Sherifa Zuhur, PhD, is director of the Institute of Middle Eastern, Islamic, and Strategic Studies, and former professor of Islamic studies, history, and national security at the Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, Carlisle, PA.

• About the Author,Preface,Acknowledgments,1 Geography,The Geology of Petroleum,The Deserts,Water,Climate,Fauna,Flora,Environment and Pollution,Historic and Modern Divisions,2 History,Timeline,The Rise of Islam,Muslim Dynasties,Later Muslim Dynasties and the Arabian Region,Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab and the First Sa'udi State,The Second Sa'udi Realm (1824–1891),'Abd al-'Aziz al-Sa'ud (Ibn Sa'ud) and the Forging of Saudi Arabia,King Sa'ud ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz,The Reign of Faysal ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz,The Reign of Khalid ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz,Saudi Arabia under King Fahd,The Gulf War,Reactions to the Gulf War,The War on Terrorism and the Global War on Terror,The Reign of King 'Abdullah,3 Government and Politics,The King,The Crown Prince,The Royal Diwan,The Council of Ministers,The Majlis al-Shura,Judiciary and Legal System,Civil Service Board and Independent Agencies,Regional and Municipal Government,The 'Ulama,Family and Tribal Influences,National (Meeting for Intellectual) Dialogue,Domestic Political Issues,Foreign Policy,Broader Saudi Arabian Foreign Policy,4 Economy,Overview,Economic Planning,Industry,The Private Sector and the State,Labor,Trade and Finance,Taxation,Investment,Banking and Financial Systems,Economic Outreach and Aid,5 Society,Religion and Law,Islamic Law,Islamic Duties,Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab,The 'Ulama,Governmental Religious Departments,Shi'a Muslims in Saudi Arabia,Other Competing Ideologies,Social Classes and Ethnicity,Overview,Bias in Social Information,Modern Societal Studies,Ethnicity versus Nationality,Tribalism,Endogamy,Tribal Values,Religious Elite,Merchants,Religious Minorities,Slavery,Racial Relations,Traditional Social Values,Age,Gender and Social Status,Modernization and Society,Foreign Workers,Poverty,The Royal Family,Women and Marriage,Women and Education,Restrictions,Expansion,Employment,Rules and Expectations,Guardianship,Guardianship and Marriage,Social Equivalence and Polygyny,Divorce,Abuse,Rape,Dress,Servants,Education,Overview,Universities,Separate Gender Education,International Schools,Education and Aramco,Shi'a Higher Education and Activism,Islamic Education,Critiques of Islamic Education,Learning by Other Means,6 Culture,Language,Language Features,Numbers,Features of Arabic,Etiquette,Coffee,Gestures,Gifts,Clothing,Deportment and Segregation of the Sexes,Business,Bargaining,Photographs,Weddings and Funerals,Literature,The Impact of the Qur'an,Ghazal Poetry,Folk or Vernacular Poetry and Lyrics,Early-Modern Arab Literature,Modern Poetry, Novels, and Short Stories,Theater and Drama,Later Novels,Theater in Private Spaces,Visual Art and Film,Photography,Young Artists,Film,Music and Dance,Music: General Features,Popular Music Industry,Traditional Musical Forms,Large-Ensemble Music,Styles of Hijaz and Asir,Dance,Religious Music,Songs of Pilgrimage,Food,Sports and Leisure,Sports,Leisure and Entertainment,Popular Culture,Amthal,Jokes, Nawadir, and Short Tales,Superstitions,Games,Tribal Law and Mediation,Tribal and Traditional Medicine,Popular Occasions,Clothing and Historic Costume,Architecture,The Mosque,Markets,General Features of the Hijaz,Asir and Abha,Najd,Eastern Province,7 Contemporary Issues,Defense,Islamist Opposition and Terrorism,Health,Women and Social Transformation,Media, Freedom of Speech, and Censorship,Human Rights,Capital Punishment,Glossary,Facts and Figures,Major Saudi Arabian Holidays,Country-Related Organizations,Annotated Bibliography,Thematic Index,Index,

This source contains so much valuable information on a vital country of the world that it should be in libraries of every kind.