The Saudi family first adopted the green banner of Islam during the 18th century, when they began conquering parts of the Arabian Peninsula. The Arabic inscription, added in 1901, reads: "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is Allah's Prophet." The sword was added in 1906 to symbolize the military triumphs of Islam and especially of Ibn Saudi, the first king of Saudi Arabia. Since 1906 the sword emblem has been modified from time to time, most recently in 1973.

Saudi Arabia has an area of about 2,240,000 sq km (about 865,000 sq mi).

The capital and largest city is Riyadh.