what is the capital of saudi arabia?

With the world's secondlargest oil reservesand the world'ssixth largest natural gas reserves, the Kingdom is categorized as ahigh income economywith19th highest GDP in the world^[13][14]Beingthe world's largest oil exporteris the basis for its position as one of the20 most powerful countriesin the world, it also ranked as aregional powerand maintainsregional hegemonyin theArabian Peninsula. It is a member ofGulf Cooperation Council,Organisation of Islamic Cooperation,G-20 major economiesandOPEC.Its economy is largely backed by its oil industry, which accounts for more than 95% of exports and 70% of government revenue, although the share of the non-oil economy has been growing recently. This has facilitated the transformation of the underdeveloped desert kingdom into one of the world's wealthiest nations, such as the creation of awelfare state.

Saudi Arabia^[b](ⁱ/ˌsaʊdiəˈreɪbi.ə/orⁱ/ˌsɔːdiːəˈreɪbi.ə/), officially known as theKingdomof Saudi Arabia(KSA),^[c]is the largestArabstate inWestern Asiaby land area (approximately 2,150,000km²(830,000sqmi), constituting the bulk of theArabian Peninsula) and the second-largest in theArab world(afterAlgeria). It is bordered byJordanandIraqto the north,Kuwaitto the northeast,Qatar,Bahrainand theUnited Arab Emiratesto the east,Omanto the southeast, andYemenin the south. It is the only nation with both aRed Seacoast and aPersian Gulfcoast. Its population is estimated to consist of 16 million citizens and an additional nine million registered foreignexpatriatesand two millionillegal immigrants.^[11]

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded by Abdulaziz bin Saud (known for most of his career asIbn Saud) in 1932, although the conquests which eventually led to the creation of the Kingdom began in 1902 when he capturedRiyadh, the ancestral home of his family, theHouse of Saud, referred to in Arabic asAl Saud. The country has been anabsolute monarchysince its inception. It describes itself as beingIslamicand is highly influenced byWahhabism.^[12]Saudi Arabia is sometimes called "the Land of the Two Holy Mosques" in reference toAl-Masjid al-Haram(inMecca), andAl-Masjid an-Nabawi(inMedina), the two holiest places in Islam.

With the world's secondlargest oil reservesand the world'ssixth largest natural gas reserves, the Kingdom is categorized as ahigh income economywith19th highest GDP in the world^[13][14]Beingthe world's largest oil exporteris the basis for its position as one of the20 most powerful countriesin the world, it also ranked as aregional powerand maintainsregional hegemonyin theArabian Peninsula. It is a member ofGulf Cooperation Council,Organisation of Islamic Cooperation,G-20 major economiesandOPEC.^[15]Its economy is largely backed by its oil industry, which accounts for more than 95% of exports and 70% of government revenue, although the share of the non-oil economy has been growing recently. This has facilitated the transformation of the underdeveloped desert kingdom into one of the world's wealthiest nations, such as the creation of awelfare state.Apart from a small number of urban trading settlements, such asMeccaandMedina, located in theHejazin the west of theArabian Peninsula, most of what was to become Saudi Arabia was populated by nomadic tribal societies in the inhospitable desert.^[23]TheProphet of Islam,Muhammad, was born inMeccain about 571. In the early 7th century, Muhammad united thevarious tribes of the peninsulaand created a single Islamic religious polity. Following his death in 632, his followers rapidly expanded the territory under Muslim rule beyond Arabia,conquering huge swathes of territory(from theIberian Peninsulain west to modern dayPakistanin east) in a matter of decades. In so doing,Arabiasoon became a politically peripheral region of theMuslim worldas the focus shifted to themore developed conquered lands.^[24]From the 10th century to the early 20th century Mecca and Medina were under the control of a local Arab ruler known as theSharif of Mecca, but at most times the Sharif owed allegiance to the ruler of one of the major Islamic empires based inBaghdad,CairoorIstanbul. Most of the remainder of what became Saudi Arabia reverted to traditional tribal rule.^[25][26]

In the 16th century, theOttomansadded theRed SeaandPersian Gulfcoast (the Hejaz,AsirandAl-Hasa) to the Empire and claimedsuzeraintyover the interior. One reason was tothwart Portuguese attemptsto attack the Red Sea (hence the Hejaz) and theIndian Ocean.^[27]Ottoman degree of control over these lands varied over the next four centuries with the fluctuating strength or weakness of the Empire's central authority.^[28][29]The emergence of what was to become the Saudi royal family, known as the Al Saud, began inNejdin central Arabia in 1744, whenMuhammad bin Saud, founder of the dynasty, joined forces with the religious leaderMuhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab,^[30]founder of theWahhabimovement, a strict puritanical form of Sunni Islam.^[31]This alliance formed in the 18th century provided the ideological impetus to Saudi expansion and remains the basis of Saudi Arabian dynastic rule today.^[32]The first "Saudi state" established in 1744 in the area aroundRiyadh, rapidly expanded and briefly controlled most of the present-day territory of Saudi Arabia,^[33]but was destroyed by 1818 by the Ottoman viceroy ofEgypt,Mohammed Ali Pasha.^[34]A much smaller second "Saudi state", located mainly in Nejd, was established in 1824. Throughout the rest of the 19th century, the Al Saud contested control of the interior of what was to become Saudi Arabia with another Arabian ruling family, theAl Rashid. By 1891, the Al Rashid were victorious and the Al Saud were driven into exile in Kuwait.^[25]

At the beginning of the 20th century, theOttoman Empirecontinued to control or have a suzerainty over most of the peninsula. Subject to this suzerainty, Arabia was ruled by a patchwork of tribal rulers,^[35][36]with theSharif of Meccahaving pre-eminence and ruling the Hejaz.^[37]In 1902, Ibn Saud took control of Riyadh in Nejd and brought the Al Saud back to Nejd.^[25]Ibn Saud gained the support of theIkhwan, a tribal army inspired byWahhabismand led bySultan ibn BijadandFaisal Al-Dawish, and which had grown quickly after its foundation in 1912.^[38]With the aid of the Ikhwan, Ibn Saud capturedHasafrom the Ottomans in 1913.

In 1916, with the encouragement and support of Britain (which was fighting the Ottomans inWorld War I), the Sharif of Mecca,Hussein bin Ali, led apan-Arab revoltagainst the Ottoman Empire to create a united Arab state.^[39]Although the Arab Revolt of 1916 to 1918 failed in its objective,the Alliedvictory in World War I resulted in the end of Ottoman suzerainty and control in Arabia.^[40]

Ibn Saud avoided involvement in the Arab Revolt, and instead continued his struggle with the Al Rashid. Following the latter's final defeat, he took the title Sultan of Nejd in 1921. With the help of the Ikhwan, the Hejaz was conquered in 192425 and on 10 January 1926, Ibn Saud declared himself King of theHejaz.^[41]A year later, he added the title of King of Nejd.^[25]

After the conquest of the Hejaz, the Ikhwan leadership's objective switched to expansion of the Wahhabist realm into the British protectorates ofTransjordan, Iraq and Kuwait, and began raiding those territories. This met with Ibn Saud's opposition, as he recognized the danger of a direct conflict with the British. At the same time, the Ikhwan became disenchanted with Ibn Saud's domestic policies which appeared to favor modernization and the increase in the number of non-Muslim foreigners in the country. As a result, they turned against Ibn Saud and, after a two-year struggle, were defeated in 1930 at theBattle of Sabilla, where their leaders were massacred.^[42]In 1932 the two kingdoms of the Hejaz and Nejd were united as theKingdom of Saudi Arabia.^[25]The new kingdom was one of the poorest countries in the world, reliant on limited agriculture and pilgrimage revenues.^[43]However, in 1938, vast reserves ofoilwere discovered in theAl-Hasaregion along the coast of the Persian Gulf, and full-scale development of the oil fields began in 1941 under the US-controlledAramco (Arabian American Oil Company). Oil provided Saudi Arabia with economic prosperity and substantial political leverage internationally. Cultural life rapidly developed, primarily in the Hejaz, which was the center for newspapers and radio. However, the large influx offoreignersto work in the oil industry increased the pre-existing propensity forxenophobia. At the same time, the government became increasingly wasteful and extravagant. By the 1950s this had led to large governmental deficits and excessive foreign borrowing.^[25]

Saudi Arabia^[b](ⁱ/ˌsaʊdiəˈreɪbi.ə/orⁱ/ˌsɔːdiːəˈreɪbi.ə/), officially known as theKingdomof Saudi Arabia(KSA),^[c]is the largestArabstate inWestern Asiaby land area (approximately 2,150,000km²(830,000sqmi), constituting the bulk of theArabian Peninsula) and the second-largest in theArab world(afterAlgeria). It is bordered byJordanandIraqto the north,Kuwaitto the northeast,Qatar,Bahrainand theUnited Arab Emiratesto the east,Omanto the southeast, andYemenin the south. It is the only nation with both aRed Seacoast and aPersian Gulfcoast. Its population is estimated to consist of 16 million citizens and an additional nine million registered foreignexpatriatesand two millionillegal immigrants.^[11]

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded by Abdulaziz bin Saud (known for most of his career asIbn Saud) in 1932, although the conquests which eventually led to the creation of the Kingdom began in 1902 when he capturedRiyadh, the ancestral home of his family, theHouse of Saud, referred to in Arabic asAl Saud. The country has been anabsolute monarchysince its inception. It describes itself as beingIslamicand is highly influenced byWahhabism.^[12]Saudi Arabia is sometimes called "the Land of the Two Holy Mosques" in reference toAl-Masjid al-Haram(inMecca), andAl-Masjid an-Nabawi(inMedina), the two holiest places in Islam.

With the world's secondlargest oil reservesand the world'ssixth largest natural gas reserves, the Kingdom is categorized as ahigh income economywith19th highest GDP in the world^[13][14]Beingthe world's largest oil exporteris the basis for its position as one of the20 most powerful countriesin the world, it also ranked as aregional powerand maintainsregional hegemonyin theArabian Peninsula. It is a member ofGulf Cooperation Council,Organisation of Islamic Cooperation,G-20 major economiesandOPEC.^[15]Its economy is largely backed by its oil industry, which accounts for more than 95% of exports and 70% of government revenue, although the share of the non-oil economy has been growing recently. This has facilitated the transformation of the underdeveloped desert kingdom into one of the world's wealthiest nations, such as the creation of awelfare state.Apart from a small number of urban trading settlements, such asMeccaandMedina, located in theHejazin the west of theArabian Peninsula, most of what was to become Saudi Arabia was populated by nomadic tribal societies in the inhospitable desert.^[23]TheProphet of Islam,Muhammad, was born inMeccain about 571. In the early 7th century, Muhammad united thevarious tribes of the peninsulaand created a single Islamic religious polity. Following his death in 632, his followers rapidly expanded the territory under Muslim rule beyond Arabia,conquering huge swathes of territory(from theIberian Peninsulain west to modern dayPakistanin east) in a matter of decades. In so doing,Arabiasoon became a politically peripheral region of theMuslim worldas the focus shifted to themore developed conquered lands.^[24]From the 10th century to the early 20th century Mecca and Medina were under the control of a local Arab ruler known as theSharif of Mecca, but at most times the Sharif owed allegiance to the ruler of one of the major Islamic empires based inBaghdad,CairoorIstanbul. Most of the remainder of what became Saudi Arabia reverted to traditional tribal rule.^[25][26]

In the 16th century, theOttomansadded theRed SeaandPersian Gulfcoast (the Hejaz,AsirandAl-Hasa) to the Empire and claimedsuzeraintyover the interior. One reason was tothwart Portuguese attemptsto attack the Red Sea (hence the Hejaz) and theIndian Ocean.^[27]Ottoman degree of control over these lands varied over the next four centuries with the fluctuating strength or weakness of the Empire's central authority.^[28][29]The emergence of what was to become the Saudi royal family, known as the Al Saud, began inNejdin central Arabia in 1744, whenMuhammad bin Saud, founder of the dynasty, joined forces with the religious leaderMuhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab,^[30]founder of theWahhabimovement, a strict puritanical form of Sunni Islam.^[31]This alliance formed in the 18th century provided the ideological impetus to Saudi expansion and remains the basis of Saudi Arabian dynastic rule today.^[32]The first "Saudi state" established in 1744 in the area aroundRiyadh, rapidly expanded and briefly controlled most of the present-day territory of Saudi Arabia,^[33]but was destroyed by 1818 by the Ottoman viceroy ofEgypt,Mohammed Ali Pasha.^[34]A much smaller second "Saudi state", located mainly in Nejd, was established in 1824. Throughout the rest of the 19th century, the Al Saud contested control of the interior of what was to become Saudi Arabia with another Arabian ruling family, theAl Rashid. By 1891, the Al Rashid were victorious and the Al Saud were driven into exile in Kuwait.^[25]

At the beginning of the 20th century, theOttoman Empirecontinued to control or have a suzerainty over most of the peninsula. Subject to this suzerainty, Arabia was ruled by a patchwork of tribal rulers,^[35][36]with theSharif of Meccahaving pre-eminence and ruling the Hejaz.^[37]In 1902, Ibn Saud took control of Riyadh in Nejd and brought the Al Saud back to Nejd.^[25]Ibn Saud gained the support of theIkhwan, a tribal army inspired byWahhabismand led bySultan ibn BijadandFaisal Al-Dawish, and which had grown quickly after its foundation in 1912.^[38]With the aid of the Ikhwan, Ibn Saud capturedHasafrom the Ottomans in 1913.

In 1916, with the encouragement and support of Britain (which was fighting the Ottomans inWorld War I), the Sharif of Mecca,Hussein bin Ali, led apan-Arab revoltagainst the Ottoman Empire to create a united Arab state.^[39]Although the Arab Revolt of 1916 to 1918 failed in its objective,the Alliedvictory in World War I resulted in the end of Ottoman suzerainty and control in Arabia.^[40]

Ibn Saud avoided involvement in the Arab Revolt, and instead continued his struggle with the Al Rashid. Following the latter's final defeat, he took the title Sultan of Nejd in 1921. With the help of the Ikhwan, the Hejaz was conquered in 192425 and on 10 January 1926, Ibn Saud declared himself King of theHejaz.^[41]A year later, he added the title of King of Nejd.^[25]

After the conquest of the Hejaz, the Ikhwan leadership's objective switched to expansion of the Wahhabist realm into the British protectorates ofTransjordan, Iraq and Kuwait, and began raiding those territories. This met with Ibn Saud's opposition, as he recognized the danger of a direct conflict with the British. At the same time, the Ikhwan became disenchanted with Ibn Saud's domestic policies which appeared to favor modernization and the increase in the number of non-Muslim foreigners in the country. As a result, they turned against Ibn Saud and, after a two-year struggle, were defeated in 1930 at theBattle of Sabilla, where their leaders were massacred.^[42]In 1932 the two kingdoms of the Hejaz and Nejd were united as theKingdom of Saudi Arabia.^[25]The new kingdom was one of the poorest countries in the world, reliant on limited agriculture and pilgrimage revenues.^[43]However, in 1938, vast reserves ofoilwere discovered in theAl-Hasaregion along the coast of the Persian Gulf, and full-scale development of the oil fields began in 1941 under the US-controlledAramco (Arabian American Oil Company). Oil provided Saudi Arabia with economic prosperity and substantial political leverage internationally. Cultural life rapidly developed, primarily in the Hejaz, which was the center for newspapers and radio. However, the large influx offoreignersto work in the oil industry increased the pre-existing propensity forxenophobia. At the same time, the government became increasingly wasteful and extravagant. By the 1950s this had led to large governmental deficits and excessive foreign borrowing.^[25]

Saudi Arabia^[b](ⁱ/ˌsaʊdiəˈreɪbi.ə/orⁱ/ˌsɔːdiːəˈreɪbi.ə/), officially known as theKingdomof Saudi Arabia(KSA),^[c]is the largestArabstate inWestern Asiaby land area (approximately 2,150,000km²(830,000sqmi), constituting the bulk of theArabian Peninsula) and the second-largest in theArab world(afterAlgeria). It is bordered byJordanandIraqto the north,Kuwaitto the northeast,Qatar,Bahrainand theUnited Arab Emiratesto the east,Omanto the southeast, andYemenin the south. It is the only nation with both aRed Seacoast and aPersian Gulfcoast. Its population is estimated to consist of 16 million citizens and an additional nine million registered foreignexpatriatesand two millionillegal immigrants.^[11]

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded by Abdulaziz bin Saud (known for most of his career asIbn Saud) in 1932, although the conquests which eventually led to the creation of the Kingdom began in 1902 when he capturedRiyadh, the ancestral home of his family, theHouse of Saud, referred to in Arabic asAl Saud. The country has been anabsolute monarchysince its inception. It describes itself as beingIslamicand is highly influenced byWahhabism.^[12]Saudi Arabia is sometimes called "the Land of the Two Holy Mosques" in reference toAl-Masjid al-Haram(inMecca), andAl-Masjid an-Nabawi(inMedina), the two holiest places in Islam.

With the world's secondlargest oil reservesand the world'ssixth largest natural gas reserves, the Kingdom is categorized as ahigh income economywith19th highest GDP in the world^[13][14]Beingthe world's largest oil exporteris the basis for its position as one of the20 most powerful countriesin the world, it also ranked as aregional powerand maintainsregional hegemonyin theArabian Peninsula. It is a member ofGulf Cooperation Council,Organisation of Islamic Cooperation,G-20 major economiesandOPEC.^[15]Its economy is largely backed by its oil industry, which accounts for more than 95% of exports and 70% of government revenue, although the share of the non-oil economy has been growing recently. This has facilitated the transformation of the underdeveloped desert kingdom into one of the world's wealthiest nations, such as the creation of awelfare state.Apart from a small number of urban trading settlements, such asMeccaandMedina, located in theHejazin the west of theArabian Peninsula, most of what was to become Saudi Arabia was populated by nomadic tribal societies in the inhospitable desert.^[23]TheProphet of Islam,Muhammad, was born inMeccain about 571. In the early 7th century, Muhammad united thevarious tribes of the peninsulaand created a single Islamic religious polity. Following his death in 632, his followers rapidly expanded the territory under Muslim rule beyond Arabia,conquering huge swathes of territory(from theIberian Peninsulain west to modern dayPakistanin east) in a matter of decades. In so doing,Arabiasoon became a politically peripheral region of theMuslim worldas the focus shifted to themore developed conquered lands.^[24]From the 10th century to the early 20th century Mecca and Medina were under the control of a local Arab ruler known as theSharif of Mecca, but at most times the Sharif owed allegiance to the ruler of one of the major Islamic empires based inBaghdad,CairoorIstanbul. Most of the remainder of what became Saudi Arabia reverted to traditional tribal rule.^[25][26]

In the 16th century, theOttomansadded theRed SeaandPersian Gulfcoast (the Hejaz,AsirandAl-Hasa) to the Empire and claimedsuzeraintyover the interior. One reason was tothwart Portuguese attemptsto attack the Red Sea (hence the Hejaz) and theIndian Ocean.^[27]Ottoman degree of control over these lands varied over the next four centuries with the fluctuating strength or weakness of the Empire's central authority.^[28][29]The emergence of what was to become the Saudi royal family, known as the Al Saud, began inNejdin central Arabia in 1744, whenMuhammad bin Saud, founder of the dynasty, joined forces with the religious leaderMuhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab,^[30]founder of theWahhabimovement, a strict puritanical form of Sunni Islam.^[31]This alliance formed in the 18th century provided the ideological impetus to Saudi expansion and remains the basis of Saudi Arabian dynastic rule today.^[32]The first "Saudi state" established in 1744 in the area aroundRiyadh, rapidly expanded and briefly controlled most of the present-day territory of Saudi Arabia,^[33]but was destroyed by 1818 by the Ottoman viceroy ofEgypt,Mohammed Ali Pasha.^[34]A much smaller second "Saudi state", located mainly in Nejd, was established in 1824. Throughout the rest of the 19th century, the Al Saud contested control of the interior of what was to become Saudi Arabia with another Arabian ruling family, theAl Rashid. By 1891, the Al Rashid were victorious and the Al Saud were driven into exile in Kuwait.^[25]

At the beginning of the 20th century, theOttoman Empirecontinued to control or have a suzerainty over most of the peninsula. Subject to this suzerainty, Arabia was ruled by a patchwork of tribal rulers,^[35][36]with theSharif of Meccahaving pre-eminence and ruling the Hejaz.^[37]In 1902, Ibn Saud took control of Riyadh in Nejd and brought the Al Saud back to Nejd.^[25]Ibn Saud gained the support of theIkhwan, a tribal army inspired byWahhabismand led bySultan ibn BijadandFaisal Al-Dawish, and which had grown quickly after its foundation in 1912.^[38]With the aid of the Ikhwan, Ibn Saud capturedHasafrom the Ottomans in 1913.

In 1916, with the encouragement and support of Britain (which was fighting the Ottomans inWorld War I), the Sharif of Mecca,Hussein bin Ali, led apan-Arab revoltagainst the Ottoman Empire to create a united Arab state.^[39]Although the Arab Revolt of 1916 to 1918 failed in its objective,the Alliedvictory in World War I resulted in the end of Ottoman suzerainty and control in Arabia.^[40]

Ibn Saud avoided involvement in the Arab Revolt, and instead continued his struggle with the Al Rashid. Following the latter's final defeat, he took the title Sultan of Nejd in 1921. With the help of the Ikhwan, the Hejaz was conquered in 192425 and on 10 January 1926, Ibn Saud declared himself King of theHejaz.^[41]A year later, he added the title of King of Nejd.^[25]

After the conquest of the Hejaz, the Ikhwan leadership's objective switched to expansion of the Wahhabist realm into the British protectorates ofTransjordan, Iraq and Kuwait, and began raiding those territories. This met with Ibn Saud's opposition, as he recognized the danger of a direct conflict with the British. At the same time, the Ikhwan became disenchanted with Ibn Saud's domestic policies which appeared to favor modernization and the increase in the number of non-Muslim foreigners in the country. As a result, they turned against Ibn Saud and, after a two-year struggle, were defeated in 1930 at theBattle of Sabilla, where their leaders were massacred.^[42]In 1932 the two kingdoms of the Hejaz and Nejd were united as theKingdom of Saudi Arabia.^[25]The new kingdom was one of the poorest countries in the world, reliant on limited agriculture and pilgrimage revenues.^[43]However, in 1938, vast reserves ofoilwere discovered in theAl-Hasaregion along the coast of the Persian Gulf, and full-scale development of the oil fields began in 1941 under the US-controlledAramco (Arabian American Oil Company). Oil provided Saudi Arabia with economic prosperity and substantial political leverage internationally. Cultural life rapidly developed, primarily in the Hejaz, which was the center for newspapers and radio. However, the large influx offoreignersto work in the oil industry increased the pre-existing propensity forxenophobia. At the same time, the government became increasingly wasteful and extravagant. By the 1950s this had led to large governmental deficits and excessive foreign borrowing.^[25]