Saudi Arabia

Sau·di A·ra·bi·a  (soud -rb-, sôd, sä-d) A country occupying most of the Arabian Peninsula. Inhabited since ancient times by nomadic Semitic tribes, the region was consolidated under Muhammed, who established a theocratic state at Medina and gained control of all Arabia by 630. After the caliphate was moved from Medina to Damascus in 661, the peninsula remained fragmented until most of it was united in the 18th century under the Saud family, who adopted the Wahhabi form of Islam. Crushed by Egyptian and Ottoman opposition in the 19th century, Saudi forces reconquered the peninsula in the early 20th century. The unified kingdom of Saudi Arabia was created in 1932 as an absolute monarchy under Wahhabi law. Oil was discovered in 1932 and soon became the mainstay of the economy. Riyadh is the capital and the largest city. Population: 24,200,000. Saudi, Saudi A·rabi·an adj. & n.

Saudi Arabia

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

Saudi Arabia - an absolute monarchy occupying most of the Arabian Peninsula in southwest Asia; vast oil reserves dominate the economy Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Arab League - an international organization of independent Arab states formed in 1945 to promote cultural and economic and military and political and social cooperation OPEC, Organization of Petroleum-Exporting Countries - an organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy for the production and sale of petroleum Mutawa, Mutawa'een - religious police in Saudi Arabia whose duty is to ensure strict adherence to established codes of conduct; offenders may be detained indefinitely; foreigners are not excluded Middle East, Mideast, Near East - the area around the eastern Mediterranean; from Turkey to northern Africa and eastward to Iran; the site of such ancient civilizations as Phoenicia and Babylon and Egypt and the birthplace of Judaism and Christianity and Islam; had continuous economic and political turmoil in the 20th century; "the Middle East is the cradle of Western civilization" Arabia, Arabian Peninsula - a peninsula between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf; strategically important for its oil resources Gulf States - the countries in southwestern Asia that border the Persian Gulf capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh - joint capital (with Mecca) of Saudi Arabia located in the central oasis; largest city in Saudi Arabia Mecca - joint capital (with Riyadh) of Saudi Arabia; located in western Saudi Arabia; as the birthplace of Muhammad it is the holiest city of Islam Al Madinah, Medina - a city in western Saudi Arabia; site of the tomb of Muhammad; the second most holy city of Islam Dhahran - an oil town in eastern Saudi Arabia on an inlet from the Persian Gulf; in June 1996 terrorists bombed an apartment complex in Dhahran killing 19 United States soldiers and wounding more than 300 people Jed'dah, Jeddah, Jidda, Jiddah - port city in western Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea; near Mecca Tabuk - a city in northwestern Saudi Arabia Taif - a city in western Saudi Arabia to the east of Mecca Najd, Nejd - a central plateau region of the Arabian Peninsula; formerly an independent sultanate until 1932 when it united with Hejaz to form the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Hedjaz, Hejaz, Hijaz - a coastal region of the western Arabian Peninsula bordering on the Red Sea; includes both Mecca and Medina; formerly an independent kingdom until it united with Nejd to form the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia An Nafud, An Nefud, Nafud, Nefud - a desert in northern Saudi Arabia that is noted for its red sand and violent winds Ar Rimsal, Dahna, Great Sandy Desert, Rub al-Khali - a desert in southern Saudi Arabia Syrian Desert - a desert of northern Arabia occupying western Iraq, southern Syria, eastern Jordan, and northern Saudi Arabia Saudi, Saudi Arabian - a native or inhabitant of Saudi Arabia

Translations

Saudi Arabia [ˈsaudɪ-] n → Arabia Saudí or Saudita

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Saudi Arabia n → Arabie f Saoudite

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Saudi Arabia [ˈsaudɪ-] n → Saudi-Arabien nt

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Saudi Arabia [ˈsaudɪ-] n → Arabia Saudita