Situated in the southwestern corner of Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, or Arabia, is the original homeland of the Arabs, the Arabic language and culture, and Islam. Politically, the peninsula includes seven independent countries: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and Bahrain. The peninsula also includes portions of Jordan and Iraq. GeographyThe peninsula covers an area of about 1.25 million square miles (3.4 million square kilometers). To its west are the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, to its south the Gulf of Aden, and to its south and southeast the Arabian Sea. To the northeast of the Arabian Peninsula lies the Gulf of Oman and the Persian (or Arabian) Gulf. Arabia lies in the belt of dry lands that stretch from the Sahara in northern Africa almost all the way across central Asia. Along the Red Sea and the southern coast of Arabia there are narrow, sandy plains. No more than 40–50 miles (65–80 kilometers) inland, the land rapidly rises to a vast, high plateau, with a highland area in the southwest where the peaks reach some 12,000 feet (3,700 meters). The plateau slopes gently down to the flat shores of the Persian Gulf. The plateau region is full of vast areas of bare rock and sand dunes that sometimes pile up as high as 800 feet (240 meters). Arabian summers are very hot. Daytime temperatures at times reach 129° F (54° C). The interior of the peninsula is mostly dry while along the coasts and in some of the southern highlands and deserts, humidity reaches extremely high levels. Plants and animalsExcept for the date palm, which grows almost anywhere, and the juniper trees found in the southwestern region, the peninsula does not have many trees. Some trees, such as acacia, tamarisk, and mimosa, are used to break the force of winds across the dunes. Salt scrub, the occasional cactus-like euphorbia, eucalyptus, and aloe are about the only other natural vegetation found in the Arabian Peninsula. Camels, sheep, goats, hyenas, wolves, jackals, and the now-rare oryx and ibex are the main animals found in Arabia. Other animals include scorpions, snakes (horned vipers and cobras), spiders, lizards, hares, and rodents. The famous Saluki hound, a North African desert dog, is used in hunting. Birds of the peninsula include quail, grouse, eagles, vultures, owls, pigeons, doves, bustards, and several species of sea birds. Marine life in the seas around Arabia consists of mackerel, groupers, tuna, porgies, shrimp, and other food fish. Sharks and sardines are plentiful off the southern coast, and whales occasionally enter the Persian Gulf. ResourcesThe important mineral resources of the peninsula are petroleum and natural gas. Arabia has almost half of the world's petroleum reserves. Most of these deposits are on or off the shore of the Persian Gulf. Gypsum and marble are also found in the Arabian Peninsula. Other mineral resources in the region include copper, phosphate, gold, silver, iron ore, and barite. People and cultureThe majority of Arabians are ethnic Arabs. Nearly all Arabs speak Arabic, though in different regional forms. Most Arabs are Muslims. Arabia is the birthplace of the Muslim faith, also known as Islam. The prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam, was born in Mecca, Arabia (now in Saudi Arabia), in AD 570. Most Arabs now live in cities and towns. However, there is a small community known as the Bedouin that moves constantly in search of pastures for its flocks of camels, sheep, and goats. EconomyAgricultural land generally amounts to less than 1 percent of land area. Yemen and Saudi Arabia have by far the largest agricultural labor forces. Crops range from cereal grains, melons, and other fruits to aromatic herbs and spices, coffee, and a stimulant called khat. Principal livestock includes cattle, asses, camels, sheep, and goats. Most coastal towns have a small fishing fleet. The principal industry and the major source of revenue is oil refining. However, the peninsula's available natural resources are not distributed equally among its states. Those in the south and southwest get far less wealth from oil than do the others. HistoryArabia is thought to be the original home of a number of Semitic tribes, who settled down in the Fertile Crescent to the north of the peninsula after years of wandering. The Minaean kingdom flourished in the 4th–2nd centuries BC. Other notable kingdoms were those of Himyar and Saba, or Sheba. Muhammad lived in Arabia from AD 570 to 632. Within a generation of his death, all of Arabia was converted to Islam. His successors, the caliphs, soon created new Muslim empires. The first three caliphs ruled from Medina. Later caliphs had capitals in Damascus (Syria), Baghdad (Iraq), and finally in Cairo (Egypt). The political center of Islam never again returned to the Arabian Peninsula. Thereafter, Arabia broke up into small kingdoms ruled by tribal or religious leaders. Most of them declared their loyalty to the caliph, but in practice they were independent. They fought each other for power. The period of warfare ended in the 16th century, when much of Arabia was taken over by the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire. Around the same time, European traders began arriving and doing business at Arabian ports and international commerce began to grow along the coasts. Opposition to the Ottoman rule began to grow slowly in Arabia. In 1902, Ibn Sa?ud began uniting the tribes in the area under his personal rule. He managed to force the Turks out of the eastern part of the peninsula by 1912. In 1932 the kingdom of Saudi Arabia came into being with Ibn Sa?ud as king. The Sa?ud family still rules Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, most of the southern and eastern shores of Arabia had been taken over by the British. During the 19th century British protectorates or territories were established in Muscat (Oman), the Trucial States (now the United Arab Emirates), Bahrain, Aden (Yemen's main port), and Kuwait. The British withdrew their military presence during the 1960s. By 1971 all the countries in the region had become independent. North Yemen and South Yemen (Aden) were united in 1990. A fresh threat to the rich oil states of the gulf arose with the 1978–79 revolution in Iran and with the outbreak of war between Iran and Iraq in 1980. The war lasted ten years. Yet another threat to the region arose when Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990. The crisis led to the Persian Gulf War in January–February 1991. As a result of the war Iraq was forced to withdraw from Kuwait. |