Saudi Arabia
Tour of the World Paper: Saudi Arabia This profile on Saudi Arabia is intended to provide important information on a number of relative subjects that will help you consider establishing a business or considering investing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the Arabian Peninsula and occupies about 2, 149,690 square kilometers. It is the 13th largest country compared to the world and is slightly more than one-fifth the size of the United States. It is bounded to the west by the Red Sea, to the north by Iraq, Jordon, and Kuwait, to the east by the Arabian Gulf, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Bahrain, and to the south by Omen and Yemen. Most of the country is desert, so its climate is harsh, dry and with great temperature extremes. Its capital is Riyadh and has 13th other provinces, which are presided over by governors. Based on the World Fact book, the Kingdom has a population of 26,534,504 people and that includes 5,576,076 expatriates. Saudi Arabia is a stable Monarchy. The head of state is King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, whose official title is the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. He was preceded to the throne after the death of King Fahad in 2005. The King, who is the Prime Minister and a council of Ministers form the executive and legislative branches of the government. They are responsible for the policies and guiding the development of Saudi. The council of Ministers is supported by the “Shura,” which is 150 distinguished men as the members that are appointed by the King. The Kingdom’s legal system and laws are based on “sharia” Islamic principles. The laws and regulations applicable to all businesses are propagated by the Royal Decrees (online. "Middle East: Saudi Arabia."). Saudi Arabia has grown to be amongst the wealthiest nations of the world since the discovery of oil. The kingdom has the largest oil reserves in the world outside