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Riyadh Facts & Worksheets

Known as the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh rests on a desert plateau in the country’s center.

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Known as the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh rests on a desert plateau in the country’s center. It is a busy mega-city that also serves as Saudi Arabia’s financial and technological hub. There are 15 municipal districts subdividing the city, and these are overseen by the Municipality of Riyadh, which is headed by the Mayor, and the Royal Commission for Riyadh, which is chaired by the Governor of the Province.

See the fact file below for more information on the Riyadh or alternatively, you can download our 21-page Riyadh worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

ETYMOLOGY

  • The name Riyadh is a literal translation of the Arabic word meaning “The Gardens”. The first mention of the name dates back to the year 1590 from an early Arab chronicler.
  • When Deham Ibn Dawwas took control of Riyadh in 1737, he built a wall around the city. Use of the name Riyadh began to be used during this period to refer to the earlier oasis towns that predated the construction of the wall.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

  • The site where the modern Riyadh now lies was previously referred to as Hajr during the Pre-Islamic era. Hajr served as the capital of the province of Al-Yamamah, whose governors were responsible for most of central and eastern Arabia during the Umayyad and Abbasid eras. Later on, Hajr broke up into several separate settlements and estates.
  • In 1744, Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab formed an alliance with the Emir of Dir’iyah, Muhammad bin Saud, and took Riyadh from Deham Ibn Dawwas in 1774.
  • Saud and al-Wahhab established their state, then known as the First Saudi State, which eventually collapsed in 1818. Turki ibn Abdullah founded the Second Saudi State in the early 19th century and made Riyadh his capital in 1825.
  • Abdullah’s reign over the city was disrupted by a joint Ottoman–Rashidi alliance. In the early 20th century, Abdulaziz ibn Saud, known in the west simply as Ibn Saud, retrieved his ancestral kingdom of Najd in 1902 and consolidated his rule by 1926 with the final Saudi conquest of Hejaz. He then named his kingdom Saudi Arabia in September 1932, with Riyadh as the capital.

GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE

  • As it is situated in a desert plateau, Riyadh experiences a hot desert climate with extremely long summers and short mild winters. The highest average temperature in the summer month of August is 43.6 degrees Celsius.
  • Riyadh receives a fair amount of rain in March and April and is known to have thick dust storms that can reduce visibility to under 10 meters.
  • The city has a total area of 1,973 square kilometers and is around 600 meters above sea level in eastern Najd, or “Highland”, a region dominated by a rocky landscape most noted by the Tuwayq Mountains. Despite this, the city of Riyadh itself is relatively flat.
  • Soils in and around Riyadh are made up of an alluvium of gravel, sand, silt, clay deposits, and a limestone subsoil.

ECONOMY

  • Riyadh hosts numerous government ministries and public services headquarters, making the public sector the city’s largest employer.
  • In the private sector, more than two-fifths of the workforce is employed in services, about one-fourth in construction, more than one-fifth in trade, and about one-tenth in industry.
  • A number of banks are headquartered in the city, including Saudi Arabia’s central bank and several national banks. Numerous private companies are also located there, and every publicly quoted company is compelled by law to have an office in the city.
  • About one-third of the country’s factories are located in Riyadh, producing machinery, equipment, metallurgical goods, chemicals, construction materials, food, textiles, furniture, and publications.

HIGHLIGHTS AND ATTRACTIONS

  • The Kingdom Centre is the winner of the 2002 Emporis Skyscraper Award, selected as the “best new skyscraper of the year for design and functionality”. It has 99 stories and is the third tallest structure in the country, rising to 300 meters tall. A special aspect of the tower is that it is divided into two parts in the last one-third of its height, and it is linked by a sky-bridge walkway that provides stunning views of Riyadh.
  • Al Faisaliyah Centre is the first skyscraper constructed in Saudi Arabia. The golden ball that lies atop the tower is said to be inspired by a ballpoint pen and contains a restaurant. Immediately below this is an outside viewing deck.
  • The Riyadh TV Tower is a television tower located inside the premises of the Saudi Ministry of Information. It is 170 meters tall.
  • The National Museum of Saudi Arabia combined several collections and pieces that had been scattered throughout several institutions and other places in Riyadh and the Kingdom. The meteorite fragment known as the “Camel’s Hump”, recovered in 1966 from the Wabar site, was on display at the King Saud University in Riyadh, but it has since become a new entry piece of the National Museum of Saudi Arabia.

HIGHLIGHTS AND ATTRACTIONS

  • In the framework of the recent Saudi endeavor to promote tourism in the country, the Riyadh Season was held as part of the Saudi Seasons initiative. The season took place in October 2019 and lasted until December 2019. It hosted a wide range of sports, music, theatre, fashion shows, circus, and various other entertainment activities.
  • In 2019, King Salman launched a plan to implement 1,281 development projects in Riyadh. The main goal of the plan is to improve the infrastructure, transportation, environment, and other facilities in Riyadh and the surrounding area. In the framework of Saudi Vision 2030, the plan will take care of constructing 15 housing units, building a huge museum, establishing an environmental project, sports arenas, medical cities, educational facilities, and more.

Riyadh Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Riyadh across 21 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Riyadh worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, which rests on a desert plateau in the country’s center. It is a busy mega-city that also serves as Saudi Arabia’s financial and technological hub. There are 15 municipal districts subdividing the city, and these are overseen by the Municipality of Riyadh, which is headed by the Mayor, and the Royal Commission for Riyadh, which is chaired by the Governor of the Province.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Riyadh Facts
  • The Story of Riyadh
  • Culture Crossword
  • Jar of Facts
  • Food in Riyadh
  • More About Riyadh
  • Riyadh Religion
  • Notable People
  • Where To Go
  • Riyadh Wiki
  • Enculturation Comics

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Link will appear as Riyadh Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, January 12, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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