Half of Saudi Arabia is desert, but when they build it, they need to import sand from Australia. The answer to this question is actually very simple, because the sand used for building materials is river sand, not desert sand.
The sand in the desert has been polished into very fine particles all year round, and the soil content is relatively high, which will reduce the strength of concrete when used as an infrastructure material, so the sand in the desert can only be seen and cannot be used. What makes Saudi Arabia even more speechless is that its 2.25 million square kilometers territory has no river. Not to mention the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, there is not even a "Rehe (the shortest river in China, only 90 meters)".
In fact, it is no wonder that Saudi Arabia, as a country at the same latitude as the Sahara Desert, is still sandwiched between Asia and Africa. Neither the northeast wind in Asia nor the southwest wind in Africa can bring enough moisture to Saudi Arabia. Coupled with Saudi Arabia's 40-50-degree high temperature environment, this land of more than 2 million square kilometers has not been able to form a river.
Without rivers, there is naturally no river sand, so Saudi Arabia can only import from other countries. In fact, Saudi Arabia not only imports sand from Australia, but also Belgium, Turkey, India, the United States, etc., of which Belgium is the largest source country, accounting for 27.7%. China is not far behind, and 23.7% of sand is exported to Saudi Arabia. In fact, China also lacks sand, but the local tyrant Saudi Arabia has a high bid, and we are not short of money.
While Australia is not Saudi Arabia's largest source of sand, it is Saudi Arabia's largest source of camels. Many friends were surprised again, as a desert country, how can Saudi Arabia still lack camels? Before the discovery of oil, camels were an important strategic resource for Saudi Arabia, just like the war horses of the steppe countries. Why do you need to import it now?
In fact, this is because the Saudi camels have been eaten by these local tycoons. If it weren't for oil, Saudi Arabia would be the country with the worst natural endowment in the world. Extremely hot environment, very little water resources, yellow sand everywhere, and few forests. There are only a handful of places to grow grain, let alone farming. So in Saudi Arabia, their main source of protein and fat is not cattle, sheep and pigs, but camels.
We don't know if camel meat is good or not, but for the Saudis, camels are treasures. Camel milk is rich in nutrients, meat can be used to fill hunger, skin can be used to make a few clothes, and wool can be used to make tents. Even the excrement of camels is exhausted by Saudi Arabia. For example, feces are used as fuel, and urine can wash hair, which is said to have a miraculous effect on hair growth. If you have the opportunity, you may wish to give it a try, and the effect must be shared with everyone.
For ordinary people in Saudi Arabia, a top-notch wedding banquet must have roasted whole camels. Don't underestimate the roasted whole camel, the price of this dish may be as high as tens of thousands of yuan, because there is nothing in the roasted whole camel. On the surface it is just a camel, but in fact the camel has a sheep in its belly, a chicken and duck in its belly, and a chicken and duck may have grilled fish in its belly. Such a big meal is simply a nuclear weapon in the catering world, and the price of tens of thousands is not an exaggeration.
It is precisely because camels have become a vegetable that Saudi Arabia needs to import camels from other countries. As for why Australia, it's simple, because Australian camels are flooded. In the past, we only knew that Australian rabbits were flooded, but in fact, camels are also herbivores, rabbits like it, camels also like it. And in Australia, camels are basically invincible, coupled with their super reproductive ability, Australian camels have also been "full".
Although these camels do not actively attack people, they will unconsciously enter human farms and waste the crops on the farms. Since the Saudis like to eat camels, Australia naturally generates income.