Arabian peninsula - wikipedia Arabian peninsula `` Arabia '' redirects here. For other uses, see Arabia ( disambiguation ). Arabian Peninsula ( Arabia ) Area 3.2 million km ( 1.25 million mi2 ) Population 77,983,936 Demonym Arabian Countries Bahrain Kuwait Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates Yemen Iraq Jordan This article contains Arabic text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols. A map of the Arabian peninsula made in 1720 by the German publisher Christoph Weigel Play media This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 29 on board the ISS on a pass from Western Europe to the Arabian Peninsula. The Arabian Peninsula, simplified Arabia ( Arabic : شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة ‎ shibhu l - jazīrati l - ʿarabiyyah, ' Arabian island ' or Arabic : جَزِيرَةُ الْعَرَب ‎ jazīratu l - ʿarab, ' Island of the Arabs ' ), is a peninsula of Western Asia situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian plate. From a geographical perspective, it is considered a subcontinent of Asia. It is the largest peninsula in the world, at 3,237,500 km ( 1,250,000 sq mi ). The Arabian Peninsula consists of the countries Yemen, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and parts of Jordan and Iraq. The peninsula formed as a result of the rifting of the Red Sea between 56 and 23 million years ago, and is bordered by the Red Sea to the west and southwest, the Persian Gulf to the northeast, the Levant to the north and the Indian Ocean to the southeast. The Arabian Peninsula plays a critical geopolitical role in the Middle East and the Arab world due to its vast reserves of oil and natural gas. Before the modern era, it was divided into four distinct regions : Hejaz ( Tihamah ), Najd ( Al - Yamama ), Southern Arabia ( Hadhramaut ) and Eastern Arabia. Hejaz and Najd make up most of Saudi Arabia. Southern Arabia consists of Yemen and some parts of Saudi Arabia ( Najran, Jizan, Asir ) and Oman ( Dhofar ). Eastern Arabia consists of the entire coastal strip of the Persian Gulf. Contents 1 Geography 1.1 Political boundaries 1.2 Population 1.2. 1 21 - chromosome 1.3 Landscape 1.4 Land and sea 2 Etymology 3 History 3.1 Pre-Islamic Arabia 3.2 Rise of Islam 3.3 The Middle Ages 3.4 Modern history 3.4. 1 Late Ottoman rule and the Hejaz Railway 3.4. 2 The Arab Revolt and the unification of Saudi Arabia 3.4. 3 Oil reserves 3.4. 4 Civil war in Yemen 3.4. 5 Gulf War 4 Transport and industry 5 See also 6 References 7 External links Geography See also : Geography of Saudi Arabia Africa, Arabian subcontinent ( Asia ), and Eurasia. The Arabian Peninsula is located in the continent of Asia and bounded by ( clockwise ) the Persian 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 Aden on the south, the Bab - el - Mandeb strait on the southwest and the Red Sea, which is located on the southwest and west. 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, but in the southwest there are mountain ranges, which receive greater rainfall than the rest of the Arabian Peninsula. Harrat ash Shaam is a large volcanic field that extends from the northwestern Arabian Peninsula into Jordan and southern Syria. Political boundaries The Arabian Peninsula. The peninsula 's constituent countries are ( clockwise north to south ) Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates ( UAE ) on the east, Oman on the southeast, Yemen on the south and Saudi Arabia at the center. The island nation of Bahrain lies off the east coast of the peninsula. Six countries ( Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Oman ) form the Gulf Cooperation Council ( GCC ). The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia covers the greater part of the peninsula. The majority of the population of the peninsula live in Saudi Arabia and in Yemen. The peninsula contains the world 's largest reserves of oil. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are economically the wealthiest in the region. Qatar, a small peninsula in the Persian Gulf on the larger peninsula, is home of the Arabic - language television station Al Jazeera and its English - language subsidiary Al Jazeera English. Kuwait, on the border with Iraq, is an important country strategically, forming one of the main staging grounds for coalition forces mounting the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Distribution of J1 haplogroup Population Historical population Year Pop. ± % 1950 9,481,713 -- 1960 11,788,232 + 24.3 % 1970 15,319,678 + 30.0 % 1980 23,286,256 + 52.0 % 1990 35,167,708 + 51.0 % 2000 47,466,523 + 35.0 % 63,364,000 + 33.5 % 2014 77,584,000 + 22.4 % Political Definition : Gulf Cooperation Council and Yemen Sources : 1950 -- 2000 2000 -- 2014 Historical population Year Pop. ± % 1950 356,235 -- 1970 1,329,168 + 273.1 % 1990 4,896,491 + 268.4 % 11,457,000 + 134.0 % 2014 17,086,000 + 49.1 % 4 smallest states ( area ) of Gulf Cooperation Council with entire coastline in Persian Gulf : UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait Sources : 1950 -- 2000 2000 -- 2014 Though historically lightly populated, political Arabia is noted for a high population growth rate -- as the result of both very strong inflows of migrant labor as well as sustained high birth rates. The population tends to be relatively young and heavily skewed gender ratio dominated by males. In many states, the number of South Asians exceeds that of the local citizenry. The four smallest states ( by area ), which have their entire coastlines on the Persian Gulf, exhibit the world 's most extreme population growth, roughly tripling every 20 years. In 2014, the estimated population of the Arabian Peninsula was 77,983,936 ( including expatriates ). The Arabian Peninsula is known for having one of the most uneven adult sex ratios in the world with females in some regions ( especially the east ) constituting only a quarter of vicenarians and tricenarians. 21 - Chromosome Listed here are the human Y - chromosome DNA haplogroups in Arabia ( Yemen, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates ) Haplogroup J is the most abundant component in the Arabian peninsula, embracing more than 50 % of its Y - chromosomes. Its two main subclades ( J1 - M267 and J2 - M172 ), show opposite latitudinal gradients in the Middle East. J1 - M267 is more abundant in the southern areas, reaching a frequency around 73 % in Yemen, whereas J2 - M172 is more common in the Levant. J ( L222. 2 ) Accounts for the majority of ( L147. 1 ) in Saudi Arabia. It seems to be an exclusively Adnani marker. Haplogroup J 54.8 % Haplogroup E 17.5 % R 11.6 % Haplogroup T - M184 5.1 % Landscape A caravan crossing the ad - Dahna Desert in central Saudi Arabia. Ras Aljinz, southeastern Arabia ( Oman ) also known as the ' Turtle Beach '. AR - Arabian Plate, velocities with respect to Africa in millimeters per year. Salalah is a famous tourist destination in Arabia for its annual khareef season. Geologically, this region is perhaps more appropriately called the Arabian subcontinent because it 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 the Eurasian Plate ( forming the Zagros Mountains ). The rocks exposed vary systematically across Arabia, with the oldest rocks exposed in the Arabian - Nubian Shield near the Red Sea, overlain by earlier sediments that become younger towards the Persian Gulf. 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, the Najd, with fertile valleys and pastures used for the grazing of sheep and other livestock 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 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 Stretches of dry or marshy coastland with coral reefs on the Red Sea side ( Tihamah ) Oases and marshy coast - land in Eastern Arabia on the Persian Gulf side 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 and Qatif, 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. 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 thick forests. Desert - adapted wildlife is present throughout the region. According to NASA 's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment ( GRACE ) satellite data ( 2003 -- 2013 ) analysed in a University of California, Irvine ( UCI ) - led study published in Water Resources Research on 16 June 2015, the most over-stressed aquifer system in the world is the Arabian Aquifer System, upon which more than 60 million people depend for water. 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. '' A plateau more than 2,500 feet ( 760 m ) high extends across much of the Arabian Peninsula. The plateau slopes eastwards from the massive, rifted escarpment along the coast of the Red Sea, to the shallow waters of the Persian Gulf. The interior is characterised by cuestas and valleys, drained by a system of wadis. A crescent of sand and gravel deserts lies to the east. Land and Sea Coconut palms line corniches of Oman ( Al Hafa ). Red sea coral reefs. Most of the Arabian Peninsula is unsuited to agriculture, making irrigation and land reclamation projects essential. The narrow coastal plain and isolated oases, amounting to less than 1 % of the land area, are used to cultivate grains, coffee and tropical fruits. Goat, sheep, and camel husbandry is widespread elsewhere throughout the rest of the Peninsula. Some areas have a summer humid tropical monsoon climate, in particular the Dhofar and Al Mahrah areas of Oman and Yemen. These areas allow for large scale coconut plantations. Much of Yemen has a tropical monsoon rain influenced mountain climate. The plains usually have either a 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 world 's largest, undestroyed and most pristine coral reefs. In addition, the organisms living in symbiosis with the Red Sea coral, the protozoa and zooxanthellae, have a unique hot weather adaptation to sudden rise ( and fall ) in sea water temperature. Hence, these coral reefs are not affected by coral bleaching caused by rise in temperature as elsewhere in the indopacific coral sea. The reefs are also unaffected by mass tourism and diving or other large scale human interference. However, some reefs were destroyed in the Persian Gulf, mostly caused by phosphate water pollution and resultant increase in algae growth as well as oil pollution from ships and pipeline leakage. Terraced fields in Yemen. The fertile soils of Yemen have encouraged settlement of almost all of the land from sea level up to the mountains at 10,000 feet ( 3,000 m ). In the higher reaches, elaborate terraces have been constructed to facilitate grain, fruit, coffee, ginger and khat cultivation. The Arabian peninsula is known for its rich oil, i.e. petroleum production due to its geographical location. Etymology Main article : Arab ( etymology ) During the Hellenistic period, the area was known as Arabia or Aravia ( Greek : Αραβία ). The Romans named three regions with the prefix `` Arabia '', encompassing a larger area than the current term `` Arabian Peninsula '' : Arabia Petraea : for the area that is today southern modern Syria, Jordan, the Sinai Peninsula and northwestern Saudi Arabia. It was the only one that became a province, with Petra as its capital. Arabia Deserta ( `` Desert Arabia '' ) : signified the desert interior of the Arabian peninsula. As a name for the region, it remained popular into the 19th and 20th centuries, and was used in Charles M. Doughty 's Travels in Arabia Deserta ( 1888 ). Arabia Felix ( `` Fortunate Arabia '' ) : was used by geographers to describe what is now Yemen, which enjoys more rainfall, is much greener than the rest of the peninsula and has long enjoyed much more productive fields. The Arab inhabitants used a north - south division of Arabia : Al Sham - Al Yaman, or Arabia Deserta - Arabia Felix. Arabia Felix had originally been used for the whole peninsula, and at other times only for the southern region. Because its use became limited to the south, the whole peninsula was simply called Arabia. Arabia Deserta was the entire desert region extending north from Arabia Felix to Palmyra and the Euphrates, including all the area between Pelusium on the Nile and Babylon. This area was also called Arabia and not sharply distinguished from the peninsula. The Arabs and the Ottoman Empire considered the west of the Arabian Peninsula region where the Arabs lived ' the land of the Arabs ' -- Bilad al - Arab ( Arabia ), and its major divisions were the bilad al - Sham ( Syria ), bilad al - Yaman ( the Land of the southern Peninsula ), and Bilad al - Iraq and modern - day Kuwait ( the Land of the River Banks ). The Ottomans used the term Arabistan in a broad sense for the subcontinent itself starting from Cilicia, where the Euphrates river makes its descent into Syria, through Palestine, and on through the remainder of the Sinai and Arabian peninsulas. The provinces of Arabia were : Al Tih, the Sinai peninsula, Hedjaz, Asir, Yemen, Hadramaut, Mahra and Shilu, Oman, Hasa, Bahrain, Dahna, Nufud, the Hammad, which included the deserts of Syria, Mesopotamia and Babylonia. History Ancient coins from Failaka Island, Kuwait. The history of the Arabian Peninsula goes back to the beginnings of human habitation in Arabia up to 130,000 years ago. Pre-Islamic Arabia Main article : Pre-Islamic Arabia Sabaean inscription addressed to the god Almaqah, mentioning five Ancient Yemeni gods, two reigning sovereigns and two governors, 7th century BC. The old city of Sana'a, Yemen. There is evidence that human habitation in the Arabian Peninsula dates back to about 106,000 to 130,000 years ago. However, the harsh climate historically prevented much settlement in pre-Islamic Arabian peninsula, apart from a small number of urban trading settlements, such as Mecca and Medina, located in the Hejaz in the west of the peninsula. However, archaeology has revealed the existence of many civilizations in pre-Islamic Arabia ( such as Thamud ), especially in South Arabia. South Arabian civilizations include Sheba, Himyarite Kingdom, Kingdom of Awsan, Kingdom of Ma'īn and Sabaean Kingdom. Central Arabia was the location of Kingdom of Kindah in the 4th, 5th and early 6th centuries AD. Eastern Arabia was home to the Dilmun civilization. The earliest known events in Arabian history are migrations from the Peninsula into neighbouring areas. The Arabian peninsula has long been accepted as the original Urheimat of the Semitic languages by a majority of scholars. `` Shamir of Dhu - Raydan and Himyar had called in the help of the clans of Habashat for against the kings of Saba ; but Ilmuqah granted... the submission of Shamir of Dhu - Raydan and the clans of Habashat. '' Rise of Islam Main articles : Early Muslim conquests and Islamic Golden Age Age of the Caliphs Expansion under Muhammad, 622 -- 632 / A.H. 1 -- 11 Expansion during Rashidun Caliphate, 632 -- 661 / A.H. 11 -- 40 Expansion during the Umayyad Caliphate, 661 -- 750 / A.H. 40 -- 129 Approximate locations of some of the important tribes and Empire of the Arabian Peninsula at the dawn of Islam ( approximately 600 CE / 50 BH ). The seventh century saw the introduction of Islam to the Arabian Peninsula. The Islamic prophet Muhammad, was born in Mecca in about 570 and first began preaching in the city in 610, but migrated to Medina in 622. From there he and his companions united the tribes of Arabia under the banner of Islam and created a single Arab Muslim religious polity in the Arabian peninsula. He established a new unified polity in the Arabian peninsula which under the subsequent Rashidun and Umayyad Caliphates saw a century of rapid expansion of Arab power well beyond the Arabian peninsula in the form of a vast Muslim Arab Empire with an area of influence that stretched from the northwest Indian subcontinent, across Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, southern Italy, and the Iberian Peninsula, to the Pyrenees. Muhammad began preaching Islam at Mecca before migrating to Medina, from where he united the tribes of Arabia into a singular Arab Muslim religious polity. With Muhammad 's death in 632 AD, disagreement broke out over who would succeed him as leader of the Muslim community. Umar ibn al - Khattab, a prominent companion of Muhammad, nominated Abu Bakr, who was Muhammad 's intimate friend and collaborator. Others added their support and Abu Bakr was made the first caliph. This choice was disputed by some of Muhammad 's companions, who held that Ali ibn Abi Talib, his cousin and son - in - law, had been designated his successor. Abu Bakr 's immediate task was to avenge a recent defeat by Byzantine ( or Eastern Roman Empire ) forces, although he first had to put down a rebellion by Arab tribes in an episode known as the Ridda wars, or `` Wars of Apostasy ''. Following Muhammad 's death in 632, Abu Bakr became leader of the Muslims as the first Caliph. After putting down a rebellion by the Arab tribes ( known as the Ridda wars, or `` Wars of Apostasy '' ), Abu Bakr attacked the Byzantine Empire. On his death in 634, he was succeeded by Umar as caliph, followed by Uthman ibn al - Affan and Ali ibn Abi Talib. The period of these first four caliphs is known as al - khulafā ' ar - rāshidūn : the Rashidun or `` rightly guided '' Caliphate. Under the Rashidun Caliphs, and, from 661, their Umayyad successors, the Arabs rapidly expanded the territory under Muslim control outside of Arabia. In a matter of decades Muslim armies decisively defeated the Byzantine army and destroyed the Persian Empire, conquering huge swathes of territory from the Iberian peninsula to India. The political focus of the Muslim world then shifted to the newly conquered territories. Nevertheless, Mecca and Medina remained the spiritually most important places in the Muslim world. The Qur'an requires every able - bodied Muslim who can afford it, as one of the five pillars of Islam, to make a pilgrimage, or Hajj, to Mecca during the Islamic month of Dhu al - Hijjah at least once in his or her lifetime. The Masjid al - Haram ( the Grand Mosque ) in Mecca is the location of the Kaaba, Islam 's holiest site, and the Masjid al - Nabawi ( the Prophet 's Mosque ) in Medina is the location of Muhammad tomb ; as a result, from the 7th century, Mecca and Medina became the pilgrimage destinations for large numbers of Muslims from across the Islamic world. The Middle Ages Despite its spiritual importance, in political terms Arabia soon became a peripheral region of the Islamic world, in which the most important medieval Islamic states were based at various times in such far away cities as Damascus, Baghdad, and Cairo. However, from the 10th century ( and, in fact, until the 20th century ) the Hashemite Sharifs of Mecca maintained a state in the most developed part of the region, the Hejaz. Their domain originally comprised only the holy cities of Mecca and Medina but in the 13th century it was extended to include the rest of the Hejaz. Although, the Sharifs exercised at most times independent authority in the Hejaz, they were usually subject to the suzerainty of one of the major Islamic empires of the time. In the Middle Ages, these included the Abbasids of Baghdad, and the Fatimids, Ayyubids and Mamluks of Egypt. Modern history Ottoman territories acquired between 1481 and 1683 ( See : list of territories ). The provincial Ottoman Army for Arabia ( Arabistan Ordusu ) was headquartered in Syria, which included Palestine, the Transjordan region in addition to Lebanon ( Mount Lebanon was, however, a semi-autonomous mutasarrifate ). It was put in charge of Syria, Cilicia, Iraq, and the remainder of the Arabian Peninsula. The Ottomans never had any control over central Arabia, also known as the Najd region. The Damascus Protocol of 1914 provides an illustration of the regional relationships. Arabs living in one of the existing districts of the Arabian peninsula, the Emirate of Hejaz, asked for a British guarantee of independence. Their proposal included all Arab lands south of a line roughly corresponding to the northern frontiers of present - day Syria and Iraq. They envisioned a new Arab state, or confederation of states, adjoining the southern Arabian Peninsula. It would have comprised Cilicia -- İskenderun and Mersin, Iraq with Kuwait, Syria, Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate, Jordan, and Palestine. In the modern era, the term bilad al - Yaman came to refer specifically to the southwestern parts of the peninsula. Arab geographers started to refer to the whole peninsula as ' jazirat al - Arab ', or the peninsula of the Arabs. Late Ottoman rule and the Hejaz railway The Arabian Peninsula in 1914. In the beginning of the 20th century, the Ottomans embarked on an ambitious project : the construction of a railway connecting Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire and the seat of the Islamic Caliphate, and Hejaz with its holiest shrines of Islam which are the yearly pilgrimage destination of the Hajj. Another important goal was to improve the economic and political integration of the distant Arabian provinces into the Ottoman state, and to facilitate the transportation of military troops in case of need. The Hejaz Railway was a narrow gauge railway ( 1050 mm ) that ran from Damascus to Medina, through the Hejaz region of Arabia. It was originally planned to reach the holy city of Mecca, but due to the interruption of the construction works caused by the outbreak of World War I, it eventually only reached Medina. It was a part of the Ottoman railway network and was built in order to extend the previously existing line between Istanbul and Damascus ( which began from the Haydarpaşa Terminal ). The railway was started in 1900 at the behest of the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II and was built largely by the Turks, with German advice and support. A public subscription was opened throughout the Islamic world to fund the construction. The railway was to be a waqf, an inalienable religious endowment or charitable trust. The Arab Revolt and the unification of Saudi Arabia The major developments of the early 20th century were the Arab Revolt during World War I and the subsequent collapse and partitioning of the Ottoman Empire. The Arab Revolt ( 1916 -- 1918 ) was initiated by the Sherif Hussein ibn Ali with the aim of securing independence from the ruling Ottoman Empire and creating a single unified Arab state spanning from Aleppo in Syria to Aden in Yemen. During World War I, the Sharif Hussein entered into an alliance with the United Kingdom and France against the Ottomans in June 1916. These events were followed by the unification of Saudi Arabia under King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud. In 1902, Ibn Saud had captured Riyadh. Continuing his conquests, Abdulaziz subdued Al - Hasa, Jabal Shammar, Hejaz between 1913 and 1926 founded the modern state of Saudi Arabia. The Saudis absorbed the Emirate of Asir, with their expansion only ending in 1934 after a war with Yemen. Two Saudi states were formed and controlled much of Arabia before Ibn Saud was even born. Ibn Saud, however, established the third Saudi state. Oil reserves The second major development has been the discovery of vast reserves of oil in the 1930s. Its production brought great wealth to all countries of the region, with the exception of Yemen. Civil War in Yemen The North Yemen Civil War was fought in North Yemen between royalists of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen and factions of the Yemen Arab Republic from 1962 to 1970. The war began with a coup d'état carried out by the republican leader, Abdullah as - Sallal, which dethroned the newly crowned Muhammad al - Badr and declared Yemen a republic under his presidency. The Imam escaped to the Saudi Arabian border and rallied popular support. The royalist side received support from Saudi Arabia, while the republicans were supported by Egypt and the Soviet Union. Both foreign irregular and conventional forces were also involved. The Egyptian President, Gamal Abdel Nasser, supported the republicans with as many as 70,000 troops. Despite several military moves and peace conferences, the war sank into a stalemate. Egypt 's commitment to the war is considered to have been detrimental to its performance in the Six - Day War of June 1967, after which Nasser found it increasingly difficult to maintain his army 's involvement and began to pull his forces out of Yemen. By 1970, King Faisal of Saudi Arabia recognized the republic and a truce was signed. Egyptian military historians refer to the war in Yemen as their Vietnam. Gulf War In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait. The invasion of Kuwait by Iraqi forces led to the 1990 -- 91 Gulf War. Egypt, Qatar, Syria and Saudi Arabia joined a multinational coalition that opposed Iraq. Displays of support for Iraq by Jordan and Palestine resulted in strained relations between many of the Arab states. After the war, a so - called `` Damascus Declaration '' formalized an alliance for future joint Arab defensive actions between Egypt, Syria, and the GCC member states. Transport and industry The extraction and refining of oil and gas are the major industrial activities in the Arabian Peninsula. The region also has an active construction sector, with many cities reflecting the wealth generated by the oil industry. The service sector is dominated by financial and technical institutions, which, like the construction sector, mainly serve the oil industry. Traditional handicrafts such as carpet - weaving are found in rural areas of Arabia. See also Ancient history of Yemen Arab League Araby European exploration of Arabia Iram of the Pillars Kingdom of Aksum List of Arabian cities by population Mashriq Musandam Peninsula References Jump up ^ Merriam Webster 's Geographical Dictionary. Merriam - Webster ( Third ed. ). 2001. p. 61. ISBN 0877795460. Jump up ^ `` Arabia peninsula, Asia ''. Encyclopedia Britannica. Jump up ^ McColl, R.W. ( 2014 - 05 - 14 ). Encyclopedia of World Geography. Infobase Publishing. ISBN 9780816072293. 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Jump up ^ Philip Khuri Hitti ( 2002 ), History of the Arabs, Revised : 10th Edition Jump up ^ Gray, Louis Herbert ( 2006 ) Introduction to Semitic Comparative Linguistics Jump up ^ Courtenay, James John ( 2009 ) The Language of Palestine and Adjacent Regions Jump up ^ Kienast, Burkhart. ( 2001 ). Historische semitische Sprachwissenschaft. Jump up ^ Bromiley, Geoffrey W. ( 1995 ) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Jump up ^ Stuart Munro - Hay. Aksum : A Civilization of Late Antiquity. Edinburgh : University Press. 1991. pp. 66. Jump up ^ See : Holt ( 1977a ), p. 57 Hourani ( 2003 ), p. 22 Lapidus ( 2002 ), p. 32 Madelung ( 1996 ), p. 43 Tabatabaei ( 1979 ), p. 30 -- 50 Jump up ^ See : Holt ( 1977a ), p. 57, Hourani ( 2003 ), p. 22, Lapidus ( 2002 ), p. 32, Madelung ( 1996 ), p. 43, Tabatabaei ( 1979 ), p. 30 -- 50 Jump up ^ L. Gardet ; J. Jomier. `` Islam ''. Encyclopaedia of Islam Online. Jump up ^ Farah, Caesar ( 1994 ). Islam : Beliefs and Observances ( 5th ed. ), pp. 145 -- 147 ISBN 978 - 0 - 8120 - 1853 - 0 Jump up ^ Goldschmidt, Jr., Arthur ; Lawrence Davidson ( 2005 ). A Concise History of the Middle East ( 8th ed. ), p. 48 ISBN 978 - 0 - 8133 - 4275 - 7 Jump up ^ Encyclopædia Britannica Online : History of Arabia retrieved 18 January 2011 Jump up ^ see History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey, Stanford J. Shaw, Ezel Kural Shaw, Cambridge University Press, 1977, ISBN 0 - 521 - 29166 - 6, page 85 Jump up ^ The Politics of Interventionism in Ottoman Lebanon, 1830 -- 1861, by Caesar E. Farah, explains that Mount Lebanon was in the jurisdiction of the Arabistan Army, and that its headquarters was briefly moved to Beirut. Jump up ^ As cited by R, John and S. Hadawi 's, Palestine Diary, pp. 30 -- 31, the ' Damascus Protocol ' stated : `` The recognition by Great Britain of the independence of the Arab countries lying within the following frontiers : North : The Line Mersin_Adana to parallel 37N. and thence along the line Birejek - Urga - Mardin - Kidiat - Jazirat ( Ibn ' Unear ) - Amadia to the Persian frontier ; East : The Persian frontier down to the Persian Gulf ; South : The Indian Ocean ( with the exclusion of Aden, whose status was to be maintained ). West : The Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea back to Mersin. The abolition of all exceptional privileges granted to foreigners under the capitulations. The conclusion of a defensive alliance between Great Britain and the future independent Arab State. The grant of economic preference to Great Britain. '' see King Husain and the Kingdom of Hejaz, By Randall Baker, Oleander Press, 1979, ISBN 0 - 900891 - 48 - 3, pages 64 -- 65 Jump up ^ Salibi, Kamal Suleiman ( 1988 ). A House of Many Mansions : The History of Lebanon Reconsidered,. University of California Press. pp. 60 -- 61. ISBN 0 - 520 - 07196 - 4. Jump up ^ King Hussein And The Kingdom of Hejaz, Randall Baker, Oleander Press 1979, ISBN 0 - 900891 - 48 - 3, page 18 Jump up ^ Aboul - Enein, Youssef ( 2004 - 01 - 01 ). `` The Egyptian - Yemen War : Egyptian perspectives on Guerrilla warfare ''. Infantry Magazine ( Jan -- Feb, 2004 ). Archived from the original on 2007 - 02 - 03. Retrieved October 3, 2008. Jump up ^ see Richard Schofield, Kuwait and Iraq : Historical Claims and Territorial. Disputes, London : Royal Institute of International Affairs 1991, ISBN 0 - 905031 - 35 - 0 and The Kuwait Crisis : Basic Documents, By E. Lauterpacht, C.J. Greenwood, Marc Weller, Published by Cambridge University Press, 1991, ISBN 0 - 521 - 46308 - 4 Jump up ^ Egypt 's Bid for Arab Leadership : Implications for U.S. Policy, By Gregory L. Aftandilian, Published by Council on Foreign Relations, 1993, ISBN 0 - 87609 - 146 - X, pages 6 -- 8 External links Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Arabian Peninsula. Look up Arabian Peninsula in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Wikimedia Commons has media related to : Arabian peninsula ( category ) Travels in Arabia, 1892 High resolution scan of old map of Arabia The Coast of Arabia the Red Sea, and Persian Sea of Bassora Past the Straits of Hormuz to India, Gujarat and Cape Comorin from the World Digital Library, depicts a map from 1707. Wahab, Robert Alexander ; Thatcher, Griffithes Wheeler ; Goeje, Michael Jan de ( 1911 ). `` Arabia ''. Encyclopædia Britannica ( 11th ed. ). Arabia : Cultural - Historical Zones Regions of the world Regions of Africa Central Africa Guinea region Gulf of Guinea Cape Lopez Mayombe Igboland Mbaise Maputaland Pool Malebo Congo Basin Chad Basin Congolese rainforests Ouaddaï highlands Ennedi Plateau East Africa African Great Lakes Albertine Rift East African Rift Great Rift Valley Gregory Rift Rift Valley lakes Swahili coast Virunga Mountains Kavirondo Zanj Serengeti Horn of Africa Afar Triangle Al - Habash Barbara Danakil Alps Danakil Desert Ethiopian Highlands Gulf of Aden Gulf of Tadjoura Indian Ocean islands Comoros Islands North Africa Maghreb Barbary Coast Bashmur Ancient Libya Atlas Mountains Nile Valley Cataracts of the Nile Darfur Gulf of Aqaba Lower Egypt Lower Nubia Middle Egypt Nile Delta Nuba Mountains Nubia The Sudans Upper Egypt Western Sahara West Africa Pepper Coast Gold Coast Slave Coast Ivory Coast Cape Palmas Cape Mesurado Guinea region Gulf of Guinea Niger Basin Guinean Forests of West Africa Niger Delta Inner Niger Delta Southern Africa Madagascar Central Highlands ( Madagascar ) Northern Highlands Rhodesia North South Thembuland Succulent Karoo Nama Karoo Bushveld Highveld Fynbos Cape Floristic Region Kalahari Desert Okavango Delta Cape Peninsula False Bay Hydra Bay Macro-regions Aethiopia Arab world Commonwealth realm East African montane forests Eastern Desert Equatorial Africa Françafrique Gibraltar Arc Greater Middle East Islands of Africa List of countries where Arabic is an official language Mediterranean Basin MENA MENASA Middle East Mittelafrika Negroland Northeast Africa Portuguese - speaking African countries Sahara Sahel Sub-Saharan Africa Sudan ( region ) Sudanian Savanna Tibesti Mountains Tropical Africa Regions of Asia Central Greater Middle East Aral Sea Aralkum Desert Caspian Sea Dead Sea Sea of Galilee Transoxiana Turan Greater Khorasan Ariana Khwarezm Sistan Kazakhstania Eurasian Steppe Asian Steppe Kazakh Steppe Pontic -- Caspian steppe Mongolian - Manchurian grassland Wild Fields Yedisan Muravsky Trail Ural Ural Mountains Volga region Idel - Ural Kolyma Transbaikal Pryazovia Bjarmaland Kuban Zalesye Ingria Novorossiya Gornaya Shoriya Tulgas Iranian Plateau Altai Mountains Pamir Mountains Tian Shan Badakhshan Wakhan Corridor Wakhjir Pass Mount Imeon Mongolian Plateau Western Regions Taklamakan Desert Karakoram Trans - Karakoram Tract Siachen Glacier North Inner Asia Northeast Far East Russian Far East Okhotsk - Manchurian taiga Extreme North Siberia Baikalia ( Lake Baikal ) Transbaikal Khatanga Gulf Baraba steppe Kamchatka Peninsula Amur Basin Yenisei Gulf Yenisei Basin Beringia Sikhote - Alin East Orient Japanese archipelago Northeastern Japan Arc Sakhalin Island Arc Korean Peninsula Gobi Desert Taklamakan Desert Greater Khingan Mongolian Plateau Inner Asia Inner Mongolia Outer Mongolia China proper Manchuria Outer Manchuria Inner Manchuria Northeast China Plain Mongolian - Manchurian grassland North China Plain Yan Mountains Kunlun Mountains Liaodong Peninsula Himalayas Tibetan Plateau Tibet Tarim Basin Northern Silk Road Hexi Corridor Nanzhong Lingnan Liangguang Jiangnan Jianghuai Guanzhong Huizhou Wu Jiaozhou Zhongyuan Shaannan Ordos Loop Loess Plateau Shaanbei Hamgyong Mountains Central Mountain Range Japanese Alps Suzuka Mountains Leizhou Peninsula Gulf of Tonkin Yangtze River Delta Pearl River Delta Yenisei Basin Altai Mountains Wakhan Corridor Wakhjir Pass West Greater Middle East MENA MENASA Middle East Red Sea Caspian Sea Mediterranean Sea Zagros Mountains Persian Gulf Pirate Coast Strait of Hormuz Greater and Lesser Tunbs Al - Faw Peninsula Gulf of Oman Gulf of Aqaba Gulf of Aden Balochistan Arabian Peninsula Najd Hejaz Tihamah Eastern Arabia South Arabia Hadhramaut Arabian Peninsula coastal fog desert Tigris -- Euphrates Mesopotamia Upper Mesopotamia Lower Mesopotamia Sawad Nineveh plains Akkad ( region ) Babylonia Canaan Aram Aram - Naharaim Eber - Nari Suhum Eastern Mediterranean Mashriq Kurdistan Levant Southern Levant Transjordan Jordan Rift Valley Israel Levantine Sea Golan Heights Hula Valley Galilee Gilead Judea Samaria Arabah Anti-Lebanon Mountains Sinai Peninsula Arabian Desert Syrian Desert Fertile Crescent Azerbaijan Syria Palestine Iranian Plateau Armenian Highlands Caucasus Caucasus Mountains Greater Caucasus Lesser Caucasus North Caucasus South Caucasus Kur - Araz Lowland Lankaran Lowland Alborz Absheron Peninsula Anatolia Cilicia Cappadocia Alpide belt South Orient Greater India Indian subcontinent Himalayas Hindu Kush Carnatic region Western Ghats Eastern Ghats Ganges Basin Ganges Delta Pashtunistan Punjab Balochistan Kashmir Kashmir Valley Pir Panjal Range Thar Desert Indus Valley Indus River Delta Indus Valley Desert Indo - Gangetic Plain Eastern coastal plains Western Coastal Plains Meghalaya subtropical forests MENASA Lower Gangetic plains moist deciduous forests Northwestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows Doab Bagar tract Great Rann of Kutch Little Rann of Kutch Deccan Plateau Coromandel Coast Konkan False Divi Point Hindi Belt Ladakh Aksai Chin Gilgit - Baltistan Baltistan Shigar Valley Karakoram Saltoro Mountains Siachen Glacier Bay of Bengal Gulf of Khambhat Gulf of Kutch Gulf of Mannar Trans - Karakoram Tract Wakhan Corridor Wakhjir Pass Lakshadweep Andaman and Nicobar Islands Andaman Islands Nicobar Islands Maldive Islands Alpide belt Southeast Orient Sundaland Mainland Indochina Malay Peninsula Maritime Peninsular Malaysia Sunda Islands Greater Sunda Islands Lesser Sunda Islands Indonesian Archipelago Wallacea Timor New Guinea Bonis Peninsula Papuan Peninsula Huon Peninsula Huon Gulf Bird 's Head Peninsula Gazelle Peninsula Philippine Archipelago Luzon Visayas Mindanao Leyte Gulf Gulf of Thailand East Indies Nanyang Alpide belt Asia - Pacific Tropical Asia Ring of Fire Regions of Europe North Nordic Northwestern Scandinavia Scandinavian Peninsula Fennoscandia Baltoscandia Sápmi West Nordic Baltic Baltic Sea Gulf of Bothnia Gulf of Finland Iceland Faroe Islands East Danubian countries Prussia Galicia Volhynia Donbass Sloboda Ukraine Sambia Peninsula Amber Coast Curonian Spit Izyum Trail Lithuania Minor Nemunas Delta Baltic Baltic Sea Vyborg Bay Karelia East Karelia Karelian Isthmus Lokhaniemi Southeastern Balkans Aegean Islands Gulf of Chania North Caucasus Greater Caucasus Kabardia European Russia Southern Russia Central Baltic Baltic Sea Alpine states Alpide belt Mitteleuropa Visegrád Group West Benelux Low Countries Northwest British Isles English Channel Channel Islands Cotentin Peninsula Normandy Brittany Gulf of Lion Iberia Al - Andalus Baetic System Pyrenees Alpide belt South Italian Peninsula Insular Italy Tuscan Archipelago Aegadian Islands Iberia Al - Andalus Baetic System Gibraltar Arc Southeastern Mediterranean Crimea Alpide belt Germanic Romance Celtic Slavic countries Uralic European Plain Eurasian Steppe Pontic -- Caspian steppe Wild Fields Pannonian Basin Great Hungarian Plain Little Hungarian Plain Eastern Slovak Lowland Regions of North America Northern Eastern Canada Western Canada Canadian Prairies Central Canada Northern Canada Atlantic Canada The Maritimes French Canada English Canada Acadia Acadian Peninsula Quebec City -- Windsor Corridor Peace River Country Cypress Hills Palliser 's Triangle Canadian Shield Interior Alaska - Yukon lowland taiga Newfoundland ( island ) Vancouver Island Gulf Islands Strait of Georgia Canadian Arctic Archipelago Labrador Peninsula Gaspé Peninsula Avalon Peninsula Bay de Verde Peninsula Brodeur Peninsula Melville Peninsula Bruce Peninsula Banks Peninsula ( Nunavut ) Cook Peninsula Gulf of Boothia Georgian Bay Hudson Bay James Bay Greenland Pacific Northwest Inland Northwest Northeast New England Mid-Atlantic Commonwealth West Midwest Upper Midwest Mountain states Intermountain West Basin and Range Province Oregon Trail Mormon Corridor Calumet Region Southwest Old Southwest Llano Estacado Central United States Tallgrass prairie South South Central Deep South Upland South Four Corners East Coast West Coast Gulf Coast Third Coast Eastern United States Appalachia Trans - Mississippi Great North Woods Great Plains Interior Plains Great Lakes Great Basin Great Basin Desert Acadia Ozarks Ark - La - Tex Waxhaws Siouxland Twin Tiers Driftless Area Palouse Piedmont Atlantic coastal plain Outer Lands Black Dirt Region Blackstone Valley Piney Woods Rocky Mountains Mojave Desert The Dakotas The Carolinas Shawnee Hills San Fernando Valley Tornado Alley North Coast Lost Coast Emerald Triangle San Francisco Bay Area San Francisco Bay North Bay East Bay Silicon Valley Interior Alaska - Yukon lowland taiga Gulf of Mexico Lower Colorado River Valley Sacramento -- San Joaquin River Delta Yukon -- Kuskokwim Delta Colville Delta Arkansas Delta Mobile -- Tensaw River Delta Mississippi Delta Mississippi River Delta Columbia River Estuary Great Basin High Desert Monterey Peninsula Upper Peninsula of Michigan Lower Peninsula of Michigan Virginia Peninsula Keweenaw Peninsula Middle Peninsula Delmarva Peninsula Alaska Peninsula Kenai Peninsula Niagara Peninsula Beringia Belt regions Bible Belt Black Belt Corn Belt Cotton Belt Frost Belt Rice Belt Rust Belt Sun Belt Snow Belt Latin Northern Mexico Baja California Peninsula Gulf of California Colorado River Delta Gulf of Mexico Soconusco Tierra Caliente La Mixteca La Huasteca Bajío Valley of Mexico Mezquital Valley Sierra Madre de Oaxaca Yucatán Peninsula Basin and Range Province Western Caribbean Zone Isthmus of Panama Gulf of Panama Pearl Islands Azuero Peninsula Mosquito Coast West Indies Antilles Greater Antilles Lesser Antilles Leeward Leeward Antilles Windward Lucayan Archipelago Southern Caribbean Aridoamerica Mesoamerica Oasisamerica Northern Middle Anglo Latin French Hispanic American Cordillera Ring of Fire LAC Regions of Oceania Australasia Gulf of Carpentaria Zealandia Kula Gulf Australia Capital Country Eastern Australia Lake Eyre basin Murray -- Darling basin Northern Australia Nullarbor Plain Outback Southern Australia Maralinga Sunraysia Great Victoria Desert Gulf of Carpentaria Gulf St Vincent Lefevre Peninsula Fleurieu Peninsula Yorke Peninsula Eyre Peninsula Mornington Peninsula Bellarine Peninsula Mount Henry Peninsula Melanesia Islands Region Bismarck Archipelago Solomon Islands North Solomon Islands Solomon Islands Fiji New Caledonia New Guinea Papua New Guinea Republic of West Papua Vanuatu Micronesia Caroline Islands Federated States of Micronesia Palau Kiribati Mariana Islands Guam Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands Nauru Wake Island Polynesia Easter Island Hawaiian Islands Cook Islands French Polynesia Austral Islands Gambier Islands Mangareva Islands Marquesas Islands Society Islands Tuamotu Kermadec Islands New Zealand South Island North Island Niue Pitcairn Islands Samoan Islands American Samoa Independent State of Samoa Tokelau Tonga Tuvalu Ring of Fire Regions of South America East Amazon basin Atlantic Forest Caatinga Cerrado North Caribbean South America West Indies Los Llanos The Guianas Amazon basin Amazon rainforest Gulf of Paria Paria Peninsula Paraguaná Peninsula Orinoco Delta South Tierra del Fuego Patagonia Pampas Pantanal Gran Chaco Chiquitano dry forests Valdes Peninsula West Andes Tropical Andes Wet Andes Dry Andes Pariacaca mountain range Altiplano Atacama Desert Latin Hispanic American Cordillera Ring of Fire LAC Polar regions Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula East Antarctica West Antarctica Eklund Islands Ecozone Extreme points Islands Arctic Arctic Alaska British Arctic Territories Canadian Arctic Archipelago Finnmark Greenland Northern Canada Northwest Territories Nunavik Nunavut Russian Arctic Sakha Sápmi Yukon North American Arctic Earth 's oceans and seas Arctic Ocean Amundsen Gulf Barents Sea Beaufort Sea Chukchi Sea East Siberian Sea Greenland Sea Gulf of Boothia Kara Sea Laptev Sea Lincoln Sea Prince Gustav Adolf Sea Pechora Sea Queen Victoria Sea Wandel Sea White Sea Atlantic Ocean Adriatic Sea Aegean Sea Alboran Sea Archipelago Sea Argentine Sea Baffin Bay Balearic Sea Baltic Sea Bay of Biscay Bay of Bothnia Bay of Campeche Bay of Fundy Black Sea Bothnian Sea Caribbean Sea Celtic Sea English Channel Foxe Basin Greenland Sea Gulf of Bothnia Gulf of Finland Gulf of Lion Gulf of Guinea Gulf of Maine Gulf of Mexico Gulf of Saint Lawrence Gulf of Sidra Gulf of Venezuela Hudson Bay Ionian Sea Irish Sea Irminger Sea James Bay Labrador Sea Levantine Sea Libyan Sea Ligurian Sea Marmara Sea Mediterranean Sea Myrtoan Sea North Sea Norwegian Sea Sargasso Sea Sea of Åland Sea of Azov Sea of Crete Sea of the Hebrides Thracian Sea Tyrrhenian Sea Wadden Sea Indian Ocean Andaman Sea Arabian Sea Bali Sea Bay of Bengal Flores Sea Great Australian Bight Gulf of Aden Gulf of Aqaba Gulf of Khambhat Gulf of Kutch Gulf of Oman Gulf of Suez Java Sea Laccadive Sea Mozambique Channel Persian Gulf Red Sea Timor Sea Pacific Ocean Arafura Sea Banda Sea Bering Sea Bismarck Sea Bohai Sea Bohol Sea Camotes Sea Celebes Sea Ceram Sea Chilean Sea Coral Sea East China Sea Gulf of Alaska Gulf of Anadyr Gulf of California Gulf of Carpentaria Gulf of Fonseca Gulf of Panama Gulf of Thailand Gulf of Tonkin Halmahera Sea Koro Sea Mar de Grau Molucca Sea Moro Gulf Philippine Sea Salish Sea Savu Sea Sea of Japan Sea of Okhotsk Seto Inland Sea Shantar Sea Sibuyan Sea Solomon Sea South China Sea Sulu Sea Tasman Sea Visayan Sea Yellow Sea Southern Ocean Amundsen Sea Bellingshausen Sea Cooperation Sea Cosmonauts Sea Davis Sea D'Urville Sea King Haakon VII Sea Lazarev Sea Mawson Sea Riiser - Larsen Sea Ross Sea Scotia Sea Somov Sea Weddell Sea Landlocked seas Aral Sea Caspian Sea Dead Sea Salton Sea Book BNF : cb11941820r ( data ) GND : 4002529 - 9 SUDOC : 027358976 VIAF : 315125202 Coordinates : 23 ° N 46 ° E ﻿ / ﻿ 23 ° N 46 ° E ﻿ / 23 ; 46 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arabian_Peninsula&oldid=854705867 '' Categories : Arabian Peninsula 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Question: what geographic feature covers most of the arabian peninsula
Answer: desert