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Saudi Arabia is an Asian state,, the largest of the Arabian Peninsula, occupying almost 80% of its territory. It is bordered by Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar, and to the west it is washed by the Red Sea. The climate is dry, and is characterized by extreme temperature changes. The capital is Riyadh and the official language is Arabic, although in the main cities many people speak English too.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded by Abdul-Aziz bin Saud (known for most of his career as Ibn Saud) in 1932, although the conquests which eventually led to the creation of the Kingdom began in 1902 when he captured Riyadh, the ancestral home of his family, the House of Saud, referred to in Arabic as Al Saud. The regime has been an absolute monarchy since its inception. It describes itself as being Islamic and is highly influenced by Wahhabism.

The king combines legislative, executive, and judicial functions and royal decrees to form the basis of the country's legislation. The king is also the prime minister, and presides over the Council of Ministers, which comprises the first and second deputy prime ministers and other ministers. The royal family is politically divided by factions based on clan loyalties, personal ambitions and ideological differences. The primary source of law is the Islamic Sharia derived from the teachings of the Qu'ran and the Sunnah.

Because the country's southern borders with the United Arab Emirates and Oman are not precisely defined or marked, the exact size of the country remains unknown. The CIA World Factbook's estimate is 2,250,000 km2 (868,730 sq mi) and lists Saudi Arabia as the world's 13th largest state

Saudi Arabia is divided into 13 provinces. The provinces are further divided into 118 governorates. This number includes the 13 provincial capitals, which have a different status as municipalities (amanah) headed by mayors (amin). The governorates are further sudivided into sub-governorates.