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Arabian Peninsula |
Arabian Peninsula, great desert peninsula in extreme
southwestern Asia, bounded on the north by Jordan and Iraq, on the east by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of
Oman, on the south by the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden, and on the west by the Red Sea.
The climate is extremely arid, few places receiving more than 178 mm (7 in) of rain a year,
and no permanent
streams exist. Summer temperatures reach as high as 54.4 C (130 F) in some areas.
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Various minerals, including gold, silver, sulfur, and salt, are produced. The region, however, owes its modern economic life to the vast reserves
of petroleum and natural gas, found largely in the area around the Persian Gulf. Major cities include Riyadh,
Mecca, Aden, Jiddah, Sana'a (Sanaa), Abu Dhabi, and Kuwait.
The peninsula is essentially a vast plateau, rimmed on the west and south by mountains and sloping gently east
to the Persian Gulf.
It contains some of the largest sandy desert areas in the world, notably the Rub´
al Khali (Empty Quarter) in the south and An Nafud in the north. |
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For the history of Arabia and of its various political divisions and for other information on these
states, please klick here Bahrain Kuwait
Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia Yemen United Arab Emirates
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