Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and home to Islam's two holiest shrines in Mecca and Medina. The modern Saudi state was founded in 1932 by Abd Al-Aziz bin Abd al-Rahman Al Saud (Ibn Saud) after a 30-year campaign to unify most of the Arabian Peninsula. Today, it is an absolute monarchy with Islamic (sharia) legal system with some elements of Egyptian, French, and customary law.

Saudi Arabia has 13 regions in terms of administrative regions.

Economically, Saudi Arabia remains a leading producer of oil and natural gas and holds about 16% of the world's proven oil reserves as of 2015. The government continues to pursue economic reform and diversification, particularly since Saudi Arabia's accession to the WTO in 2005, and promotes foreign investment in the Kingdom.

Source: CIA World Factbook - Saudi Arabia