Saudi Arabia
By: Reagan Ray
Birth of Islam
Around the year 610, Muhammad, a native of the thriving commercial center of Makkah, received a message from God (in Arabic, Allah) through the Angel Gabriel. As more revelations bid him to proclaim the oneness of Allah globaly, the Prophet Muhammad’s following grew.
Within the next few years, several battles took place between the followers of the Prophet Muhammad. By 628, when Madinah was entirely in the hands of the Muslims, the Prophet had unified the tribes so successfully that he and his followers reentered Makkah without bloodshed.
Founder of Saudi Arabia
1912 - The Ikhwan (Brotherhood) is founded based on Wahhabism; it grows quickly and provides key support for Abd-al-Aziz.
First King of Saudi Arabia
Current Events
Ethnic Groups: Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%
Languages: Arabic (official)
Religions: Muslim (official; citizens are 85-90% Sunni and 10-15% Shia), other includes Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh (2012 est.)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 87.2%
male: 90.8%
female: 82.2% (2011 est.)
Health Statistics:
-life expectancy- m-74 f-78
-Total expenditure on health as % of GDP (2013)= 3.2
-Rate of births per women- 2.9
-% population with sustainable access to water source= 97
Sources
"Saudi Arabia." World Health Organization. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2016.
"Saudi Arabia." (n.d.): n. pag. Web.