A' Physical geography

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III. SAUDI ARABIA

• A. Physical geography

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A. Physical geography

• Saudi Arabia occupies most of the
• Arabian Peninsula

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A. Physical geography

• Most of the country is desert plains stretching
• from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea

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A. Physical geography

• The Rub al-Khali, or Empty Quarter, lies in
• the southwest

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A. Physical geography

• The
• western
• mountains
• are the
• most
• prominent
• landform

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A. Physical geography

• The mountains run 1000 miles along the Red
• Sea and reach almost 10,000 feet high

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B. Population

• People live
• where there is
• either water or
• oil

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B. Population

• Saudi Arabian society is organized under
• Islamic law

Muslims bow together during prayer in a street
outside a mosque in Riyadh
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B. Population

• Mecca, Islams most important city, is
• where Muhammad lived and taught

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B. Population

• Muslims are required to make a pilgrimage
• to Mecca at least once in their lifetime

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B. Population

• Medina, the second most important city in
• Islam, is where Muhammad fled to escape
• persecution

The Prophet's Mosque Medina, Saudi Arabia
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Pilgrims in Mecca
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Muhammad and his companions advancing on Mecca.
The angels Gabriel, Michael, Israfil and Azrail,
are also in the painting
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Muhammad re-dedicating the Black Stone at the
Kaaba
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The Stone is actually broken into several pieces,
damage which occurred when it was stolen in 930.
Qarmatian warriors sacked Mecca and carried the
Black Stone away to their base in Bahrain. It was
returned twenty-two years later. In the process,
the Black Stone was cracked. It is now held
together by the silver band, which is fastened by
silver nails to the Stone.
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B. Population

• Riyadh, built around a large oasis, is the
• capital city of Saudi Arabia

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B. Population

• Other cities lie near the oil fields along the
• Persian Gulf

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C. Economic geography

• Saudi Arabias economy is based on petroleum

In 1933, a US company, Standard Oil of California
(later to be known as ARAMCO), offered 50,000
for the exclusive rights to extract and sell oil,
for 60 years. In 1938 1,400 barrels per day were
being produced, and in 1958 this had risen to
over 1,000,000 barrels. By the end of 2009, it
will reach 12 million barrels per day
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C. Economic geography

• Saudi oil fields
• contain1/4 of
• the worlds oil

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C. Economic geography

• The country has encouraged more industry
• and the modernization of agriculture

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C. Economic geography

• Foreign workers from Egypt, Africa, and
• South Asia perform much of the manual labor

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C. Economic geography

• Saudi Arabia produces more desalinized
• seawater than any country in the world

Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in water
desalination facilities, such as this one at
Jubail. The Shuaiba is now one of nearly 30
desalination plants in the country.
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C. Economic geography

• Pilgrims to the holy cities provide a large
• amount of money to the economy

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