The Arabian Peninsula. The beauty of the desert and the sea

The Arabian Peninsula concludes on its territory the state of Saudi Arabia and several other Arab states (Oman, Yemen, Qatar, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates), as well as a small part of the territory of Iraq and Jordan. It is the largest peninsula in the world.

Almost all of its territory was flooded with deserts (more than 80%), so the lands of the Arabian Peninsula are often compared with the landscapes of East Africa. The most extensive is the desert Rub-al-Khali. It is on the list of the largest deserts in the world (its territory occupies more than 650 sq. Km). The local climate is one of the hottest and driest in the world. The air temperature in summer reaches 50 degrees, and in winter ranges from 8 to 20 degrees. The desert is filled with mobile sands forming sand dunes.

Within the Arabian Peninsula is also the Nefud Desert. Rather, Nefud is a few deserts united into a single whole: the Great Nefud, the Small Nefud and the Nefud-Dahi. On the desert lands, riverbeds of dried up rivers have been preserved as evidence that earlier this area had a completely different climate - more humid and not so hot.

To the unusual and interesting places in Nefud, the city of Riyadh can be attributed. There you can visit museums, see the fortresses, get acquainted with the ancient culture of Islam. Also worth noting is the unusual red sand covering the lands of the Great Nephew.

The Arabian Peninsula is washed in the west by the Red Sea, in the east by the Persian and Oman Gulf. The Arabian Sea, as well as the Gulf of Aden, border on the peninsula in the south. The sea is part of the Indian Ocean and is washed by the banks of India. The sea in India splashes off the coasts of the most popular resort areas: Goa, Kerala, Karnataka.

The Arabian Peninsula has a fairly diverse and rich fauna, which is not characteristic of desert territories. Ungulate hooves run along the sands of the peninsula: antelopes, gazelles. Also you can meet other herbivorous animals, for example, hares or wild donkeys. The predatory world is represented by such animals as wolves, foxes, jackals, hyenas. The avifauna of the peninsula is quite rich. The main representatives: eagles, kites, larks, bustard, quail, vultures, falcons, pigeons. In the desert sands there is a large number of rodents and reptiles: gophers, snakes, gerbils, lizards, turtles, jerboas. It is worth noting and a rich water world. Coastal waters are home to a variety of coral species, including rare ones (black coral). Ten protected areas are organized on the peninsula. In the tourism sector, the popular park is the Asir National Park, which is located in Saudi Arabia.

The Arabian Peninsula is populated mainly by Arabs. Although there is a small number of foreigners. Mostly these are Indians, Filipinos, Egyptians, Pakistanis and only a few Europeans. When people speak of the population of the Arabian Peninsula, it often means the people of Saudi Arabia, because the country occupies its main territory. The population of Saudi Arabia is more than 28 million people.