Live cameras: Saudi Arabia



Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is a state in Asia, in the Middle East. It is largely located on the Arabian Peninsula. Saudi Arabia is about six times the size of Germany, but half the population. Almost the whole country consists of a desert.



Muhammad, the founder of Islam, lived in two cities of this country, in Mecca and Medina. Today, many Muslims, adherents of Islam, make a pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina. There they pray in huge mosques and walk around the Kaaba, an ancient sacred building.



Until 1918, the area around the two cities belonged to the Ottoman Empire. But for centuries, there has been a powerful Saud family among the tribes in the desert. One of them, Ibn Saud, founded the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932.



Saudi Arabia has almost 30 million inhabitants. But several million of them are foreigners, mostly from other Arab countries. They are important for getting the job done. Saudi Arabia is a rich country because of oil. Saudi Arabia produces the most oil in the world.



The country works a lot with Western countries, such as the USA or Germany. Women were not even allowed to drive for a long time. Homosexuals were persecuted. The symbol of faith in Islam is written on the flag in Arabic script: "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet"

Hotkeys: for next page press 'n', previous page press 'p'