Saudi Arabia at a Glance

• Population: 26,4 million


• Capital city: Riad, approx. 4,1 million inhabitants


• Language: Arabian


• Religions: Islam


• Form of government: Monarchy

Economy

In 2003, Saudi Arabia had to concede its position as Germany's leading trading partner in the Arab region to the United Arab Emirates. While Germany's main exports to Saudi Arabia are traditionally medical equipment and finished products (e.g. motor vehicles), there is room for future expansion in environmental technology and plant engineering. The Saudi government has announced some major projects, including railway construction, large-scale facilities for desalination of sea water, power generation and gas extraction.

Culture and Science

German-Saudi cultural cooperation is not based on any treaties or institutional arrangements. The scope for conveying an modern picture of Germany through cultural activity is limited. German cultural institutions in Saudi Arabia are restricted to the German Academic Exchange Service post at King Saud University in Riyadh and two officially supported German schools in Riyadh and Jiddah.

The main medium for communicating an impression of modern Germany is the German language. The focus here is the course for German translators in Riyadh, which enrols about 150 students each year. The Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate-General in Jiddah also offer evening classes in German. Encouragingly, there is keener interest among young people in Saudi Arabia in studying in Germany. Joint projects in archaeology and sport aim at stepping up cooperation.

Links

www.riad.diplo.de (German Embassy in Saudi Arabia)
www.ahk-arabia.com (Delegation of German Foreign Trade and Industry)
www.dasan.de/ds_riyadh (German School in Riad )