Sa!ud kings ruled Saudi Arabia into the
21st century.
Oil
Oil was discovered in Saudi Arabia in
1938. The country became a major
supplier of oil to the United States and
the rest of the Western world. The sale
of oil allowed the Saudi government to
build many new roads, schools,
hospitals, and other buildings. Saudi
Arabia became a leading power in the
Middle East.
Modern Saudi Arabia
King Fahd took the Saudi throne in
1982. In 1990 Iraq invaded the neighboring
country of Kuwait. King Fahd
feared that Iraq might next invade Saudi
Arabia. He invited the United States and
other countries to put together a huge
military force in his country. The military
force defeated Iraq during the Persian
GulfWar in 1991.
In the late 1990s King Fahd passed
much of his power to his half brother,
Crown Prince Abdullah. After King
Fahd died in 2005, Abdullah became
king.
#More to explore
Arabian Peninsula • Arabs • Islam
• Mecca • Middle East • Persian Gulf
War • Petroleum • Riyadh
622 1517 1932 1938 1982 1991 1996
Islam begins on
the Arabian
Peninsula.
The Ottoman
Empire takes
over the
peninsula.
Ibn Sa!ud
founds the
Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia.
Oil is found in
Saudi Arabia.
King Fahd
becomes the
Saudi ruler.
Saudi Arabia
helps defeat
Iraq in the
Persian Gulf
War.
Crown Prince
Abdullah takes
over the
government.
T I M E L I N E
The Kingdom Centre towers above the surrounding
buildings in Riyadh, the capital of
Saudi Arabia. The building contains offices,
apartments, shops, and a hotel. At the top
is an observation deck.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Saudi Arabia 45
Sauk
The Sauk (or Sac) are a Native American
group that probably once lived in what
is now Michigan. By the 1600s, the
Sauk had moved to what is nowWisconsin.
They are closely related to a
group of Native Americans called the
Fox.
The Sauk traditionally grew corn,
squash, and beans. They lived in
villages in houses made from bark.
After the harvest each year, the Sauk
moved to their hunting grounds to fish
and hunt animals, including bison
(buffalo).
In the late 1700s the Sauk moved into
what is now Illinois. In 1804 one Sauk
group gave up its land to the United
States. Many other Sauk became angry
with this. Some Sauk people moved to
what is now Iowa in 1830, but other
Sauk refused to leave their lands.
Among them was Black Hawk, a war
chief. His people stayed in their village
while U.S. settlers began to move onto
their land.
The United States finally sent in troops
to drive the Sauk from the village. The
fighting that followed became known as
the Black HawkWar of 1832. The Sauk
were quickly defeated.
Settlers continued to move onto Sauk
land. In the late 1800s the Sauk moved
to what is now Oklahoma, where they
shared a reservation with the Fox. They
are sometimes considered one group
called the Sauk and Fox tribe.
There were about 4,500 Sauk and Fox
people in the United States at the end of
the 20th century. They lived in Kansas,
Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Iowa.
#More to explore
Black Hawk • Fox • Native Americans
Sault Sainte
Marie Canals
The Sault Sainte Marie canals form one
of the world’s major canal systems. Ships
use the canals to travel between Lake
Superior and Lake Huron.
The system is made up of two canals
along the Saint Marys River. This river
connects Lake Superior and Lake
Huron. Part of the river is very dangerous.
The canals were built so that ships
A Sauk warrior wears war paint on his face. could get around this area. The United
46 Sauk BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
States operates one of the canals. Canada
runs the other one.
The Canadian canal is 1.4 miles (2.3
kilometers) long. It has a special device
called a lock. The lock raises or lowers
ships to the water level of the lake they
want to enter. The U.S. canal is 1.6
miles (2.6 kilometers) long. It has four
locks. They are nicknamed the Soo
Locks.
The canals are very important to the
economies of two cities. These cities are
both named Sault Sainte Marie. They
are located on either side of the Saint
Marys River. One city is in the Canadian
province of Ontario. The other is
on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
In 1669 French missionaries gave the
name Sault Sainte Marie to the area
around the Saint Marys River. The name
means “the rapids of Saint Mary.” The
first large locks on the Michigan side
opened in 1855. Large locks on the
Canadian side opened in 1895.
#More to explore
Canal • Huron, Lake • Superior, Lake
Scald
#see Burn and Scald.
Scarlet Fever
Scarlet fever is a disease named for the
scarlet (red) rash it causes. Once common
among children, scarlet fever is
now rare.
The first symptoms, or signs, of scarlet
fever are a high fever and a sore throat.
The person may vomit and ache. About
two days later a red, rough rash appears.
It usually starts on the neck and chest
and then spreads. The face also looks
red, often with a pale area around the
mouth. The tongue may have a whitish
coating at first. When the coating disappears,
the tongue is swollen and bumpy.
The arm of a young person shows the red
rash of scarlet fever.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Scarlet Fever 47
Symptoms last for about a week. Afterward
the skin may peel.
