Final Report On Asia Continent
Final Report On Asia Continent
Final Report On Asia Continent
ASIA CONTINENT
Acknowledgement
Any activity big or small is a result of collective effort of several individuals. From the very beginning of human civilization to this complex world, we are dependent on each other for accomplishment of our goals. The project report of such magnitude could not be accomplished without the assistance of several people who participated directly or indirectly. Exchange of ideas generates a new object to work in a better way. So whenever a person is helped and cooperated by others, his heart is bound to pay gratitude and obligation to them. Acknowledgement is not merely a formality but an expression of deep sense of gratitude and cumulative appreciation. I am thankful to the INDIRA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS STUDIES, PUNE authorities who have provided me the opportunity to seek higher education in the field of management studies. Words would be inadequate to thank my project supervisor and mentor PROF. ADITYA DESHPANDE whose cooperation, encouragement and continuous evaluation has made the project work possible. Last but not least I would like to thank my parents for their moral and financial support during my entire academic career without which I would not have been able to do anything. Umang Group
Contents
Asia ................................................................................................................................................. 7 Geographic Classification Of Asia ............................................................................................. 7 Boundary ................................................................................................................................. 9 Overall dimensions ................................................................................................................. 9 Time Zones Of Asia .................................................................................................................. 14 Climate ...................................................................................................................................... 18 Precipitation .......................................................................................................................... 19 Impact Of Climate Change In Asia ....................................................................................... 21 Landmarks Of Asia ................................................................................................................... 22 Indian Ocean ......................................................................................................................... 23 Arctic Ocean ......................................................................................................................... 25 Pacific Ocean ........................................................................................................................ 26 Bordering countries and territories ....................................................................................... 28 Population Of Asia.................................................................................................................... 30 Area Under Land And Water .................................................................................................... 38 Rivers ........................................................................................................................................ 38 Interesting Facts About Asia ..................................................................................................... 40 PART I COUNTRY 1 ................................................................................................................ 41 SAUDI ARABIA .......................................................................................................................... 41
............................................................. 41 Geography ................................................................................................................................. 42 Prominent Cities........................................................................................................................ 45 Saint Petersburg .................................................................................................................... 45 Time Zones Of Saudi Arabia .................................................................................................... 55 Saudi Arabia Time Zone - Saudi Arabia Current Time - Daylight Saving Time ......................... 55 Current Local Time ................................................................................................................... 55 Saudi Arabia Standard Time is UTC + 3 .................................................................................. 55 Saudi Arabia Local Time Details .............................................................................................. 55 Time Zone Abbreviations ......................................................................................................... 55 UTC - GMT Offset ................................................................................................................... 55 Interesting Facts About Saudi Arabia ....................................................................................... 56 Climate In Saudi Arabia............................................................................................................ 57 Rivers ........................................................................................................................................ 59 Red Sea.................................................................................................................................. 59 Syrian Desert ........................................................................................................................ 59 Mountains ................................................................................................................................. 60 Population Of Saudi Arabia ...................................................................................................... 61 UN estimates ......................................................................................................................... 62 Religion ..................................................................................................................................... 64 Interesting Facts About Saudi Arab .......................................................................................... 65 Saudi Arbia Economy ............................................................................................................... 67 Doing business ...................................................................................................................... 72 PART II- COUNTRY ................................................................................................................... 73 4
UNITED ARAB EMIRATE ......................................................................................................... 73 Geography ................................................................................................................................. 75 Time Zones Of United Arab Emirates ...................................................................................... 75 United Arab Emirates Time Zone - United Arab Emirates Current Time - Daylight Saving Time ....................................................................................................................................................... 75 Current Local Time ................................................................................................................... 75 United Arab Emirates Standard Time is UTC + 4 .................................................................... 75 United Arab Emirates Local Time Details................................................................................ 76 Time Zone Abbreviations ......................................................................................................... 76 UTC - GMT Offset ................................................................................................................... 76 Interesting Facts About United Arab Emirates ......................................................................... 76 Climate In UAE ........................................................................................................................ 77 Mountain ................................................................................................................................... 77 Population ................................................................................................................................. 78 Median age ................................................................................................................................ 78 Population growth rate 3.055% (2011 est.) .............................................................................. 78 Birth rate 15.76 births/1,000 population (2011 est.) ................................................................. 78 Death rate 2.04 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.) ......................................................... 79 Net migration rate 16.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.) ........................................... 79 Urbanization .............................................................................................................................. 79 Major cities - population ........................................................................................................... 79 Sex ratio .................................................................................................................................... 79 Infant mortality rate .................................................................................................................. 79 Life expectancy at birth ............................................................................................................ 79 Total fertility rate:-2.38 children born/woman (2011 est.) ....................................................... 79 HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:-0.2% (2001 est.) ............................................................... 79 HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:-NA ...................................................................... 80 HIV/AIDS deaths:-NA........................................................................................................... 80 Nationality................................................................................................................................. 80 Ethnic groups ............................................................................................................................ 80 Religions:-Muslim (Islam - official) 96% (Shia 16%), other (includes Christian, Hindu) 4% 80 Languages:-Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu ................................................... 80 Literacy ..................................................................................................................................... 80 5
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)............................................................. 80 Education expenditures:-1.2% of GDP (2009) ......................................................................... 80 Maternal mortality rate:-10 deaths/100,000 live births (2008) ................................................. 80 Health expenditures:-2.8% of GDP (2009) ............................................................................... 81 Physicians density:-1.93 physicians/1,000 population (2007) .................................................. 81 Hospital bed density:-1.9 beds/1,000 population (2008) .......................................................... 81 Obesity - adult prevalence rate:-33.7% (2000) ......................................................................... 81 Interetsing Facts About UAE .................................................................................................... 81 Economy of UAE ...................................................................................................................... 82 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................................... 83
List Of Figures
Figure 1:-Map of Asia's regions and countries ............................................................................... 8 Figure 2:-Time Zone of Asia ........................................................................................................ 15 6
Figure 3:-Map For Climate ........................................................................................................... 19 Figure 4:-Map For Precipitation ................................................................................................... 21 Figure 5:-Indian Ocean ................................................................................................................. 24 Figure 6:-Area Of Indian Ocean ................................................................................................... 25 Figure 7:-Arctic Ocean ................................................................................................................. 26 Figure 8:-Pacific Ocean ................................................................................................................ 27 Figure 9:-Flag Of Saudi Arabia .................................................................................................... 41 Figure 10:-Geography Of Asia ..................................................................................................... 43 Figure 11:-The Nejd landscape: desert and the Tuwaiq Escarpment near Riyadh ....................... 44 Figure 12:-Saint Petrsburg ............................................................................................................ 45 Figure 13:-The Bronze Horseman, monument to Peter the Great ................................................ 46 Figure 14:-Palace Square backed by the General Staff arch and building, as the main square of the Russian Empire it was the setting of many events of great historical significance ................ 47 Figure 15:-Statue of Lenin outside the Finland station. Between 1924 and 1991 the city was named Leningrad. ......................................................................................................................... 49 Figure 16:-A scene from the diorama Siege of Leningrad. The siege lasted 872 days and took the lives of over a million people .................................................................................................. 51 Figure 17:- Leningrad was officially awarded the title of 'Hero City' on May 8, 1965 ................ 51 Figure 18:- View from the Colonnade, St. Isaac's Cathedral, St. Petersburg ............................... 52 Figure 19:- Cultural events at Peterhof during the celebration of the 300th anniversary of Petersburg ..................................................................................................................................... 53 Figure 20:-Climate Graph ............................................................................................................. 58 Figure 21:-Major Cities................................................................................................................. 68 Figure 22:-Graph showing GDP .................................................................................................. 73 Figure 23:-Flag.............................................................................................................................. 74 Figure 24:-Map of United Arab Emirates ..................................................................................... 74 Figure 25:-Burj Khalifa................................................................................................................. 81
Asia
Geographic Classification Of Asia
Asia is too massive and diverse to conceptualize as a single digestible travel "destination". 7
Asia is bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the east, by Australia to the south east, and by the Indian Ocean to the south. It is bordered by the Red Sea to the south west, by Europe and Urals to the west, and by the Arctic Ocean to the north. Asia's and the world's highest point is Mount Everest, along the border of Tibet (China) and Nepal, which rises to 8,848 m (29,028 feet) above sea level. Its lowest point is the Dead Sea, located at the meeting points of Israel, the Palestinian Territories, and Jordan, whose surface is 400 m (1,312 feet) below sea level. Asia's longest river is the Yangtze, which runs 6,300 km (3,915 miles) through China, from all the way from the high Tibetan Plateau to Shanghai. Its largest lake is the 386,400 sq km (149,200 square mile) Caspian Sea, which is surrounded by several Central Asian nations.
East Asia (China (including Hong Kong & Macau), Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan) Middle East (Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestinian 8
Territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen) Russia and the Caucasus (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Russia)
Russia comprises much of Asia, a huge country of vast, empty expanses, while the Caucasus is a dense, warm, friendly, but extremely dangerous travel region. South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka) Southeast Asia (Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam)
Boundary The land mass of Asia is not the sum of the land masses of each of its regions, which have been defined independently of the whole. For example, the borders of Central Asia and the Middle East depend on who is defining them and for what purpose. These varying definitions are not generally reflected in the map of Asia as a whole; for example, Egypt is typically included in the Middle East, but not in Asia, even though the Middle East is a division of Asia. Overall dimensions Different sources give different estimates of the area enclosed by the imaginary border of Asia. The New York Times Atlas of the World gives 43,608,000 km2 (16,837,000 sq mi). Chambers World Gazetteer rounds off to 44,000,000 km2 (17,000,000 sq mi), while the Concise Columbia Encyclopedia gives 44,390,000 km2 (17,140,000 sq mi). The 2011 Pearson's has 44,030,000 km2 (17,000,000 sq mi). The methods of obtaining these figures and exactly what areas they include have not been divulged. The map surface of mainland Asia is entirely contained within a Geodetic quadrangle formed from segments of latitude going through its north and south extremes and segments of longitude passing through the east and west extremes. Cape Chelyuskin is at 77 43 N; Cape Piai in the Malay Peninsula is at 1 16 N; Cape Baba in Turkey is at 26 4 E; Cape Dezhnyov is at 169 40 W; that is, mainland Asia ranges through about 77 of latitude and 195 of longitude, distances of about 8,560 km (5,320 mi) long by 9,600 km (6,000 mi) wide according to Chambers, or 8,700 km (5,400 mi) long by 9,700 km (6,000 mi) wide according to Pearson's.
Central Asia The Central Asian republics of UN Regional Code 143: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan Afghanistan, Mongolia and the western regions of China in addition East Asia The republics or quasi-autonomous areas of UN Regional Code 030: China, Hong Kong, Macao, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Mongolia Any other areas associated with the Far East, such as Taiwan Southeast Asia has been included in East Asia on some occasions. North Asia The Asian part of the Russian Federation (Siberia). Although the Statistical Division informally recognizes the existence of this region, according to its one-nation, one-area rule, all of Russia is classified as belonging to Europe. The opposite view, that all of Russia is Asian (bringing Asia west to the limits of Scandinavia) is but rarely seen, as European Russia is the most densely populated. Northern Asia as a region of history includes approximately the same territory, with differences in the southern border varying according to historical circumstance. The Ural River and the Ural Mountains (east side) have been the traditional border. Transcaucasia was in the Russian Empire and was considered historically Asian. As the Urals border is internal to Russia and before its fall to the Soviet Union, and therefore is an internal affair, no national or international agencies presume to make any official definitions of a "North Asia." Southeast Asia Southeast Asia comprises the countries of UN Regional Code 035, which may be further grouped: Mainland Southeast Asia which includes the countries Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Malaysia. Maritime Southeast Asia which includes Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, and Timor-Leste.
West Asia or Southwest Asia The countries of UN Regional Code 145, Western Asia: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Georgia, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen 10
The Middle East, Levant or Near East as they are called by Europeans and Americans, which are approximately synonymous terms. They are variously defined by different agencies for different purposes, as is West Asia when Code 145 is not meant. Some agencies include some countries in North Africa. West Asia can include Anatolia (i.e. Asia Minor), constituting the Asian part of Turkey, the island nation of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea, the Asian portion of Egypt, and part of the Caucasus region (which straddles both Asia and Europe), namely Transcaucasia. South Asia The countries of UN Regional Code 034: Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Iran. Geographically the term is as variable as any other. A common addition is Myanmar (Burma). Iran more typically goes with the Middle East. A common approximate synonym for South Asia is the Indian subcontinent, Table Presenting the Flag, Population ,Capital and other details Cod e 143 398 Name of region and Area territory, with flag Central Asia Kazakhstan] 2,724,9 27 199,95 1 143,10 0 488,10 0 447,40 0 16,536,000 6.1 Jan 2011 Astana (km) Pop. Population density (/km) Date Capital
417
Kyrgyzstan
5,587,443
27.9
Jul 2011
Bishkek
762
Tajikistan
7,627,200
53.3
Jul 2011
Dushanbe
795
Turkmenistan
4,997,503
10.2
Jul 2011
Ashgabat
28,128,600
62.9
Jul 2011
Tashkent
0 410 446 496 158 N/A 643 035 096 South Korea Macau Mongolia Taiwan Northern Asia Russia Southeastern Asia Brunei 5,770 676,57 8 181,03 5 1,919,4 40 236,80 0 329,84 7 300,00 0 704 514,00 0 15,007 331,69 0 381,371 66.1 Bandar Seri Begawan Naypyidaw 17,075, 400 142,200,000 26.8 Moscow 98,480 25 1,565,0 00 35,980 49,232,844 460,823 2,996,082 22,920,946 490.7 18,473.3 1.7 626.7 Seoul Ulaan Baatar Taipei
104
Myanmar
47,758,224
70.3
116
Cambodia
13,388,910
74
Phnom Penh
360
Indonesia
230,512,000
120.1
Jakarta
418
Laos
6,677,534
28.2
458
Malaysia
27,780,000
84.2
647,50
32,738,775
42.9
Kabul 12
0 050 064 356 462 524 Bangladesh Bhutan India Maldives Nepal 147,57 0 38,394 3,287,2 63 300 147,18 1 803,94 0 153,546,901 682,321 1,147,995,2 26 379,174 29,519,114 1040.5 17.8 349.2 1,263.3 200.5 Dhaka Thimphu New Delhi Mal Kathmandu
586
Pakistan
167,762,049
208.7
Islamabad Sri
144
Sri Lanka
65,610
21,128,773
322.0
Jayawardena pura-Kotte
Western Asia Armenia Azerbaijan Bahrain Cyprus Georgia Iran 29,800 86,660 665 9,250 69,700 1,648,1 95 437,07 2 20,770 92,300 17,820 10,452 212,46 0 6,257 3,299,000 8,845,127 718,306 792,604 4,636,400 70,472,846 280.7 102.736 987.1 83.9 65.1 42.8 Yerevan Baku Manama Nicosia Tbilisi Tehran
275
4,277,000
683.5
Ramallah
13
634 682
928,635 23,513,330
69.4 12.0
Doha Riyadh
19,747,586
92.6
Damascus Ankara
4,621,399
29.5
Abu Dhabi
887
23,013,376 4,162,966,0 86
35.4
Sana
142
Asia
89.07
14
Abbreviation AFT ALMT AMST AMT ANAST ANAT AQTT AST AZST AZT BNT BST BTT CST EEST EET GET GST
Country name Afghanistan Time Alma-Ata Time Armenia Summer Time Armenia Time Anadyr Summer Time Anadyr Time Aqtobe Time Arabia Standard Time Azerbaijan Summer Time Azerbaijan Time Brunei Darussalam Time Bangladesh Standard Time Bhutan Time China Standard Time Eastern European Summer Time Eastern European Time Georgia Standard Time Gulf Standard Time
Time zone UTC + 4:30 hours UTC + 6 hours UTC + 5 hours UTC + 4 hours UTC + 12 hours UTC + 12 hours UTC + 5 hours UTC + 3 hours UTC + 5 hours UTC + 4 hours UTC + 8 hours UTC + 6 hours UTC + 6 hours UTC + 8 hours UTC + 3 hours UTC + 2 hours UTC + 4 hours UTC + 4 hours
15
HKT HOVT ICT IDT IRDT IRKST IRKT IRST IST IST JST KGT KRAST KRAT KST MAGST MAGT MMT MVT MYT
Hong Kong Time Hovd Time Indochina Time Israel Daylight Time Iran Daylight Time Irkutsk Summer Time Irkutsk Time Iran Standard Time India Standard Time Israel Standard Time Japan Standard Time Kyrgyzstan Time Krasnoyarsk Summer Time Krasnoyarsk Time Korea Standard Time Magadan Summer Time Magadan Time Myanmar Time Maldives Time Malaysia Time
UTC + 8 hours UTC + 7 hours UTC + 7 hours UTC + 3 hours UTC + 4:30 hours UTC + 9 hours UTC + 9 hours UTC + 3:30 hours UTC + 5:30 hours UTC + 2 hours UTC + 9 hours UTC + 6 hours UTC + 8 hours UTC + 8 hours UTC + 9 hours UTC + 12 hours UTC + 12 hours UTC + 6:30 hours UTC + 5 hours UTC + 8 hours 16
NOVST NOVT NPT OMSST OMST PETST PETT PHT PKT SGT TJT TLT TMT ULAT UZT VLAST VLAT WIB WIT WITA
Novosibirsk Summer Time Novosibirsk Time Nepal Time Omsk Summer Time Omsk Standard Time Kamchatka Summer Time Kamchatka Time Philippine Time Pakistan Standard Time Singapore Time Tajikistan Time East Timor Time Turkmenistan Time Ulaanbaatar Time Uzbekistan Time Vladivostok Summer Time Vladivostok Time Western Indonesian Time Eastern Indonesian Time Central Indonesian Time
UTC + 7 hours UTC + 6 hours UTC + 5:45 hours UTC + 7 hours UTC + 7 hours UTC + 12 hours UTC + 12 hours UTC + 8 hours UTC + 5 hours UTC + 8 hours UTC + 5 hours UTC + 9 hours UTC + 5 hours UTC + 8 hours UTC + 5 hours UTC + 11 hours UTC + 11 hours UTC + 7 hours UTC + 9 hours UTC + 8 hours 17
Yakutsk Summer Time Yakutsk Time Yekaterinburg Summer Time Yekaterinburg Time
Climate
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The Climate of Asia is moist across southeast sections, and dry across much of the interior. Some of the largest daily temperature ranges on Earth occur in western sections of Asia. The monsoon circulation dominates across southern and eastern sections, due to the presence of the Himalayas forcing the formation of a thermal low which draws in moisture during the summer. Southwestern sections of the continent are hot. Siberia is one of the coldest places in the Northern Hemisphere, and can act as a source of arctic air masses for North America. The most active place on Earth for tropical cyclone activity lies northeast of the Philippines and south of Japan, and the phase of the El Nio-Southern Oscillation modulates where in Asia landfall is more likely to occur.
Precipitation
A large annual rainfall minimum, composed primarily of deserts, stretches from the Gobi Desert in Mongolia west-southwest through Pakistan and Iran into the Arabian Desert in Saudi Arabia. Rainfall around the continent is favored across its southern portion from India east and northeast across the Philippines and southern China into Japan due to the monsoon advecting moisture 19
primarily from the Indian Ocean into the region. The monsoon trough can reach as far north as the 40th parallel in East Asia during August before moving southward thereafter. Its poleward progression is accelerated by the onset of the summer monsoon which is characterized by the development of lower air pressure (a thermal low) over the warmest part of Asia. Cherrapunji, situated on the southern slopes of the Eastern Himalaya in Shillong, India is one of the wettest places on Earth, with an average annual rainfall of 11,430 mm (450 in). The highest recorded rainfall in a single year was 22,987 mm (904.9 in) in 1861. The 38-year average at Mawsynram, Meghalaya, India is 11,873 mm (467.4 in). Lower rainfall maxima are found around Turkey and central Russia. In March 2008, La Nia caused a drop in sea surface temperatures around Southeast Asia by an amount of 2 C. It also caused heavy rains over Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia. The climate of Asia varies according to location and physical geography. There are eight different climate types: Deciduous forest - Four distinct seasons with warm summers and cold, wet winters. The trees shed their leaves in autumn. Coniferous forest - Also known as Taiga, cold and dry with snowy winters and warmer summers. Alpine/mountain - Cold, windy and snowy. It is winter from October to May with temperatures below freezing, while summer is from June to September where the temperature can reach 15C. Rainforest - High temperatures and high rainfall throughout the year. Desert - Warm to high temperatures with very little rainfall. Tundra - This area is characterised by a layer of permafrost (soil that has remained below freezing for at least two years. Winters are very cold, summers are warm and there is little rainfall. Grassland - Hot summers and cold winters with above average rainfall. Savanna - Very high temperatures all year and rain during the summer season only.
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Asia is the most populous continent in the world. In Asia, past and present climate trends and variability have been characterized by an increasing temperature, which is more pronounced during winters. Agriculture: The crop yield in most countries of Asia is declining, which is due to rising temperatures and increased frequency of extreme weather events. A reduction in agricultural produce and reduced availability of arable land is anticipated by the experts. This will result in shortage of food and food insecurity, particularly in developing countries. Low adaptive capacity of farmers and their huge dependence on agriculture for subsistence will further increase their vulnerability. Marginal
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crops such as sorghum and millet could be at the greatest risk - of both a drop in productivity as well as a loss of crop genetic diversity. Water: There has been an increased retreat of glaciers and permafrost in recent years due to unprecedented rise in temperatures. Accelerated glacier melt would result in increased flows in some river systems for the next two to three decades, resulting in increased flooding, rock avalanches from destabilized slopes, and disruption of water resources. This would be followed by a decrease in flows, as the glaciers recede. Coastal areas: Human health, already compromised by a range of factors, could be further hit by the negative impacts of climate change and Sea level rise is likely to result in loss of several coastal ecosystems and millions of people living along the coast of Asia and South-East Asia may be at a high risk of flooding and associated damage. Human health: The frequency of occurrence of climate-induced diseases and heat stress in Central, East, South, and South-East Asia has increased with rise in temperatures and change in rainfall variability. Increases in endemic morbidity and mortality due to diarrhoeal disease, primarily associated with floods and droughts, are expected in East, South, and South East Asia, due to projected changes in the hydrological cycle associated with global warming. Increases in coastal water temperature would exacerbate the abundance and/or toxicity of cholera in South Asia. Natural habitats of vector-borne and water-borne diseases like malaria and dengue are reported to be expanding. Ecosystems: Climate change is expected to increase threats to biodiversity, resulting from land-use/cover change and population pressure in most parts of Asia. Increased risk of extinction for many flora and fauna species in Asia is projected, as a result ofthe synergistic effects of climate change and habitat fragmentation.
Landmarks Of Asia
Asia is the largest continent on the earth. Quite understandably, it consists of more specimens representing history, art, culture, literature of human civilizations at different points of time than any other continent. The landmarks of Asia stand gloriously depicting the story of Asia's rich 22
natural, historical and cultural heritage. The natural landmarks of Asia include Mount Fuji, Mount Everest, Gobi Desert, Ayers Rock, Tubbataha Reef, Beppu Onsen, Stone Forest, Taroko Gorge, Reed Flute Cave, anmong the man made landmarks of Asia are Great Wall of China, Taj Mahal, The Leshan Giant Buddha, Fatehpur Sikri, Tokyo Tower, The Golden Gateway of Bhaktapur, Great Seto Bridge, Tian Tan Buddha, Petronas Twin Towers, Patuxai Monument, The Lying Buddha, and Maha Muni Buddha. Other great structures include Potala Palace in Lhasa in Tibet and the Angkor Vat in Cambodia. These famous landmarks of Asia draw thousands of tourists to this continent from around the world. Situated in different countries of the continent, these landmarks are treasure houses of different cultural influences and topographical formations. The world's highest mountain peak, Mount Everest standing tall at 8,848 meters from the sea level is the highest point of the earth. It is colloquially known as the Chomolungma by the Sherpas and belongs to the Himalayan range of mountains. The mountain range is known to protect India from foreign invasions. One of the driest places on this earth, the Gobi desert is another landmark of Asia. This desert constitutes of 5 sections namely, Tian Shan Range, Gobi Lakes Valley Desert Steppe, Eastern Gobi Desert Steppe, Junggar Basin Semi-Desert and Alashan Plateau Semi-Desert. Mount Fujiyama also finds a place among the landmarks of Asia. Japan's highest volcano is also one of the most repeated symbols depicted in Japanese art. India's biggest asset the Taj Mahal is among the top Asia's landmarks attracting thousands of visitors and so is the Great Wall of China, the longest man made structure and one of the masterpieces of Asia considered to be one of the eighth wonders of the world. The Chinese people are very proud of this architectural accomplishment, but there was definitely a lot of blood being loss during the years this wall was being built. .d Huangshan Mountains. Stability of wetlands, mangroves and coral reefs around Asia is likely to be increasingly threatened. Recent risk analysis of coral reef suggests that between 24% and 30% of the reefs in Asia are likely to be lost during the next 10 years and 30 years, respectively. Indian Ocean
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The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceans divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asiaincluding India, after which the ocean is namedon the north, on the west by Africa, on the east by Australia, and on the south by the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, by Antarctica.) As one component of the World Ocean, the Indian Ocean is delineated from the Atlantic Ocean by the 20 east meridian running south from Cape Agulhas, and from the Pacific Ocean by the meridian of 14655' east.[7] The northernmost extent of the Indian Ocean is approximately 30 north in the Persian Gulf. This ocean is nearly 10,000 km (6,200 mi) wide at the southern tips of Africa and Australia, and its area is 73,556,000 km (28,350,000 mi)], including the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. The ocean's volume is estimated to be 292,131,000 km (70,086,000 mi). Small islands dot the continental rims. Island nationswithin the ocean are Madagascar (the world's fourth largest island), Comoros, Seychelles, Maldives, Mauritius, and Sri Lanka. The archipelago of Indonesia borders the ocean on the east.
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The African, Indian, and Antarctic crustal plates converge in the Indian Ocean at the Rodrigues Triple Point. Their junctures are marked by branches of the mid-oceanic ridge forming an inverted Y, with the stem running south from the edge of the continental shelf near Mumbai, India. The eastern, western, and southern basins thus formed are subdivided into smaller basins by ridges. The ocean's continental shelves are narrow, averaging 200 kilometres (125 mi) in width. An exception is found off Australia's western coast, where the shelf width exceeds 1,000 kilometres (600 mi). The average depth of the ocean is 3,890 m (12,762 ft). Its deepest point is Diamantina Deep inDiamantina Trench, at 8,047 m (26,401 ft) deep; also sometimes considered is Sunda Trench, at a depth of 7,2587,725 m (23,81225,344 ft). North of 50 south latitude, 86% of the main basin is covered by pelagic sediments, of which more than half is globigerina ooze. The remaining 14% is layered with terrigenous sediments. Glacial outwash dominates the extreme southern latitudes. The major choke points include Bab el Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, the Lombok Strait, the Strait of Malacca and the Palk Strait. Seas include the Gulf of Aden, Andaman Sea, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Great Australian Bight, Laccadive Sea, Gulf of Mannar, Mozambique Channel, Gulf of Oman, Persian Gulf, Red Sea and other tributary water bodies. The Indian Ocean is artificially connected to the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal, accessible via the Red Sea.
Arctic Ocean 25
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions. The
International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, although some oceanographers call it the Arctic Mediterranean Sea or simply the Arctic Sea, classifying it a mediterranean sea or an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. Alternatively, the Arctic Ocean can be seen as the northernmost part of the all-encompassing World Ocean. Almost completely surrounded by Eurasia and North America, the Arctic Ocean is partly covered by sea ice throughout the year (and almost completely in winter). The Arctic Ocean's temperature and salinity vary seasonally as the ice cover melts and freezes; its salinity is the lowest on average of the five major oceans, due to low evaporation, heavy freshwater inflow from rivers and streams, and limited connection and outflow to surrounding oceanic waters with higher salinities. The summer shrinking of the ice has been quoted at 50%.[1] The US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) uses satellite data to provide a daily record of Arctic sea ice cover and the rate of melting compared to an average period and specific past years.
Pacific Ocean
26
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east. At 165.25 million square kilometres (63.8 million square miles) in area, this largest division of the World Ocean and, in turn, the hydrosphere covers about 46% of the Earth's water surface and about one-third of its total surface area, making it larger than all of the Earth's land area combined. The equator subdivides it into the North Pacific Ocean and South Pacific Ocean, with two exceptions: the Galpagos and Gilbert Islands, while straddling the equator, are deemed wholly within the South Pacific.[2] The Mariana Trench in the western North Pacific is the deepest point in the world, reaching a depth of 10,911 metres (35,797 ft). The eastern Pacific Ocean was first sighted by Europeans early in the 16th century. Spanish explorer Vasco Nez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama in 1513 and named it Mar del Sur (South Sea). The ocean's current name was given by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan during the Spanish expedition of world circumnavigation in 1521, who encountered favourable winds as he reached the ocean and called it Mar Pacifico in Portuguese, meaning "peaceful sea". The Pacific Ocean encompasses approximately one-third of the Earth's surface, having an area of 165.2 million square kilometres (64.1 million square miles) significantly larger than Earth's entire landmass, with room for another Africa to spare. Extending approximately 15,500 kilometres (9,600 mi) from the Bering Sea in the Arctic to the northern extent of the circumpolar Southern Ocean at 60S (older definitions extend it to Antarctica's Ross Sea), the Pacific reaches its greatest east-west width at about 5N latitude, 27
where it stretches approximately 19,800 kilometres (12,300 mi) from Indonesia to the coast of Colombia halfway across the world, and more than five times the diameter of the Moon. The lowest known point on Earththe Mariana Trenchlies 10,911 metres (35,797 ft or 5,966 fathoms) below sea level. Its average depth is 4,028~4,188 metres (14,000 ft or 2,333 fathoms). The Pacific Ocean is currently shrinking due to plate tectonics, while the Atlantic Ocean is increasing in size, by roughly an inch per year (23 cm/yr) on 3 sides, roughly averaging 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) a year. Along the Pacific Ocean's irregular western margins lie many seas, the largest of which are the Celebes Sea, Coral Sea, East China Sea,Philippine Sea, Sea of Japan, South China Sea, Sulu Sea, Tasman Sea, and Yellow Sea. TheStrait of Malacca joins the Pacific and the Indian Oceans on the west, and Drake Passage and the Straits of Magellan link the Pacific with the Atlantic Ocean on the east. To the north, the Bering Strait connects the Pacific with the Arctic Ocean. As the Pacific straddles the 180th meridian, the West Pacific (or western Pacific, near Asia) is in the Eastern Hemisphere, while the East Pacific (or eastern Pacific, near the Americas) is in the Western Hemisphere. For most of Magellan's voyage from the Strait of Magellan to the Philippines, the explorer indeed found the ocean peaceful. However, the Pacific is not always peaceful. Many tropical storms batter the islands of the Pacific. The lands around the Pacific Rim are full of volcanoes and often affected by earthquakes. Tsunamis, caused by underwater earthquakes, have devastated many islands and in some cases destroyed entire
28
Colombia Costa Rica Ecuador El Salvador Federated States of Micronesia Fiji Guatemala Honduras Indonesia Japan Kiribati Malaysia Marshall Islands Mexico Nauru New Zealand Nicaragua North Korea Palau Panama 29
Papua New Guinea People's Republic of China Peru Philippines Republic of China (Taiwan)1 Russia Samoa Singapore Solomon Islands South Korea Thailand Timor-Leste Tonga Tuvalu United States Vanuatu Vietnam
Population Of Asia
30
Ra nk
% of po p.
Date
Sour ce
32.02 0.45
6,091,00 0
154
1,347,350, 000
Official estimate
India
1,258,351, 000
29.77 1.36
17,114,0 00
51
Census
1, 2011 result
244,769,00 Indonesia 0
5.79
1.01
2,472,00 0
69
Census result
179,951,00 Pakistan 0
4.26
1.81
3,257,00 0
39
180,919,00 0
Banglades h
152,409,00 0
3.61
1.27
1,936,00 0
55
142,319,00 0
Census result
Japan
126,435,00 0
2.99
-0.05
-63,000 -
127,650,00 March 0
Monthl
1, 2012 y official
31
Ra nk
% of po p.
Date
Sour ce
estimate
1.71
1,650,00 0
41
94,013,200 2010
Official estimate
Vietnam
89,730,000 2.12
1.06
951,000 66
87,840,000 2011
Official estimate
October Official 9 Iran 75,612,000 1.79 1.09 824,000 64 76,821,000 11, 2012 populati on clock
Official estimate
Septem 11 Thailand 69,892,000 1.65 0.54 377,000 129 65,479,453 ber 2010 1,
Census result
32
Ra nk
% of po p.
Date
Sour ce
World Gazette 12 Myanmar 48,724,000 1.15 0.80 390,000 87 57,197,871 2012 er projecti on
13
South Korea
Census result
14
Iraq
33,703,000 0.80
3.18
1,072,00 0
22
33,330,000 2011
Official estimate
15
3.21
1,072,00 0
22
24,485,600
16
Nepal
31,011,000 0.73
1.72
533,000 41
26,620,809
17 18
Malaysia
29,322,000 0.69
1.60 2.21
469,000 44 634,000 32
28,334,135
27,136,977 April
Ra nk
% of po p.
Date
Sour ce
Arabia
28, 2010
result
19
1.14
320,000 61
28,000,000
20
25,569,000 0.60
3.10
793,000 23
24,527,000 2012
21
24,554,000 0.58
0.42
103,000 165
24,052,231
22
23
21,224,000 0.50
0.85
180,000 82
20,653,000
October Official 24 Syria 21,118,000 0.50 1.70 359,000 41 21,783,000 11, 2012 Februar 25 Kazakhsta 16,381,000 0.39 n 26 14,478,000 0.34 1.21 175,000 58 1.07 175,000 65 16,698,000 y 2012 13,395,682 March 1, populati on clock Monthl y official estimate Census 34
Ra nk
% of po p.
Date
Sour ce
Cambodia
27
1.24
117,000 56
9,111,100
28
Arab Emirates
8,106,000 0.19
2.72
220,000 26
8,264,070 2010
January 29 Israel 7,695,000 0.18 1.76 135,000 40 7,848,800 31, 2012 Hong 30 Kong (China)[4] 31 7,079,000 0.17 1.46 103,000 48 7,616,000 7,196,000 0.17 1.04 75,000 67 7,108,100
Tajikistan
32
2.01
130,000 35
33 34
Laos
1.37 1.02
87,000 56,000
51 68
Ra nk
% of po p.
Date
Sour ce
estimate
Singapore
36
1.27
66,000
55
7,966,724 2012
er projecti on
37
Georgia
4,304,000 0.10
-0.58
-25,000 -
4,469,200
38
Lebanon
4,292,000 0.10
0.77
33,000
90
3,759,100 2007
Palestinia 39 n territories[
5]
4,271,000 0.10
2.87
123,000 24
4,293,309
40
Armenia
3,109,000 0.07
0.29
9,000
239
3,268,500 2011
Official estimate
41
2.04
59,000
34
2,773,479
36
Ra nk
% of po p.
Date
Sour ce
2010 Decemb 42 Kuwait 2,892,000 0.07 2.63 76,000 27 3,582,054 er 2010 2,844,000 0.07 1.57 45,000 44 2,736,800 2009 April 44 Qatar 1,939,000 0.05 3.69 72,000 19 1,699,435 21, 2010 April 45 Bahrain 1,359,000 0.03 2.64 36,000 27 1,234,571 27, 2010 31, Official estimate Official estimate Census result
43
Mongolia
Census result
46
TimorLeste
1,187,000 0.03
2.86
34,000
25
1,066,409
47
Cyprus
1,129,000 0.03
1.07
12,000
65
838,897
October Census 1, 2011 result 2012 July Official estimate Official estimate
48
750,000
0.02
1.63
12,000
43
720,679
49
567,000
0.01
1.98
11,000
35
560,100
Septem ber
37
Ra nk
% of po p.
Date
Sour ce
2011 50 Brunei 413,000 0.01 1.72 7,000 41 422,700 2011 Official estimate Official estimate
51
Maldives Total
324,000
0.01
1.25
4,000 43,528,0 00
56
317,280
2010
1.02
68
Rivers
This a list of the thirty-two Asian rivers over 1,000 miles (1,600 km) in length. 1. Yangtze (in China) - 6,300 km - 3,915 miles (6,301 km) 38
2. Yellow River (Huang He) - 5,464 km - 3,395 miles (5,464 km) 3. Mekong River - 4,909 km - 3,050 miles (4,910 km) 4. Lena River - 4,400 km - 2,734 miles (4,400 km) 5. Irtysh River - 4,248 km - 2,640 miles (4,250 km) 6. Yenisei River - 4,090 km - 2,540 miles (4,090 km) 7. Ob River - 3,650 km - 2,268 miles (3,650 km) 8. Nizhnyaya Tunguska River - 2,989 km - 1,857 miles (2,989 km) 9. Indus River - 2,900 km - 1,800 miles (2,900 km) 10. Brahmaputra River - 2,900 km - 1,800 miles (2,900 km) 11. Amur River - 2,824 km - 1,755 miles (2,824 km) 12. Salween River - 2,700 km - 1,749 miles (2,815 km) 13. Euphrates River - 2,800 km - 1,740 miles (2,800 km) 14. Vilyuy River - 2,650 km - 1,647 miles (2,651 km) 15. Amu Darya - 2,540 km - 1,578 miles (2,540 km) 16. Ganges River - 2,510 km - 1,560 miles (2,510 km) 17. Ishim River(kazakistan) - 2,450 km - 1,522 miles (2,449 km) 18. Ural River - 2,428 km - 1,509 miles (2,429 km) 19. Olenyok River - 2,292 km - 1,424 miles (2,292 km) 20. Aldan River - 2,273 km - 1,412 miles (2,272 km) 21. Syr Darya - 2,212 km - 1,374 miles (2,211 km) 22. Ayeyarwady River - 2,170 km - 1,350 miles (2,170 km) 23. Kolyma River - 2,129 km - 1,323 miles (2,129 km) 24. Tarim River - 2,030 km - 1,260 miles (2,030 km) 25. Vitim River - 1,978 km - 1,229 miles (1,978 km) 26. Xi River - 1,930 km - 1,200 miles (1,900 km) 27. Sungari River - 1,927 km - 1,197 miles (1,926 km) 28. Tigris River - 1,900 km - 1,180 miles (1,900 km) 29. Podkamennaya Tunguska River - 1,865 km - 1,159 miles (1,865 km) 30. Angara River - 1,779 km - 1,105 miles (1,778 km) 31. Indigirka River - 1,726 km - 1,072 miles (1,725 km) 32.Ergune River - 1,620 km - 1,007 miles (1,621 km) 39
Location: Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen Geographic coordinates: 25 00 N, 45 00 E Map references: Middle East Area: total: 1,960,582 sq km land: 1,960,582 sq km water: 0 sq km Areacomparative: slightly more than one-fifth the size of the US Land boundaries:total: 4,415 km border countries: Iraq 814 km, Jordan 728 km, Kuwait 222 km, Oman 676 km, Qatar 60 km, UAE 457 km, Yemen 1,458 km Coastline: 2,640 km Maritimeclaims:-contiguouszone:18nmcontinental shelf: not specified territorial sea: 12 nm Climate: harsh, dry desert with great extremes of temperature 41
Terrain: mostly uninhabited, sandy desert Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper LandUse: arable land: 2% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 56% forests and woodland: 1% other: 41% (1993 est.) Irrigated land: 4,350 sq km (1993 est.) Natural hazards: frequent sand and dust storms Environmentcurrent issues: desertification; depletion of underground water resources; the lack of perennial rivers or permanent water bodies has prompted the development of extensive seawater desalination facilities; coastal pollution from oil spills Environmentinternational agreements:-party to: Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geographynote: extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and Suez Canal
Sovereign: King Abdullah (2005) Land area: 829,995 sq mi (2,149,690 sq km) Population (2012 est.): 26,534,504 (growth rate: 1.52%); birth rate: 19.19/1000; infant mortality rate: 15.61/1000; life expectancy: 74.35; density per sq mi: 31 Capital and largest city (2010 est.): Riyadh, 5,254,560 (city); 6,800,000 (metro) Other large cities: Jeddah, 3,900,00; Makkah (Mecca), 1,800,000 Monetary unit: Riyal
Geography
42
Eco regions as delineated by the WWF The yellow line encloses the eco regions Arabian Desert, East Sa hero-Arabian xeric shrub lands and two other smaller desert areas Saudi Arabia occupies about 80 percent of the Arabian peninsula lying between latitudes 16 and 33 N and longitudes 34 and 56 E. 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 Fact book estimate is 2,250,000 km2 (868,730 sq mi) and lists Saudi Arabia as the world's 13th largest state. Saudi Arabia's geography is dominated by the Arabian Desert and associated semi-desert and shrub land (see satellite image to right). It is, in fact, a number of linked deserts and includes the 647,500 km2 (250,001 sq mi) Rub' al Khali (Empty Quarter) in the southern part of the country, the worlds largest contiguous sand desert. There are virtually no rivers or lakes in the country, but wadis are numerous. The few fertile areas are to be found in the alluvial deposits in wadis, basins, and oases. The main topographical feature is the central plateau which rises abruptly from the Red Sea and gradually descends into the Nejd and toward the Persian Gulf. On the Red Sea coast, there is a narrow coastal plain, known as the Tihamah parallel to which runs an imposing escarpment. The southwest province of Asir is mountainous, and contains the 3,133 m (10,279 ft) Mount Sawda, which is the highest point in the country.
43
Figure 11:-The Nejd landscape: desert and the Tuwaiq Escarpment near Riyadh
Except for the southwestern province of Asir, Saudi Arabia has a desert climate with extremely high day-time temperatures and a sharp temperature drop at night. Average summer temperatures are around 45 C, but can be as high as 54 C. In the winter the temperature rarely drops below 0 C. In the spring and autumn the heat is temperate, temperatures average around 29 C. Annual rainfall is extremely low. The Asir region differs in that it is influenced by the Indian Ocean monsoons, usually occurring between October and March. An average of 300 mm of rainfall occurs during this period, that is about 60% of the annual precipitation. Animal life includes wolves, hyenas, mongooses, baboons, hares, sand rats, and jerboas. Larger animals such as gazelles, oryx, and leopards were relatively numerous until the 1950s, when hunting from motor vehicles reduced these animals almost to extinction. Birds include falcons (which are caught and trained for hunting), eagles, hawks, vultures, sand grouse and bulbuls. There are several species of snakes, many of which are venomous, and numerous types of lizards. There is a wide variety of marine life in the Persian Gulf. Domesticated animals include camels, sheep, goats, donkeys, and chickens. Reflecting the country's desert conditions, Saudi Arabias plant life mostly consists of small herbs and shrubs requiring little water. There are a few small areas of grass and trees in southern Asir. The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is widespread.
44
Prominent Cities
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg (Russian: -, tr. Sankt-Peterburg; IPA:) is a city and a federal subject (a federal city) of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. In 1914 the name of the city was changed to Petrograd (Russian: ; IPA: [ptrgrat]), in 1924 to Leningrad In Russian literature, informal documents, and discourse, the "Saint" (-) is usually omitted, leaving Petersburg (, Peterburg). In common parlance Russians may drop "-burg" () as well, leaving only Peter Saint Petersburg was founded by Tsar Peter the Great on May 27 [O.S. 16] 1703. From 1713 to 1728 and from 1732 to 1918, Saint Petersburg was the Imperial capital of Russia. In 1918 the central government bodies moved from Saint Petersburg (then named Petrograd) to Moscow. It is Russia's second largest city after Moscow with almost 5 million inhabitants. Saint Petersburg is a major European cultural center, and also an important Russian port on the Baltic Sea. Saint Petersburg is often described as the most Western city of Russia. It is also the northernmost city in the world to have a population of over one million. However, the most Western city of Russia is in reality Kaliningrad, but it is not part of the mainland Russia. The Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments constitute a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Saint Petersburg is also home to The Hermitage, one of the largest art museums in the world. A large number of foreign consulates, international corporations, banks and other businesses are located in Saint Petersburg 45
Nyenskans, a Swedish fortress, was founded at the mouth of the Neva River in 1611, in a land then called Ingermanland. A small town called "Nyen" grew up around it. Peter the Great was interested in seafaring and maritime affairs, and he aimed to have Russia gain an ability to take to the seas, so it could trade with other maritime nations. In order to do so, he needed a better seaport than Arkhangelsk, which was on the White Sea to the north.
On May 12 [O.S. 1] 1703, during the Great Northern War, Peter the Great captured Nyenskans, and soon set about replacing that fortress. On May 27 [O.S. 16] 1703, closer to the estuary (5 km/3 miles inland from the gulf), on Zayachy (Hare) Island, he laid down the Peter and Paul Fortress, which became the first brick and stone building of the new city. The city was built by conscripted peasants from all over Russia; a number of Swedish prisoners of war were also involved in some years under the supervision of Alexander Menshikov. Tens of thousands of serfs died building the city. Later the city became the centre of Saint Petersburg Governorate. Peter moved the capital from Moscow to Saint Petersburg in 1712, 9 years before the Treaty of Nystad of 1721 ended the war, although he was already referring to Saint Petersburg as the capital (or seat of government) as early as 1704. During the first few years of its existence the city grew spontaneously around Trinity Square on the right bank of the Neva, near the Peter and Paul Fortress. However, Saint Petersburg soon started to develop according to a plan. By 1716 Domenico Trezzini had elaborated a project whereby the city centre would be located on Vasilyevsky Island and shaped by a rectangular grid of canals. The project was not completed, but is still evident in the layout of the streets. In 1716 46
Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Le Blond was appointed chief architect of Saint Petersburg by Peter the Great. The style of Petrine Baroque, developed by Trezzini and other architects and exemplified by such buildings as the Menshikov Palace, Kunstkamera, Peter and Paul Cathedral, Twelve Collegia, became prominent in the city architecture of the early 18th century. In 1724 the Academy of Sciences, University and Academic Gymnasium were established in Saint Petersburg by Peter the Great. In 1725, Peter died at the age of fifty-two. His push for modernization of Russia had met opposition from the Russian nobility resulting in several attempts on his life and a treason case involving his own son. Thus, in 1728, Peter II of Russia moved his seat back to Moscow. But four years later, in 1732, under Empress Anna of Russia, Saint Petersburg again became the capital of the Russian Empire. It remained the seat of the Romanov Dynasty and the Imperial Court of the Russian Tzars, as well as the seat of the Russian government, for another 186 years until the communist revolution of 1917. In 17361737 the city suffered from catastrophic fires. To rebuild the damaged boroughs, a new plan was commissioned in 1737 by a committee under Burkhard Christoph von Mnnich. The city was divided into five boroughs, and the city center was moved to the Admiralty borough, situated on the east bank between the Neva and Fontanka.
Figure 14:-Palace Square backed by the General Staff arch and building, as the main square of the Russian Empire it was the setting of many events of great historical significance
It developed along three radial streets, which meet at the Admiralty building and are now known as Nevsky Prospekt (which is now perceived as the main street of the city), Gorokhovaya Street and Voznesensky Prospekt. A Baroque style dominated the city architecture during the first sixty years, culminating in the Elizabethan Baroque, represented most notably by Bartolomeo Rastrelli
47
with such buildings as the Winter Palace. In the 1760s Baroque architecture was succeeded by neoclassical architecture. The Commission of Stone Buildings of Moscow and Saint Petersburg established in 1762 ruled that no structure in the city be higher than the Winter Palace and prohibited spacing between buildings. During the reign of Catherine the Great in the 1760s1780s, the banks of the Neva were lined with granite embankments. However, it was not until 1850 that the first permanent bridge across the Neva, Blagoveshchensky Bridge, was allowed to open. Before that, only pontoon bridges were allowed. Obvodny Canal (dug in 17691833) became the southern limit of the city. Among the most prominent neoclassical architects in Saint Petersburg (including those working within the Empire style) were Jean-Baptiste Vallin de la Mothe (Imperial Academy of Arts, Small Hermitage, Gostiny Dvor, New Holland Arch, Catholic Church of St. Catherine), Antonio Rinaldi (Marble Palace), Yury Felten (Old Hermitage, Chesme Church), Giacomo Quarenghi (Academy of Sciences, Hermitage Theatre, Yusupov Palace), Andrey Voronikhin (Mining Institute, Kazan Cathedral), Andreyan Zakharov (Admiralty building), Jean-Franois Thomas de Thomon (Spit of Vasilievsky Island), Carlo Rossi (Yelagin Palace, Mikhailovsky Palace, Alexandrine Theatre, Senate and Synod Buildings, General Staff Building, design of many streets and squares), Vasily Stasov (Moscow Triumphal Gate, Trinity Cathedral), and Auguste de Montferrand (Saint Isaac's Cathedral, Alexander Column). In 1810 the first engineering Higher learning institution, the Saint Petersburg Main military engineering School were established in Saint Petersburg by Alexander I. The victory over Napoleonic France in the Patriotic War of 1812 was commemorated with many monuments, including the Alexander Column by Montferrand, erected in 1834, and the Narva Triumphal Gate. By the 1840s, neoclassical architecture had given way to various romanticist styles, which dominated until the 1890s, represented by such architects as Andrei Stackenschneider (Mariinsky Palace, Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace, Nicholas Palace, New Michael Palace) and Konstantin Thon (Moskovsky Rail Terminal). With the emancipation of the peasants undertaken by Alexander II in 1861 and an industrial revolution, the influx of former peasants into the capital increased greatly. Poor boroughs spontaneously emerged on the outskirts of the city. Saint Petersburg surpassed Moscow in 48
population and industrial growth and grew into one of the largest industrial cities in Europe, with a major naval base (in Kronstadt), river and sea port. The names of saints Peter and Paul, bestowed upon original city's citadel and its cathedral (from 1725 a burial vault of Russian emperors) coincidentally were mirrored by the names of the first two assassinated Russian Emperors, Peter III (1762, supposedly a conspiracy led by his wife, Catherine the Great) and Paul I (1801, Nicholas Zubov and other conspirators who brought to power Alexander I, the son of their victim). The third emperor's assassination took place in Petersburg in 1881 when Alexander II fell victim of narodniki (see the Church of the Savior on Blood). The Revolution of 1905 began in Saint Petersburg and spread rapidly into the provinces. During World War I, the city was renamed Petrograd, meaning "Peter's City", to remove the German words Sankt and Burg. In March 1917, during the February Revolution Nicholas II abdicated both for himself and on behalf of his son, thus putting an end to the Russian monarchy and over three hundred years of Romanov dynastic rule.
Figure 15:-Statue of Lenin outside the Finland station. Between 1924 and 1991 the city was named Leningrad.
On November 7, 1917 (O.S. October 25), the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, stormed the Winter Palace in an event known thereafter as the Great October Socialist Revolution, which led to the end of the post-Tsarist provisional government, the transfer of all political power to the Soviets, and the rise of the Communist Party. After that the city acquired a new descriptive
49
name, "the city of three revolutions"which recalls the fact that all these three major developments in the political history of Russia of the early 20th century occurred here. In September and October 1917, the German troops invaded the West Estonian archipelago thus threatening Petrograd with bombardment and invasion. Thus on March 12, 1918, the Soviets transferred the government to Moscow. During the ensuing Civil War in 1919 general Yudenich advancing from Estonia repeated the attempt to capture the city, but Leon Trotsky mobilised the army and forced him to retreat. On January 26, 1924, five days after Lenin's death, Petrograd was renamed Leningrad. Later some streets and other toponyms were renamed accordingly. The city has over 230 places associated with the life and activities of Lenin. Some of them were turned into museums, as well as cruiser Aurora a symbol of the October Revolution and the oldest ship in the Russian Navy. In the 1920s1930s the poor outskirts were reconstructed into regularly planned boroughs. Constructivist architecture flourished around that time. Housing was nationalized; many 'bourgeois' apartments were so large, that many people who had previously lived in slums now shared these 'communal' apartments (kommunalkas). By the 1930s, 68% of the population lived in such housing. In 1935 a new general plan was outlined, whereby the city should expand to the south. Constructivism was rejected in favor of a more pompous Stalinist architecture. Moving the city center further from the border with Finland, Stalin adopted a plan to build a new city hall with a huge adjacent square at the southern end of Moskovsky Prospekt which could thereby become a new main street of Leningrad. However, after the war, the Soviet-Finnish border was moved to the north, and Nevsky Prospekt with the Palace Square maintained the functions and the role of a city center. In December 1931, Leningrad was administratively separated from Leningrad Oblast. At that time it included Leningrad Suburban District, some parts of which were transferred back to Leningrad Oblast in 1936 and turned into Vsevolozhsky District, Krasnoselsky District, Pargolovsky District and Slutsky District (renamed Pavlovsky District in 1944).
50
Figure 16:-A scene from the diorama Siege of Leningrad. The siege lasted 872 days and took the lives of over a million people
On December 1, 1934, Sergey Kirov, popular communist leader of Leningrad, was assassinated, which became the pretext for the Great Purge. During World War II, Leningrad was besieged by German forces. The siege lasted 872 daysfrom September 1941 to January 1944. The Siege of Leningrad was one of the longest, most destructive, and most lethal sieges of a major city in modern history. It isolated the city from most supplies except those provided through the Road of Life across Lake Ladoga, and more than a million civilians died, mainly from starvation. Many others were eventually evacuated or escaped by themselves, so the city became largely depopulated.
Figure 17:- Leningrad was officially awarded the title of 'Hero City' on May 8, 1965
On May 1, 1945 Joseph Stalin, in his Supreme Commander Order No. 20, named Leningrad, alongside Stalingrad, Sevastopol, and Odessa, hero cities of the war. However, a statute bestowing the honorary title of 'Hero City' was only officially adopted on May 8, 1965 (the 20th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War), during the Brezhnev era. The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR awarded Leningrad as a Hero City the Order of Lenin and the
51
Gold Star medal 'for the heroic resistance of the city and tenacity of the survivors of the Siege'. The Hero-City Obelisk bearing the Gold Star sign was installed later, in April 1985. In October 1946 some territories along the northern coast of the Gulf of Finland, which had passed to the USSR from Finland in 1940 under the peace treaty following the Winter War were transferred from Leningrad Oblast to Leningrad and divided into Sestroretsky District and Kurortny District, including the town of Terijoki (renamed Zelenogorsk in 1948). Leningrad and many of its suburbs were rebuilt over the post-war decades, partially according to pre-war plans. The 1948 general plan for Leningrad featured radial urban development in the north as well as in the south. In 1953 Pavlovsky District in Leningrad Oblast was abolished, and parts of its territory, including Pavlovsk, merged with Leningrad. In 1954 the settlements Levashovo, Pargolovo and Pesochny merged with Leningrad. Leningrad gave its name to the Leningrad Affair (19491952), a notable event in the postwar political processes in the USSR. A product of clan rivalries (where one side was represented by the leaders of the city Communist Party organization one of the most significant in the country), it afflicted only an elite circle, so the victims of this affair were comparatively few. 23 leaders were sentenced to death, 181 to prison or exile (exonerated in 1954). About 2 thousand were expelled from the party and Komsomol and removed from leadership positions. The Leningrad Metro underground rapid transit system, designed before the war, opened in 1955 with its first eight stations decorated with marble and bronze. However, after the death of Stalin, the perceived ornamental excesses of the Stalinist architecture were abandoned. In the 1960s 1980s, as many new residential boroughs were built on the outskirts with few series of functionalist apartment blocks identical to each other, many families moved there from kommunalkas in the city centre in order to live in separate apartments.
Figure 18:- View from the Colonnade, St. Isaac's Cathedral, St. Petersburg
52
On June 12, 1991, simultaneously with the first Russian presidential elections the city authorities arranged the mayoral elections and the referendum upon the name of the city. The turnout was 65%; 66.13% of the total count of votes went to Anatoly Sobchak who became the first democratically elected mayor of the city. Meanwhile the economy conditions continued to deteriorate. For the first time since the 1940s food rationing was introduced, and the city received humanitarian food aid from abroad. This dramatic time was being depicted in photographic series of Russian photographer Alexey Titarenko. In 1995 a northern section of the Kirovsko-Vyborgskaya Line of the Saint Petersburg Metro was cut off by underground flooding, thus creating a major obstacle to the city development for almost ten years.
Figure 19:- Cultural events at Peterhof during the celebration of the 300th anniversary of Petersburg
In 1996, Anatoly Sobchak was defeated by Vladimir Yakovlev in the elections of the head of the city administration. The title of the city head was changed from "mayor" to "governor". In 2000 Yakovlev was reelected again. His second term expired in 2004; the long-awaited restoration of broken subway connection was expected to finish by that time. However in 2003 Yakovlev suddenly resigned, leaving a governor's office to Valentina Matviyenko. After that the law on the City Governor was changed, breaking the tradition of its democratic election by a universal suffrage, and in 2006 Matvienko was reapproved as governor by the city legislature. The residential building had intensified again, real estate prices inflated greatly which caused many new problems for the preserving of the historical part of the city. Although the central part of the city is watched by UNESCO (there are about 8,000 architectural monuments in Petersburg), the safety of its historical and architectural environment became disputable since after 2005 the demolition of older buildings in the historical centre went into practice. In 2006 Gazprom announced an ambitious project to erect a 396-meter skyscraper opposite to Smolny, which could result in irretrievable loss of the unique line of Petersburg landscape. Urgent protests of citizen and prominent public figures of Russia against this project 53
were not considered by Governor Valentina Matvienko and the city authorities until December 2010, when after the statement of President Dmitry Medvedev it was finally decided to find a more appropriate location for this construction site. The area of Saint Petersburg city proper is 605.8 square kilometers (233.9 sq mi). The area of the federal subject is 1,439 square kilometers (556 sq mi), which contains Saint Petersburg proper (consisting of eighty-one municipal okrugs), nine municipal towns (Kolpino, Krasnoye Selo, Kronstadt, Lomonosov, Pavlovsk, Petergof, Pushkin, Sestroretsk, Zelenogorsk) and twenty-one municipal settlements. Petersburg is situated on the middle taiga lowlands along the shores of the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland, and islands of the river delta. The largest are Vasilyevsky Island (besides the artificial island between Obvodny canal and Fontanka, and Kotlin in the Neva Bay), Petrogradsky, Dekabristov and Krestovsky. The latter together with Yelagin and Kamenny island are covered mostly by parks. The Karelian Isthmus, North of the city, is a popular resort area. In the south Saint Petersburg crosses the Baltic-Ladoga Klint and meets the Izhora Plateau. The elevation of Saint Petersburg ranges from the sea level to its highest point of 175.9 meters (577 ft) at the Orekhovaya Hill in the Duderhof Heights in the south. Part of the city's territory west of Liteyny Prospekt is no higher than 4 meters (13 ft) above sea level, and has suffered from numerous floods. Floods in Saint Petersburg are triggered by a long wave in the Baltic Sea, caused by meteorological conditions, winds and shallowness of the Neva Bay. The four most disastrous floods occurred in 1824 (421 centimeters / 166 inches above sea level, during which over three hundred buildings were destroyed), 1924 380 centimeters / 150 inches, 1777 321 centimeters / 126 inches, 1955 293 centimeters / 115 inches, and 1975 281 centimeters / 111 inches. To prevent floods, the Saint Petersburg Dam has been constructed. Since the 18th century the terrain in the city has been raised artificially, at some places by more than 4 meters (13 ft), making mergers of several islands, and changing the hydrology of the city. Besides the Neva and its tributaries, other important rivers of the federal subject of Saint Petersburg are Sestra, Okhta and Izhora. The largest lake is Sestroretsky Razliv in the north, followed by Lakhtinsky Razliv, Suzdal Lakes and other smaller lakes.
54
Due to location at ca. 60 N latitude the day length in Petersburg varies across seasons, ranging from 5:53 to 18:50. A period from mid-May to mid-July when twilight may last all night is called the white nights.
Arabia
3 Time
Saudi Arabia Local Time Details Time Abbreviations UTC GMT Saudi Arabia is GMT/UTC + 3h during Standard Time 55 Zone Saudi Arabia Time - is abbreviated as AST (Arabia Standard Time)
Offset
Saudi Arabia was a founding member of OPEC. The King Fahd Causeway that connects Saudi Arabia with Bahrain is 15.5 miles long and is one of the longest causeways in the world. Prince Sultan Ibn Salman became the first Arab and first Muslim to travel in space, when he went aboard the space shuttle Discovery, in 1985. Amongst the eight industrial cities built by Saudi Arabia, in order to expand its non-oil economy, Jubail is the biggest and the most important one. Saudi Arabia is one of the driest countries in the world, with rain only in the extreme north and south. The first university in Saudi Arabia was founded in 1957.
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Altitude; 635 m (2083 ft). The average temperature in Saudi Arabia is 25.3 C (77 F). The range of average monthly temperatures is 19 C. The warmest average max/ high temperature is 45 C (113 F) in July & August. The coolest average min/ low temperature is 3 C (37 F) in January & December. Saudi Arabia receives on average 106.5 mm (4.2 in) of precipitation annually or 9 mm (0.3 in) each month. On balance there are 17 days annually on which greater than 0.1 mm (0.004 in) of precipitation (rain, sleet, snow or hail) occurs or 1 day on an average month. 58
The month with the driest weather is June, August, September & October when on balance 0 mm (0.0 in) of rainfall (precipitation) occurs. The month with the wettest weather is April when on balance 21 mm (0.8 in) of rain, sleet, hail or snow falls across 1 days. Mean relative humidity for an average year is recorded as 24.5% and on a monthly basis it ranges from 10% in September to 46% in December. On balance there are 0 days annually with measurable frost and in January there are on average 0 days with frost.
Rivers
List of wadis of Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia does not have any permanent rivers, but does have numerous wadis, which is an either permanently or intermittently dry riverbed. This is a list of wadis in Saudi Arabia. This list is arranged by drainage basin, with respective tributaries indented under each larger stream's name.
Red Sea
Wadi as Surr Wadi al-Hamd Wadi Rabigh Wadi Fimah Wadi Sadyah Wadi al-Lth
Syrian Desert
Najd
Wadi Al-Rummah Wadi ar Rish Wadi Hanifa Wadi ad-Dawasir Wadi Habawnah
Mountains
Sr. No. 1 2 Name Jubal Sawed, Jabal Makkah 3 Jabal Qarnay, 2,495 m 17.587 / 43.572 2,328 m 24.59 / 38.281 2,210 m 23.578 / 39.495 2,160 m 19.846 / 41.32 2,005 m 21.351 / 40.372 Dakah, 2,585 m 21.045 / 40.37 Elevation 2,995 m Latitude/Longitude 18.268 / 42.37 21.094 / 40.291
Makkah 4 Qamat Ab ash Shaykh, 5 Jabal Raw, Al Madnah 6 Jabal Idqis, Al Madnah 7 Jabal Shad l Zahrn, 8 Jabal Suwayqah, Makkah 9 Jabal Shaybn,
10
28.843 / 34.966
UN estimates Period Live Natural Deaths per births per change per CBR year year year CDR NC TFR IMR
19501955
159 000
81 000
78 000
47.9
24.3
23.5
7.18
204.3
19551960
180 000
83 000
98 000
47.6
21.9
25.7
7.18
183.1
19601965
210 000
86 000
124 000
47.6
19.6
28.1
7.26
162.6
19651970
248 000
88 000
159 000
46.9
16.7
30.2
7.26
139.2
19701975
304 000
88 000
216 000
46.4
13.4
33.0
7.30
106.6
19751980
378 000
86 000
292 000
44.1
10.0
34.1
7.28
78.2
491 000
86 000
405 000
42.7
7.5
35.2
7.02
57.0
86 000 85 000
38.3 33.5
5.8 4.9
32.4 28.6
6.22 5.45
42.3 30.2 62
573 000
87 000
486 000
29.7
4.5
25.2
4.51
22.2
545 000
91 000
454 000
24.7
4.1
20.6
3.54
19.4
569 000
98 000
470 000
22.1
3.8
18.3
3.03
18.5
CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births
Population statistics The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Fact book, unless otherwise indicated. Age structure 0-14 years: 29.4% (male 3,939,377/female 3,754,020) 15-64 years: 67.6% (male 9,980,253/female 7,685,328) 65 years and over: 3% (male 404,269/female 368,456) (2011 est.) Median age total: 25.3 years male: 26.4 years female: 23.9 years (2011 est.) Population growth rate 1.536% (2011 est.) Total fertility rate 2.26 children born/woman. (2012 est.) Sex ratio
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atbirth:1.05male(s)/female under15years:1.04male(s)/female 15-64years:1.27male(s)/female 65yearsandover:1.03male(s)/female total population: 1.17 male(s)/female (2010 est.) Life expectancy at birth total: 73.87 years male: 71.93 years female: 75.9 years (2010 est.) Urbanization 85% of total population (2011) Nationality noun:Saudi(s) adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian
Ethnic groups
Description Community
Afro-Arabs
Baharna
Huwala
Najdis
Tribal Sunni Arabs from Najd in central Arabia. These are people whose ancestors were pearl divers, traders, etc. Most of the Sunni population is Najdi
Religion
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The Government does not conduct census on religion, but estimates put the percentage of the majority Salafis at 85-90% while Shiites, who comprise the largest Muslim minority, at 10-15% of the population.[10] Shiites (Twelvers) are primarily concentrated in the Eastern Province, where they constitute over a third of the population. Other smaller communities (Ismailis and Zaidis) reside in the South, with Ismailis constituting around half of the population of the province of Nejran, and the Holy Islamic cities of Mecca and Medina.
20) The government extended public education to girls in 1960, despite opposition from some conservative religious leaders. 21) Saudi men wear a white cotton robe known as a thob and a colorful kerchief called a ghoutra on their heads. 22) The women wear a black outer robe called an abaya, and their heads are covered by black veils. 23) Only men are allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, Saudi women are not permitted to drive or to travel abroad without a male relative's approval. 24) Alcohol, in any variation or form is strictly prohibited inside the Kingdom. 25) There is no single movie house, theater or any form of liberal entertainment in all parts of the country. 26) Oil was first discovered in Saudi Arabia in 1938. 27) One-quarter of the world's petroleum reserves are believed to lie under the country. 28) The form of government is Monarchy and the King is both the head of the State and Government. 29) Unlike all other countries, Saudi Arabia has no Constitution; the state is governed according to Sharia (Islamic law). 30) In Saudi Arabia, punishments for serious crimes can include amputation and death by beheading, hanging, or, in rare cases, stoning. 31) Osama Bin Laden is actually a Saudi. He is the son of a Saudi wealthy businessman. 32) The world's largest oil field Ghawar is in Saudi Arabia located near Ad Dammam at the Persian Gulf. 33) Women and men should not be seen together inside the elevator or else you'll be grounds for automatic interrogations from the mutaweens. 34) Diesel is much cheaper than water, you can buy 1 liter of bottled water for about $1 while a liter of diesel will just cost you amazingly 50 cents only. 35) Gold is sold here as if you are selling fancy jewelries. There are no security guards in any jewelry shop. No alarm devices and sometimes gold is left unwatched. 36) Men are strictly forbidden to enter in any beauty parlor, why Islam forbids the mingling of men and women in public places. 37) Crime rate is very low here because if this strong imposition of Sharia Law. 38) Five times daily, Muslims closed everything and stop anything they are doing. 39) NO INCOME TAX IS DEDUCTED FROM YOUR EARNINGS. 66
40) You're passport is being held and kept away from your reach by your sponsor or employer. During your vacation time, you can only have your passport minutes before your scheduled flight. 41) The week starts in Saturdays and ends in Wednesdays. Unlike other countries, Thursdays and Fridays is the official weekends here. 42) They used Hijira Calendar not Gregorian calendar. 43) The way of writing is from right to the left whereas we learned to write from left to right. 44) Women when travelling in their cars should not be seated parallel to the driver or in the front seat especially if the driver is not her husband. 45) Body parts showing legs, arms, or the entire face of a woman is colored by black ink. These are not allowed to be shown in public also. 46) Shepherds are riding in their Pajeros, Suburvan, Nissan Patrol or Toyota Hilux to go to their pastures. This is a clear explanation of the expression "from camel to Cadillac". 47) Pork is strictly forbidden here that's why no one is selling it either. 48) Don't you ever talk about their religion in an argumentative manner, if you value your life, do not criticize their traditions and their practices and never ever mock their prophet.
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1970 22,565
1975 163,670
1980 546,602
43.84
1985 376,318
49.33
1990 437,334
33.13
1995 533,504
28.29
2000 706,657
26.50
2005 1,152,600
32.53
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For purchasing power parity comparisons, the US Dollar is exchanged at 3.75[8] Saudi Arabian Riyals only. Mean wages were $14.74 per manhour in 2009. As of August 2009 it was reported that Saudi Arabia is the strongest Arab economy, according to World Bank. Saudi oil reserves are the second largest in the world, and Saudi Arabia is the world's leading oil producer and exporter. Oil accounts for more than 90% of the country's exports and nearly 75% of government revenues. Proven reserves, according to figures provided by the Saudi Government, are estimated to be 260 billion barrels (41 km3), about one-quarter of world oil reserves. More than 95% of all Saudi oil is produced on behalf of the Saudi Government by the parastatal giant Saudi Aramco, and the remaining 5% by similar parastatal companies as of 2002. In June 1993, Saudi Aramco absorbed the state marketing and refining company (SAMAREC), becoming the world's largest fully integrated oil company. Most Saudi oil exports move by tanker from oil terminals at Ras Tanura and Ju'aymah in the Persian Gulf. The remaining oil exports are transported via the east-west pipeline across the kingdom to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. A major new gas initiative promises to bring significant investment by U.S. and European oil companies to develop nonassociated gas fields in three separate parts of Saudi Arabia. Following final technical agreements with concession awardees in December 2001, development should begin in 2002. Due to a sharp rise in petroleum revenues in 1974 following the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, Saudi Arabia became one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. It enjoyed a substantial surplus in its overall trade with other countries; imports increased rapidly; and ample government revenues were available for development, defense, and aid to other Arab and Islamic countries. But higher oil prices led to development of more oil fields around the world and reduced global consumption. The result, beginning in the mid-1980s, was aworldwide oil glut, which introduced an element of planning uncertainty for the first time in a decade. Saudi oil production, which had increased to almost 10 million barrels (1,600,000 m3) per day during 1980-81, dropped to about 2 million barrels per day (320,000 m3/d) in 1985. Budgetary deficits developed, and the government drew down its foreign assets. Responding to financial pressures, Saudi Arabia gave up its role as the "swing producer" within OPEC in the summer of 1985 and accepted a production quota. Since then, Saudi oil policy has been guided by a desire to maintain market and quota shares. 69
However, beginning in late 1997, Saudi Arabia again faced the challenge of low oil prices. Due to a combination of factorsthe East Asian economic crises, a warm winter in the West caused by El Nio, and an increase in non-OPEC oil productiondemand for oil slowed and pulled oil prices down by more than one-third. Saudi Arabia was a key player in coordinating the successful 1999 campaign of OPEC and other oil-producing countries to raise the price of oil to its highest level since the (Persian) Gulf War by managing production and supply of petroleum. That same year, Saudi Arabia established the Supreme Economic Council to formulate and better coordinate economic development policies in order to accelerate institutional and industrial reform. Saudi Arabia has announced plans to invest about $46 billion in three of the worlds largest and most ambitious petrochemical projects. These include the $27 billion Ras Tanura integrated refinery and petrochemical project, the $9 billion Saudi Kayan petrochemical complex at Jubail Industrial City, and the $10 billion Petro Rabigh refinery upgrade project. Together, the three projects will employ more than 150,000 technicians and engineers working around the clock.[10] Upon completion in 2015-16, the Ras Tanura integrated refinery and petrochemicals project will become the worlds largest petrochemical facility of its kind with a combined production capacity of 11 million tons per year of different petrochemical and chemical products. The products will include ethylene, propylene, aromatics, polyethylene, ethylene oxide, chlorine derivatives, and glycol. Economy of Saudi Arabia
Trade organisations 23rd) Statistics GDP growth GDP per capita 6.5% (2010 est.) $24,000 $18,855 (nominal; 41st)[1] GDP by sector Inflation (CPI) Labour force agriculture: 3.2%; industry: 60.4%; services: 36.4% (2009 est.) 5% (2009 est.) 7.63 million (2009 est.) note: about 80% of the labor force is nonnational Labourforce by occupation Unemployment Main industries agriculture: 6.7%; industry: 21.4%; services: 71.9% (2005 est.) (PPP; 38th)[1]
estimated 10% crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals, ammonia, industrial gases, sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), cement, fertilizer, plastics, metals, commercial ship repair, commercial aircraft repair, construction
12th
Mainexport partners United States 17.2%, Japan 15.3%,South Korea 10.2%, China 9.4%, Taiwan4.6%, Singapore 4.4%, Pakistan 3.2% (2008) Imports $106.5 billion (2010 est.) 71
Import goods
Mainimport partners United States 12%, China 10.4%, Japan7.6%, Germany 7.3%, South Korea 5.1%,Italy 4.7%, United Kingdom 4% , Pakistan3.5% (2008) Gross xternal debt Public finances Public debt Revenues Expenses Economic aid 9.4% of GDP (2009 est.) $293.1 billion (2010 est.) $210.6 billion (2010 est.) (Donor) $100 million in 1993 to Lebanon; since 2000, Saudi Arabia has committed $307 million to Palestinians; pledged $240 million to Afghanistan; pledged $1 billion in export guarantees and soft loans to Iraq. Credit rating Standard&Poor's: AA-(Domestic) AA-(Foreign) AA+(T&CAssessment) Outlook:Stable Moody's:Aa3 Outlook:Stable Fitch:AAOutlook: Stable $101 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Doing business The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been rated as the 13th most economically competitive country in the world, according to the International Finance Corporation (IFC)-World Bank annual "Doing Business" report issued for 2010. The report highlighted the rapid rate of economic 72
growth among Middle Eastern countries, specifically Saudi Arabia, as a result of economic sector reform. For the fifth consecutive year, Saudi Arabia was ranked as the best place to do business in the entire Middle East and the Arab World. Since 2004, the Kingdom has advanced its overall Doing Business rankings, from 67th to 13th. A number of policy reforms to promote entrepreneurship are underway. Saudi Arabian companies dominate 2009's "MEED 100", with companies listed on the Tadawul accounting for 29 out of the regions 100 biggest publicly quoted companies ranked by mark et capitalisation. Just three of the 20 companies that have dropped out of the top 100 over the past year are listed on the Saudi stock exchange.
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Figure 23:-Flag
President: Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan (2004) Prime Minister: Sheikh Muhammad ibn Rashid al-Maktoum (2006) Total area: 32,278 sq mi (83,600 sq km) Population (2010 est.): 4,975,593 (growth rate: 3.5%); birth rate: 16.0/1000; infant mortality rate: 12.3/1000; life expectancy: 76.3; density per sq mi: 82 Capital (2003 est.): Abu Dhabi, 539,800 Largest city: Dubai, 1,511,700 (metro. area), 906,100 (city proper) Monetary unit: U.A.E. dirham
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Geography
The United Arab Emirates, in the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula, extends along part of the Gulf of Oman and the southern coast of the Persian Gulf. The nation is the size of Maine. Its neighbors are Saudi Arabia to the west and south, Qatar to the north, and Oman to the east. Most of the land is barren and sandy. The United Arab Emirates is situated in Southwest Asia, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia; it is in a strategic location along northern approaches to the Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil. The UAE lies between 2250 and 26 north latitude and between 51 and 5625 east longitude. It shares a 19 kilometer border with Qatar on the northwest (according to the UAE), a 530-kilometer border with Saudi Arabia on the west, south, and southeast, and a 450-kilometer border with Oman on the southeast and northeast. The land border with Qatar in the Khawr al Udayd area is a source of ongoing dispute (in fact, whether it even shares a land border with Qatar is in dispute). The total area of the UAE is approximately 83,600 square kilometers. The country's exact size is unknown because of disputed claims to several islands in the Persian Gulf, because of the lack of precise information on the size of many of these islands, and because most of its land boundaries, especially with Saudi Arabia, remain undemarcated. The largest emirate, Abu Dhabi, accounts for 87 percent of the UAE's total area (67,340 square kilometers). The smallest emirate, Ajman, encompasses only 259 square kilometers .
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The Current Time in United Arab Emirates is: Saturday 10/13/2012 4:50 UTC/GMT +4 pm
United Arab Emirates Local Time Details Time Abbreviations UTC Offset Zone United Arab Emirates Time - is abbreviated as GST (Gulf Standard Time) GMT United Arab Emirates is GMT/UTC + 4h during Standard Time
Dubai is the Englishmens most popular weekend destination. It exceeds even Paris. Dubai has an indoor ski slope, which daily produces 6000 tons of snow. In Dubai, there is a considerable focus on getting everyone to work. Even a job description as Red Cone can be used in a construction site. On 13 of January has been declared as an official Bush public Holiday in Dubai after U.S. President George Bush visited the city in 2008. Dubai is one of the most visited city in the whole world There are no street address in Dubai. There is no personal or income taxes in Dubai. Each year there are 1 in 5 person who purchases Gold in Dubai. \The worlds largest Horses can be found in Dubai. The train station Khalid bin Al Waleed Train station does not look like ordinary train station it looks more like a 5 star hotel.
Climate In UAE
The climate of the UAE generally is hot and dry. The hottest months are July and August, when average maximum temperatures reach above 40 C (104.0 F) on the coastal plain. In the Al Hajar al Gharbi Mountains, temperatures are considerably cooler, a result of increased altitude. Average minimum temperatures in January and February are between 10 and 14 C (50 and 57.2 F). During the late summer months, a humid southeastern wind known as the sharqi makes the coastal region especially unpleasant. The average annual rainfall in the coastal area is fewer than 120 mm (4.7 in), but in some mountainous areas annual rainfall often reaches 350 mm (13.8 in). Rain in the coastal region falls in short, torrential bursts during the summer months, sometimes resulting in floods in ordinarily dry wadi beds. The region is prone to occasional, violent dust storms, which can severely reduce visibility. The Jebel Jais mountain cluster in Ras al Khaimah has experienced snow only twice since records began.
Mountain
77
Sr. No. 1 2
Elevation Latitude/Longitude 1,934 m 25.953 / 56.184 25.668 / 56.136 1,527 m 1,029 m 25.02 / 56.241 25.2 / 56.278 925 m Buyi, 338 m 25.023 / 55.73 274 m 23.802 / 53.691 113 m 23.788 / 53.766 113 m 25.552 / 55.983 108 m 23.799 / 52.872 101 m Mulay, 25.015 / 55.794
3 4
Ash Shriqah 6 Ash Shriqah 7 Al Buzaym, Abu Dhabi 8 Bid Sayf, Abu Dhabi 9 Qarn al Binnah, Ras al Khaymah 10 Markhyah, Abu Dhabi
Population
In the 15-64 age group is non-national (2011 est.) Median age total:30.2years male:32.1years female: 24.9 years (2011 est.) Population growth rate 3.055% (2011 est.) Birth rate 15.76 births/1,000 population (2011 est.) 78
Death rate 2.04 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.) Net migration rate 16.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.) Urbanization Urban population: 84% of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization: 2.3% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.) Major cities - population ABU DHABI (capital) 666,000 (2009) Sex ratio atbirth:1.05male(s)/female under15years:1.05male(s)/female 15-64years:2.75male(s)/female 65yearsandover:1.77male(s)/female total population: 2.19 male(s)/female (2011 est.) Infant mortality rate total:11.59deaths/1,000livebirths male:13.54deaths/1,000livebirths female: 9.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.) Life expectancy at birth totalpopulation:76.71years male:74.12years female: 79.42 years (2011 est.) Total fertility rate:-2.38 children born/woman (2011 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:-0.2% (2001 est.) 79
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:-NA HIV/AIDS deaths:-NA Nationality noun:Emirati(s) adjective: Emirati Ethnic groups Emirati 19%, other Arab and Iranian 23%, South Asian 50%, other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians) 8% (1982)
note: less than 20% are UAE citizens (1982) Religions:-Muslim (Islam - official) 96% (Shia 16%), other (includes Christian, Hindu) 4% Languages:-Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu Literacy definition:age15and totalpopulation:77.9% male:76.1% female: 81.7% (2003 est.) School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) total:13years male:13years female: 14 years (2009) Education expenditures:-1.2% of GDP (2009) Maternal mortality rate:-10 deaths/100,000 live births (2008) over can read and write
80
Health expenditures:-2.8% of GDP (2009) Physicians density:-1.93 physicians/1,000 population (2007) Hospital bed density:-1.9 beds/1,000 population (2008) Obesity - adult prevalence rate:-33.7% (2000)
8) 9)
The official religion of the United Arab Emirates is Islam. The sun shines all the year round in the UAE and makes it an ideal summer resort.
10) The largest tribe, the Bani Yas, roamed the vast sandy areas that cover almost all of the emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. 81
11) Since 2006, the weekend has been Friday-Saturday, as a compromise between Friday's holiness to Muslims and the Western weekend of Saturday-Sunday. 12) Most Emirati males prefer to wear a kandura, an ankle-length white tunic woven from wool or cotton, and most Emirati women wear an abaya, a black over-garment covering most parts of the body. 13) UAE women are very particular about their dress. They generally cover themselves from head to feet with a black cloak called the abaya'. 14) Camel-racing has become one of the country's most popular spectator sports.
Economy of UAE
1) At $360 billion in 2012, the GDP of the UAE ranks second in the CCASG (after Saudi
Arabia), third in the Middle EastNorth Africa (MENA) region (after Saudi Arabia and Iran), and 30th in the world. 2) There are various deviating estimates regarding the actual growth rate of the nations
GDP, however all available statistics indicate that the UAE currently has one of the fastest growing economies in the world. According to a recent report by the Ministry of Finance and Industry, nominal GDP rose by 20.8% in 2012 to $360 billion, compared with $298 billion in 2011. 3) Although the United Arab Emirates is becoming less dependent on natural resources as a
source of revenue, petroleum and natural gas exports still play an important role in the economy, especially in Abu Dhabi. A massive construction boom, an expanding manufacturing base, and a thriving services sector are helping the UAE diversify its economy. Nationwide, there is currently $350 billion worth of active construction projects. The UAE is a member of the World Trade Organization. 4) Major increases in imports occurred in manufactured goods, machinery, and
transportation equipment, which together accounted for 70% of total imports. Another important foreign exchange earner, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority--which controls the investments of Abu Dhabi, the wealthiest emiratemanages an estimated $360 billion in overseas investments & an estimated $900 billion in assets. 5) More than 200 factories operate at the Jebel Ali complex in Dubai, which includes a
deep-water port and a free trade zone for manufacturing and distribution in which all goods for 82
re-export or transshipment enjoy a 100% duty exemption. A major power plant with associated water desalination units, an aluminium smelter, and a steel fabrication unit are prominent facilities in the complex. The complex is currently undergoing expansion, with sections of land set aside for different sectors of industry. A large international passenger and cargo airport, Dubai World Central International Airport, with associated logistics, manufacturing and hospitality industries, is also planned here. 6) Except in the free trade zone, the UAE requires at least 51% local citizen ownership in all
businesses operating in the country as part of its attempt to place Emiratis into leadership positions. However, this law is under review and the majority ownership clause will very likely be scrapped, to bring the country into line with World Trade Organisation regulations. 7) As a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the UAE participates in the wide
range of GCC activities that focus on economic issues. These include regular consultations and development of common policies covering trade, investment, banking and finance, transportation, telecommunications, and other technical areas, including protection of intellectual property rights. 8) The largest trading partner for the UAE is India
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1) 2) 3) 5) 6) 7) 8)
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