- The Saud 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 Saud, 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.
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