| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 5,000 [1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Riyadh · Jeddah | |
| Languages | |
| English (Australian) · Arabic | |
| Religion | |
| Islam, Roman Catholicism and Protestantism |
Australians in Saudi Arabia are a sizeable community consisting mainly of expatriates. Their population is estimated to be anywhere up to 5,000 with the majority based in major commercial centres such as Riyadh and Jeddah. [1] Most Australian citizens in Saudi Arabia tend to be occupational-oriented and are employed mainly in the health, education, construction and technology sectors. [2] There are approximately 1,000 Australians who live in Jeddah alone, a city which serves as the country's main port and economic hub. [3] In addition, thousands of Australian Muslims travel and stay in Saudi Arabia each year, often intending to visit the two holiest cities of Islam, Mecca and Medina. [3] Many expatriates in Saudi Arabia are attracted to what they refer to as "the good life", including large salaries and tax-free jobs, consistent weather and a comfortable social life within their housing compounds. [4]
With both countries being heavily invested in one another this was further reinforced with the development of the King Abdullah Scholarship program which increased educational opportunities for Saudi Arabian students as well as extended the educational opportunities for Australians in Saudi Arabia.[ citation needed ]
To the east of Saudi Arabia along the Persian Gulf, are the country's abundant oil fields, that since the 1960s, have made Saudi Arabia synonymous with petroleum wealth. It is among this region that Australians have settled their expat communities, harnessing the need for individuals in the economic, technology and export sector and growing the population of Australians living in Saudi Arabia. [5]
Islamic law or the Sharia – is a fundamental religious concept of Islam which is seen as the expression of God's command for Muslims and in application, constitutes a system of duties that are incumbent upon all Muslims by virtue of their religious beliefs. The Sharia is the primary source of legislation but the actual promulgation of legislation and implementation of policy is often mitigated by more mundane factors, such as political expediency, the inner politics of the ruling family and the influence of intertribal politics, which remain strong in the kingdom.
In June 2017, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, cut off diplomatic ties and implemented a blockade of Qatar. Negotiations towards a resolution have not been successful and relations with Qatar remain strained. [6]
Legal status for women in Saudi Arabia is extremely different to the likes of Australian politics and law. In Saudi Arabia, the legal system requires all women to have a male guardian, this guardian has authority to make a number of decisions on behalf of women, similar to that of a minor. [7] Women were only granted the right to vote in the 2015 elections. [7] [8] This progressive landmark change in law created a monumental shift on the lives of Saudi Arabian women and the stigma behind being a woman in Saudi Arabia.
There was some hesitation to register to vote as there was still a lot of bureaucratic chores that accompanied the registration process with statistics from a 2020 article from news journal ‘Foreign Policy’ that women only makeup 6% of the 1.7 million people electorate. [9]
Most expats living in Saudi Arabia find themselves living in Western compounds, this housing is like living in a small self-contained holiday village that can have a range of amenities with anything from multiple pools to restaurants, markets and even shopping malls. Within the compounds the dress is Western, and some compounds ban any form of Saudi dressing. [10]
Generally accommodation on western compounds in Saudi Arabia is reasonable comfortable, quite spacious and can be rather lavish living quarters compared to off compound housing. Most westerners particularly Australian Expats chose to live within these compounds due to the freedom and security, [11] particularly having young children security is a large reason why compound living is so popular. Most expats have their accommodation costs paid directly by their employer who will also normally arrange housing, insurance, schools and even a healthcare plan. [10]
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has had an extremely lucrative economy, it is one of the largest economies in the middle east as its population of around 33.4 million holding nearly 20% of the worlds conventional oil reserves, Saudi Arabia is a lively economy that has until the recent pandemic been thriving. [6] [12]
Saudization (Arabic: السعودة), officially known as Saudi nationalisation scheme, or Nitgat (Arabic: النطاقات) is the newest policy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia implemented by its Ministry of Labor and Social Development, [13] whereby Saudi companies and enterprises are required to fill up their workforce with Saudi nationals up to a certain level yet still encourage a significant expat community. [13]
As Australia's second largest market in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is an important trading partner for Australia. Australia - Saudi Business ties have expanded with the Australian former Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile, former Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh and Australia Post CEO and then Chair of the Council for Australian-Arab Relations, Ahmed Fahour attending the March 2013 Joint Ministerial Commission meeting that saw the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Australia-Saudi Business Council and the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce establishing the Saudi Australia Joint Business Council. [14] There are over 5,000 Australian citizens employed in Saudi Arabia, mainly in health, education and other specialist areas. Saudi Arabia's needs are well suited to Australian capabilities. Saudi Arabia has a sound economy with a fast-growing and young population, a well-managed banking system, good infrastructure, and generally low import duties and barriers. Its business community is sophisticated and familiar with Western practices. Austrade is represented in both Riyadh and Jeddah. [6]
Saudi Arabia is the fourth largest state in the Arab world, with a reported population of 32,175,224 as of 2022. 41.6% of inhabitants are immigrants. Saudi Arabia has experienced a population explosion in the last 40 years, and continues to grow at a rate of 1.62% per year.
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia and the Middle East. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about 2150000 km2, making it the fifth-largest country in Asia and the largest in the Middle East. It is bordered by the Red Sea to the west; Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait to the north; the Persian Gulf, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to the east; Oman to the southeast; and Yemen to the south. Bahrain is an island country off its east coast. The Gulf of Aqaba in the northwest separates Saudi Arabia from Egypt and Israel. Saudi Arabia is the only country with a coastline along both the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, and most of its terrain consists of arid desert, lowland, steppe, and mountains. The capital and largest city is Riyadh; the kingdom also hosts Islam's two holiest cities of Mecca and Medina.
The cultural setting of Saudi Arabia is greatly influenced by the Arab and Islamic culture. The society is in general deeply religious, conservative, traditional, and family-oriented. Many attitudes and traditions are centuries-old, derived from Arab civilization and Islamic heritage. However, its culture has also been affected by rapid change, as the country was transformed from an impoverished nomadic society into a rich commodity producer in just a few years in the 1970s. This change has also been affected by and the result of a number of factors including the communications revolution and external scholarships. The most recent ruler or king of Saudi is King Salman of Saudi Arabia.
Terrorism in Saudi Arabia has mainly been attributed to Islamic extremists. Their targets included foreign civilians—Westerners affiliated with its oil-based economy—as well as Saudi Arabian civilians and security forces. Anti-Western attacks have occurred in Saudi Arabia dating back to 1995. Saudi Arabia itself has been accused of funding terrorism in other countries, including Syria.
The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice is a government religious authority in Saudi Arabia that is charged with implementing the Islamic doctrine of hisbah in the country. Established in 1940, the body gained extensive powers in the 1980s and continued to function as a semi-independent civilian law enforcement agency for almost 35 years until 2016, when societal reforms driven by then-deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman led to limiting some of its authority through a royal decree by King Salman bin Abdulaziz, including the rights of pursuing, questioning, detaining, and interrogating suspects.
Saudi Awwal Bank (SAB) is a Riyadh-based Saudi joint stock company in which global banking group HSBC owns a minority stake. The bank traces its origins to the British Bank of the Middle East which was acquired by HSBC in 1959. In response to restrictions on foreign ownership of banks in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arab British Bank (SABB) was created in 1978 to manage HSBC branches and assets in the country.
The Alawwal Bank, previously known as Saudi Hollandi Bank, was a Saudi Arabian bank based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was the first operating bank in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and was founded in 1926 as a branch of the Netherlands Trading Society.
Saudization, officially the Saudi nationalization scheme and also known as Nitaqat, is a policy that is implemented in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by the Ministry of Labor and Social Development, which requires companies and enterprises to fill their workforce with Saudi nationals up to certain levels.
Articles related to Saudi Arabia include:
Saudi Arabia is the second biggest tourist destination in the Middle East with over 16 million visiting in 2017. Although most tourism in Saudi Arabia still largely involves religious pilgrimages, there is growth in the leisure tourism sector. As the tourism sector has been largely boosted lately, the sector is expected to a significant industry for Saudi Arabia, reducing its dependence on oil revenues. This is proved as tourism sector is expected to generate $25 billion in 2019. Potential tourist areas include the Hijaz and Sarawat Mountains, Red Sea diving and a number of ancient ruins.
Crime in Saudi Arabia is low compared to industrialized nations. Criminal activity does not typically target foreigners and is mostly drug-related. Petty crime such as pickpocketing and bag snatching does occur, but is extremely uncommon. During the period of Hajj and Umrah in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, there have been growing incidents of pickpocketing, especially with women pickpockets becoming an increasing phenomenon. Although incidents of violence are generally considered to be rare, violence has occurred more frequently due to economic pressures on expatriate workers during the last few years. In 2013, the number of crime cases reported by the Ministry of Justice was 22,113, a 102% increase from 2012.
Turks in Saudi Arabia also referred to as Turkish Arabians, Turkish Saudi Arabians, Saudi Arabian Turks, Arabian Turks or Saudi Turks refers to ethnic Turkish people living in Saudi Arabia. The majority of Arabian Turks descend from Ottoman settlers who arrived in the region during the Ottoman rule of Arabia. Most Ottoman Turkish descendants in Saudi Arabia trace their roots to Anatolia; however, some ethnic Turks also came from the Balkans, Cyprus, the Levant, North Africa and other regions which had significant Turkish communities. In addition to Ottoman settlement policies, Turkish pilgrims to Mecca and Medina often settled down in the area permanently.
Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) in Saudi Arabia are the largest community of expatriates in the country, with most of them coming from the states of Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and most recently, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.
The legal system of Saudi Arabia is based on Sharia, Islamic law derived from the Quran and the Sunnah of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The sources of Sharia also include Islamic scholarly consensus developed after Muhammad's death. Its interpretation by judges in Saudi Arabia is influenced by the medieval texts of the literalist Hanbali school of Fiqh. Uniquely in the Muslim world, Sharia has been adopted by Saudi Arabia in an uncodified form. This, and the lack of judicial precedent, has resulted in considerable uncertainty in the scope and content of the country's laws. The government therefore announced its intention to codify Sharia in 2010, and, in 2018, a sourcebook of legal principles and precedents was published by the Saudi government. Sharia has also been supplemented by regulations issued by royal decree covering modern issues such as intellectual property and corporate law. Nevertheless, Sharia remains the primary source of law, especially in areas such as criminal, family, commercial and contract law, and the Qur'an and the Sunnah are declared to be the country's constitution. In the areas of land and energy law the extensive proprietorial rights of the Saudi state constitute a significant feature.
The national federation was created in 1956 and became a FIFA affiliate in 1956. However women's football is not included in the country's FIFA coordinated Goals! project. By 2011, inside the Saudi Arabia Football Federation, there has been an effort to create women's football programs at universities. Input had been sought on how to do this from other national federations including ones from the United States, Germany, Brazil and the United Kingdom.
Saudis or Saudi Arabians are the citizens and nationals of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They are mainly composed of Arabs and live in the five historical Regions: Najd, Hejaz, Asir, Tihamah and Al-Ahsa; the regions which the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded on or what was formerly known as the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd in the Arabian Peninsula. Saudis speak one of the dialects of Peninsular Arabic, including the Hejazi, Najdi, Gulf and Southern Arabic dialects, as a mother tongue.
Foreign workers in Saudi Arabia, estimated to number about 9 million as of April 2013, began migrating to the country soon after oil was discovered in the late 1930s. Initially, the main influx was composed of Arab and Western technical, professional and administrative personnel, but subsequently substantial numbers came from Southeast Asia.
The modern history of Saudi Arabia begins with the declaration of the unification of Saudi Arabia in a single kingdom in 1932. This period of time in Saudi Arabia's history includes the discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia and many events. It goes on to encompass Saudi Arabia's brief involvement in World War II in 1945. Afterwards, it includes Saudi Arabia's involvement in the Western Bloc and the Cold War. It also includes Saudi Arabia's proxy conflict with Iran, the Arab Spring, and the ongoing Arab Winter.
Saudi Vision 2030 is a government program launched by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which aims to achieve the goal of increased diversification economically, socially and culturally, in line with the vision of Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. It was first announced on 25 April 2016 by the Saudi government.
Saudi Arabia-South Africa relations are the bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and South Africa. Saudi Arabia has an embassy in Pretoria. South Africa has an embassy in Riyadh. Both countries are members of the Non-Aligned Movement and the G20 major economies.
Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.| Americas |  | |
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