The modern state of Saudi Arabia was founded by Abd al-Aziz ibn Saud in the early 20th century.

The foundation of the state is based on an 18th-century alliance between the House of Saud (a political dynasty) and the teachings of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (a religious reformer).

This alliance established Wahhabism, a strict, puritanical form of Sunni Islam, as the dominant religious ideology of the state.

Through a series of military conquests from 1902 to 1932, Ibn Saud united the disparate tribes and regions of the Arabian Peninsula.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was officially proclaimed in 1932.

The discovery of vast oil reserves in 1938 would completely transform the country from an impoverished desert kingdom into one of the world's wealthiest nations.

A close strategic alliance was formed between Saudi Arabia and the United States, based on the principle of oil for security.

The country's political system is an absolute monarchy, with power concentrated in the hands of the Al Saud royal family.

Saudi Arabia's status in the Muslim world is immense, as it is the custodian of Islam's two holiest cities, Mecca and Medina.

In the 21st century, the kingdom has begun to implement significant economic and social reforms.