chapter 1 Flashcards
The Arabian Peninsula is a peninsula of
Western Asia situated northeast of Africa on theArabian plate.
From a geological perspective, it is considered a subcontinent of
Asia
It is the largest peninsula in the world, at
3,237,500 km2
The Arabian Peninsula consists of the countries
Yemen, Oman, Qatar,Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and theUnited Arab Emirates, and parts ofJordan and Iraq. the island on bahrain lies off the east coast of the peninula
what are the countries of the GCC
KSA
kuwait
Bahrain
Qater
UAE
Oman
what country covers the grestest part of the peninsula
KSA
the majority of the population of the paninsula live in
KSA and Yamen
The peninsula formed as a result of
the rifting of theRed Sea between 56 and 23 million years ago
The peninsula formed as a result of the rifting of theRed Sea between 56 and 23 million years ago, and is bordered by
the Red Sea to the west and southwest, the Arabian Gulf to the northeast, and the Indian Ocean to the southeast.
البحر الاحمر
الخليج العربي
المحيط الهندي
The Arabian Peninsula plays a critical
geopoliticalrole in the Middle East and the Arab world due to its vast reserves of oiland natural gas.
The Arabian Peninsula is located in the continent of
Asia
The Arabian Peninsula is located in the continent of Asia and bounded by (clockwise)
the Arabian Gulf on the northeast, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman on the east, the Arabian Sea on the southeast and south, the Gulf of Adenon the south, the Bab-el-Mandeb strait on the southwest and the Red Sea, which is located on the southwest and west
الخليج العربي
مضيق هرمز
خليج عمان
بحر العرب
خليج عدن
مضيق باب المندب
البحر الاحمر
The northern portion of the peninsula merges with
the Syrian Desert with no clear border line
The northern portion of the peninsula merges with the Syrian Desert with no clear border line, although the northern boundary of the Arabian Peninsula is generally considered to be
the northern borders of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait
The most prominent feature of the peninsula is
desert
The most prominent feature of the peninsula is desert, but in the
southwest there are mountain ranges,
The most prominent feature of the peninsula is desert, but in the southwest there are mountain ranges, which
receive greater rainfall than the rest of the Arabian Peninsula.
…………… is a large volcanic field that extends from …………..
Harrat ash Shaam
the northwestern Arabian Peninsula into Jordan and southern Syria
حره الشام
Geologically, this region is perhaps more appropriately called the
Arabian subcontinent
Geologically, this region is perhaps more appropriately called the Arabian subcontinent because
t lies on a tectonic plate of its own, the Arabian Plate, which has been moving incrementally away from the rest of Africa (forming the Red Sea) and north, toward Asia, into theEurasian plate (forming the Zagros mountains).
The rocks exposed vary systematically across Arabia, with the oldest rocks exposed in the
Arabian-Nubian Shieldnear the Red Sea, overlain by earlier sediments that become younger towards the Arabain Gulf.
Perhaps the best-preserved ophiolite on Earth, the
Semail Ophiolite
Perhaps the best-preserved ophiolite on Earth, the Semail Ophiolite, lies exposed in the
mountains of the UAE and northern Oman
The peninsula consists of:
- A central plateau
- A range of deserts
- In Hejaz, ranges of mountains, paralleling the Red Sea coast on the west (e.g. Asir province) but also at the southeastern end of the peninsula (Oman).
- Stretches of dry or marshy coastland with coral reefs on the Red Sea side (Tihamah)
- Oases and marshy coast-land inEastern Arabia on the Persian Gulfside
The peninsula consists of:
- A central plateau,
the Najd, with fertile valleys and pastures used for the grazing of sheep and other livestock
نجد (وسط السعوديه)ذ
The peninsula consists of:
- A range of deserts:
the Nefud in the north, which is stony; the Rub’ al Khali or Great Arabian Desert in the south, with sand estimated to extend 600 ft (180 m) below the surface; between them, the Dahna
صحراء النفوذ (صخر)ي
الربع الخالي
صحراء الدهناء
The peninsula consists of:
- In Hejaz, ranges of mountains, paralleling the Red Sea coast on the west (e.g. Asir province) but also at the southeastern end of the peninsula (Oman).
The mountains show a steady increase in altitude westward as they get nearer to Yemen, and the highest peaks and ranges are all located in Yemen The highest, Jabal an Nabi Shu’ayb in Yemen, is 3666 m high
جبل النبي شعيب في اليمن هو اعلى جبل في شبه الجزيره
Arabia has few lakes or permanent rivers. Most areas are drained by
ephemeral watercourses called wadis, which are dry except during the rainy season.
Plentiful ancient aquifers exist beneath much of the peninsula, however, and where this water surfaces, oases form (e.g.
Al-Hasa andQatif, two of the world’s largest oases) and permit agriculture, especially palm trees, which allowed the peninsula to produce more dates than any other region in the world.
الحسى و القطيف
In general, the climate is
extremely hot and arid, although there are exceptions. Higher elevations are made temperate by their altitude, and the Arabian Sea coastline can receive surprisingly cool, humid breezes in summer due to cold upwelling offshore.
The peninsula has no ………………….. Desert-adapted wildlife is present throughout the region.
thick forests
the most over-stressed aquifer system in the world is the
Arabian Aquifer System
the most over-stressed aquifer system in the world is the Arabian Aquifer System, upon which more than …………………… people depend for water
60 million
………………….. “have exceeded sustainability tipping points and are being depleted”
Twenty-one of the thirty seven largest aquifers
Twenty-one of the thirty seven largest aquifers “have exceeded sustainability tipping points and are being depleted” and
thirteen of them are “considered significantly distressed.”
most of the arabian peninsula is unsuited to
agriculture
most of the arabian peninsula is unsuited to ugriculture, making …………… projects essential
irrigation and land reclamation
the narrow coastal plain and isolated oases, amounting to ………….. are used to ……
less than 1% of the land area are used to cultivate grains, cofee and tropical fruits
some areas have a …………… climate particularly …………….
summer humid tropical moonsoon climate
Dhofar and Al Mahrah areas of Oman and yamen
ضفار و المهره في عمان و اليمن
Dhofar and Al Mahrah areas allow for
large scale coconut plantation
areas having tropical mosoon rain. why?
much of yamen and part of oman
influenced mountain climate
the plains usually have ……………………… climate
tropical or
subtropical arid desert climate or
arid steppe climate
the sea surrounding the arabian peninsula is generally
tropical sea with a very rich tropical sea life and some of the worlds largerst undestroyed and most prestine coral reefs
some reefs were destroyed in the arabian gulf, mostly caused by
phosphate water pollution and
resultant increase in algea growth as well as
oil pollution from ships and pipeline leakage
the fertile soil of yamen have encouraged
settlement of almost all of the land from sea level up to mountains at 3 km
in higher reaches elaborate terraces have been constructed to facilitate
grain, fruit, cofee, ginger and khat cultivation
how sand storms happen in the arabian penensula
cold air sinks and digs into soil
soil lifts
this happens (cold front) on nafud the result is dust storms in al Dahna, UAE and oman
another source of sand storms is pakistan desert
dust storms are powered by
southern jordan and Iraq
the arabian desert may be devided into
an nafud
ad dahna
rub al khali
an nufud location
northernmost of all deserts
founf in north-central KSA
charactaristics of an nafud
vast oval sand sea (68, 000 km2 in area) characterized by large, deep red, crecent-shaped dunes.
noted weather in an nufud
sudden high winds and sandstorms
location of oases in an nufud
western edge where it meets the hejaz mountains
what might be produced in an nufud desert
dates, fruits, vegetables and grains
name an oasis located in an nufud
tayme (western margin of an nufud)
ad dahna location
central part of the arabian desert
runs along the eastern edge of the jabal tuwayq range
shape of ad dahna
longm narrow cresent of sand dunes that connects an nufud in the north to rub al khali in south.
1,200 km long
24-80 km wide
The United Arab Emirates is situated in Middle East/southwest Asia, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia; it is on a strategic location along
northern approaches to the Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil.
The UAE lies between (latitude and longitude)
22°50′ and 26° north latitude and between 51° and 56°25′ east longitude
It shares a …………kilometer border with Saudi Arabia on the west, south, and southeast, and a …………-kilometer border with Oman on the southeast and northeast.
530-
450
The total area of the UAE is approximately
83,600 square kilometers
The country’s exact size is unknown because of
disputed claims to several islands in the Arabian Gulf, because of the lack of precise information on the size of many of these islands, and because most of its land boundaries, especially with Saudi Arabia, remain undemarcated.
The largest emirate, Abu Dhabi, accounts for
87 percent of the UAE’s total area (72,732 square kilometers).
The smallest emirate,
, Ajman, encompasses only 259 square kilometers.
Land boundaries:
total
867 km
Land boundaries:
- Total: 867 km
Border countries:
: Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km
Coastline:
- 1,318 km
Elevation extremes:
Lowest point:
- Arabian Gulf (0 m)
Jabal Yibir (1,527 m)
The UAE stretches for more than …………. kilometers along the ……………
650 kilometers
southern shore of the Arabian Gulf
Most of the coast consists of
salt pans that extend far inland.
The largest natural harbor is at ………………. although ………………
The smaller islands, as well as many coral reefs and shifting sandbars, are a menace to
navigation
…………………… further complicate ship movements near the shore.
Strong tides and occasional windstorms
The UAE also extends for about …….. kilometers along the Gulf of Oman, an area known as the ……………
90
Al Batinah coast.
The Al Hajar al Gharbi Mountains, rising in places to
2,500 meters
The Al Hajar al Gharbi Mountains, rising in places to 2,500 meters, separate the
Al Batinah coast from the rest of the UAE
The Al Hajar al Gharbi Mountains, rising in places to 2,500 meters, separate the Al Batinah coast from the rest of the UAE. Beginning at the
UAE-Oman border on the Arabian Gulf coast of the Ras Musandam, the Al Hajar al Gharbi Mountains extend southeastward for about 150 kilometers to the southernmost UAE-Oman frontier on the Gulf of Oman.
The range continues as the Al Hajar ash Sharqi Mountains for more than
500 kilometers into Oman
. The range continues as the Al Hajar ash Sharqi Mountains for more than 500 kilometers into Oman. The steep mountain slopes run directly to the shore in many places. Nevertheless, there are small harbors at
at Dibba Al-Hisn, Kalba, and Khor Fakkan on the Gulf of Oman. In the vicinity of Al Fujayrah, where the mountains do not approach the coast, there are sandy beaches.
دبا الحصن
كلبا
خور فكان
الفجيره
……………….. are part of the Gulf of Oman desert and semi-desert eco-region.
These northern emirates on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman
South and west of Abu Dhabi, vast, rolling sand dunes merge into the
Rub’ al Khali of Saudi Arabia.
The desert area of Abu Dhabi includes
important oases with adequate underground water for permanent settlements and cultivation.
The extensive Al Liwa Oasis is in the
south near the border with Saudi Arabia, and about 100 kilometers to the northeast is the Al Ain (Al Buraymi) Oasis, which extends on both sides of the UAE-Oman border.
The climate of the UAE generally is
very hot and sunny
The hottest months are
July and August
. The hottest months are July and August, when average maximum temperatures reach
50 °C on the coastal plain.
In the Al Hajar al Gharbi Mountains, temperatures are considerably
cooler, a result of increased altitude.
. Average minimum temperatures in
January and February are between 10 and 14 °C.
During the late summer months, a humid……………..wind known as………..
southeastern
the sharqi
a humid southeastern wind known as the sharqi makes the
coastal region especially unpleasant
The average annual rainfall in the coastal area is
fewer than 120 mm,
The average annual rainfall in the coastal area is fewer than 120 mm, but in some mountainous areas annual rainfall often reaches
350 mm
Rain in the coastal region falls in
short, torrential bursts during the summer months, sometimes resulting in floods in ordinarily dry wadi beds
The region is prone to occasional, violent
dust storm, which can severely reduce visibility.
The Jebel Jais mountain cluster in Ras al Khaimah has experienced snow only
three times (2004, 2009 and 2017) since records began.
In the oases grow
date palms, acacia and eucalyptus trees. In the desert the flora is very sparse and consists of grasses and thorn-bushes.
The indigenous fauna had come close to extinction because of
intensive hunting, which has led to a conservation program on Bani Yas island initiated by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in the 1970s, resulting in the survival of, for example, Arabian oryx and leopards.
Resources and land use:
- Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas
- Land use: arable land: 0.77%
- Permanent crops: 2.27%
- Irrigated land: 2,300 km²
- Total renewable water resources: 0.2 km2
Main Hazards:
- Natural hazards: sand and dust storms, flash floods, lightning and fog.
- Environment - current issues: lack of natural freshwater resources being overcome by desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil spills
