In 1902 Abdul al-Aziz Ibn SAUD captured Riyadh and set out on a 30-year campaign to unify the Arabian peninsula. In the 1930s, the discovery of oil transformed the country. Following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, Saudi Arabia accepted the Kuwaiti royal family and 400,000 refugees while allowing Western and Arab troops to deploy on its soil for the liberation of Kuwait the following year. A burgeoning population, aquifer depletion, and an economy largely dependent on petroleum output and prices are all major governmental concerns.

InsideWorld provides country background information for many countries and regions. Information covers topics like economy, government, demographics, geography and more.

Go to InsideWorld’s Country Information:
 

For more information about current affairs, business, economy, politics and more, use InsideWorld's free daily e-mail news service.

If you would like to receive news, but do not have an InsideWorld account yet, click below to setup your free account now and start receiving news right away.