Countries // Saudi Arabia

Capital:

Riyadh

 

Population:

26,534,504 (July 2012est.)

 

National day:

23 September

 

Location:

Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen

 

Area:

2,149,690 sq km. Saudi Arabia is bordered by Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

 

Climate:

harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes

 

Terrain:

mostly uninhabited, sandy desert

 

Natural Resources:

petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper

 

Languages:

Arabic

 

Agricultural Products:

wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus; mutton, chickens, eggs, milk

 

Currency:

The official monetary unit is the Saudi Riyal.

 

Economic Overview:

Saudi Arabia has an oil-based economy with strong government controls over major economic activities. It possesses about one-fifth of the world's proven petroleum reserves, ranks as the largest exporter of petroleum, abd plays a leading role in OPEC. The petroleum sector accounts for roughly 80% of budget revenues, 45% of GDP, and 90% of export earnings. Saudi Arabia is encouraging the growth of the private sector in order to diversify its economy and to employ more Saudi nationals.

 

Background information:

Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and home to Islam's two holiest shrines in Mecca and Medina. The king's official title is the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.

 

Education:

Saudi Arabia's first monarch, King Ibn Saud, regarded education as a means to foster national unity and to enlighten the Saudi people. In 1925, public education did not exist. There were only four private elementary schools in the entire country. Therefore, a centralized educational policy was entrusted to the newly established Directorate of Education. Although compulsory education was mandated for a six-year elementary education followed by a five-year secondary cycle, enforcement was difficult without an adequate number of schools. Saudi Arabia's first educational system was modeled on Egypt's system, which, in turn, was heavily influenced by the French educational model.

“The objectives of the Saudi educational policy are to ensure that education becomes more efficient, to meet the religious, economic and social needs of the country and to eradicate illiteracy among Saudi adults. There are several government agencies involved with planning, administrating and implementing the overall governmental educational policy in Saudi Arabia.”

Basic education in Saudi Arabia consists of the following stages:

Kindergarten – 1 Year
Primary Stage: Six years
Intermediate Stage: Three years
Secondary Stage: Three years.

 

 

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