Saudi Arabia Travel Guide

From Wiki Globe

Saudi Arabia is an Arab country and the largest country of the Middle East. It occupies most of the Arabian Peninsula. The country where other faiths are not toleranted than Islam. Rub al-Khali desert are big occupy entire the south and southeast of the country. It borders the UAE to the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen to the south and Jordan and Iraq to the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain. Persian Gulf to the northeast and the Red Sea lies to the west. Is a kingdom of Saudi Arabia, it has an area of about 829,995 sq mi (2,149,690 sq km), Riyadh is the capital and largest city with population: 27.6 million. Here is the size of the ship, the largest sand sea on the planet, the Empty Quarter, oasis Al-Hasa, in addition to the Arabian Oryx also here, one of the most beautiful animals on the earth. Saudi Arabia also is beginning to encourage tourism.

[edit] Regions

Saudi Arabia is administratively divided into 13 provinces (mintaqah), but the traditional divisions of the country are more useful for making sense of it.

Asir Southwestern highlands with a temperate climate and strong Yemeni influence.

Eastern Province Covering the Gulf coast, the center of Saudi oil production

Hejaz On the Red Sea coast, site of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah and the home of trade and commerce.

Nejd The central highlands centered on Riyadh, the home of the Sauds and the most conservative part of the country.

North Rarely visited, home to the the Nabataean ruins of Madain Saleh.

[edit] Cities

• Riyadh - the capital and "dead center" of the Kingdom
• Abha - a summer tourist mountain resort city in the southwest near the Yemeni border
• Dhahran - the home of Saudi Aramco, the world's largest petroleum company
• Jeddah (Jiddah) - large metropolitan city on the Red Sea, and the gateway to Mecca and Medina
• Jubail - the largest industrial city in the kingdom
• Mecca (Makkah) - the holiest shrine of Islam
• Medina (Madinah) - site of the Prophet's Mosque
• Najran - Yemeni-influenced city with a remarkable fortress
• Taif - moderate size mountain town and the unofficial summer capital