Official Name: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Population: 27,602,000
Capital: Riyadh - Pop. 426,000
Area: 2,149,690 sq. km. / 1,335,755 sq. miles.
Language: Arabic
Religion: Muslim- Wahhabi
Status of Homosexuality: Highly illegal
Telephone Country Code: 966
Saudi Arabia is the world's leading petroleum exporter. Oil accounts for more than 90 percent of exports and nearly 75 percent of government revenues, facilitating the creation of a welfare state, which the government has found difficult to fund during periods of low oil prices. Saudi Arabia is often called one of two Energy superpowers (the other is Russia). LGBT rights in Saudi Arabia are not recognized. Homosexuality and cross-dressing are widely seen as immoral acts and are treated as serious crimes deserving of stoning, whipping, prison or execution. In recent decades there have been reports of an underground LGBT community. While the kingdom has faced criticism from human rights organizations, it insists that it is always acting in accordance with Sunni Islamic morality, particularly its Wahhabi influences. No same-sex marriage, domestic partnership or civil union has any legal standing in the nation and may be used as evidence to initiate criminal proceedings. Also see: Islam and Homosexuality
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