Saudi Arabia

Tallest Building in the World

• The country is constructing the tallest building in the world. Once completed, the Jeddah tower will be the world’s first 1 km (3281 ft) high building.
• The structure, formerly known as the Kingdom Tower, will be home to the world’s highest observatory. It will also have a separate, 98-foot-diameter outdoor balcony, which was originally intended to be a helipad.
• The protracted construction of the soon-to-be-tallest building in the world, has been delayed yet again during 2020, thanks to the COVID–19 pandemic. It’s now seven years and counting since construction began on this landmark project, and it is not clear when the building may finally top out.

Lots of Sand

• Saudi Arabia is mostly a desert. Ninety-five percent of the country is classified as a desert or semi-desert. The Rub Al-Khali, in the southern part of the country, is the largest sand desert in the world.
• Surprisingly, Saudi Arabia has to import camels and sand from Australia.
• The sand found in Saudi’s deserts is not suitable for activities like construction and glass making. Therefore the country has to buy sand.
• Camels are so popular that the country has the largest camel market in Riyadh (Which is also the capital city) where about 100 camels are sold every day.

Animals

• Because Saudi Arabia has such diverse habitats like mountains, deserts, hills, valleys, volcanoes, lakes, and islands. So too are the animals unique in the areas that they occupy.
• The camel is the national animal of Saudi Arabia. Called the “ship of the desert,” the camel has been used for transportation and as a working animal for centuries.
• The Arabian leopard, for example, has been considered critically endangered since 1996. In 2006, it was estimated that there were only around 200 of these leopards surviving in the wild.
• The Arabian oryx was hunted to extinction in the wild, but conservation efforts and breeding programs allowed it to be reintroduced in a fenced reserve.

Flag/Currency

• Saudi Arabia’s flag consists of a green background with a white Arabic inscription and a sabre. The inscription reads, “There is no god but God; Muhammad is the prophet of God.”
• The sabre is symbolic of the militancy of their faith and green is synonymous with Islam.
• The Saudi Riyal (SR) is the national currency of Saudi Arabia. 1 CAD = 2.9435 SAR.

Dust Devils

• Dust/dirt devils are called “djin or jinn” meaning “genie” or “devil” in Saudi Arabia. This is where the mythical genie came from and why genies are typically depicted without legs.
• In contrast to Western versions of jinn, in the Arab world they are not known for their "Aladdin"-like wish-granting — though they can be commanded to perform tasks.
• Jinn share many traits with angels, fairies, ghosts and other supernatural creatures. Many Muslims believe in the literal existence of jinn, just as many Christians believe in the literal existence of angels.