<P> In 1930, the two kingdoms of the Hejaz and Najd were united as the' Kingdom of Saudi Arabia' . Boundaries with Transjordan, Iraq, and Kuwait were established by a series of treaties negotiated in the 1920s, with two "neutral zones" created, one with Iraq and the other with Kuwait . The country's southern boundary with Yemen was partially defined by the 1934 Treaty of Ta'if, which ended a brief border war between the two states . </P> <P> Abdulaziz's military and political successes were not mirrored economically until vast reserves of oil were discovered in 1938 in the Al - Hasa region along the Persian Gulf coast . Development began in 1941 and by 1949 production was in full swing . </P> <P> In February 1945, King Abdul Aziz met President Franklin D. Roosevelt aboard the USS Quincy in the Suez Canal . A historic handshake agreeing on supplying oil to the United States in exchange for guaranteed protection to the Saudi regime is still in force today . It has survived seven Saudi Kings and twelve US presidents . </P> <P> Abdulaziz died in 1953 . King Saud succeeded to the throne on his father's death in 1953 . Oil provided Saudi Arabia with economic prosperity and a great deal of political leverage in the international community . At the same time, the government became increasingly wasteful and lavish . Despite the new wealth, extravagant spending led to governmental deficits and foreign borrowing in the 1950s . </P>

Who did saudi arabia get its independence from