies and improving existing relationships between Saudi Arabia and some other countries. Saudi Arabia provided water, food, shelter, and fuel for coalition forces in the region. Saudi Arabia's combined costs in payments, foregone revenues, and donated supplies were $55 billion. More than $15 billion went toward reimbursing the United States alone. However, there ... were diplomatic and financial costs. Relations between Saudi Arabia and Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya deteriorated.
Source:
Saudi Arabia's first two development plans, covering the 1970s, emphasized infrastructure. The results were impressive--the total length of paved highways tripled, power generation increased by a multiple of 28, and the capacity of the seaports grew tenfold. For the third plan (1980-85), the emphasis changed. Spending on infrastructure declined, but it rose markedly on education, health, and social services. The share for diversifying and expanding productive sectors of the economy (primarily industry) did not rise as planned, but the two industrial cities of Jubail and Yanbu--built around the use of the country's oil and gas to produce steel, petrochemicals, fertilizer, and refined oil products--were largely completed.
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Countries