Explore the Fascinating Arabian Peninsula Landscape
Discover the unique geographical features of the Arabian Peninsula, including the Red Sea, Arabian Shield, Najd plateau, vast deserts, and diverse wind patterns. Learn about the natural resources, such as oil reserves and freshwater sources, that define this region.
Download Presentation
Please find below an Image/Link to download the presentation.
The content on the website is provided AS IS for your information and personal use only. It may not be sold, licensed, or shared on other websites without obtaining consent from the author. If you encounter any issues during the download, it is possible that the publisher has removed the file from their server.
You are allowed to download the files provided on this website for personal or commercial use, subject to the condition that they are used lawfully. All files are the property of their respective owners.
The content on the website is provided AS IS for your information and personal use only. It may not be sold, licensed, or shared on other websites without obtaining consent from the author.
E N D
Presentation Transcript
RED SEA Africa and Arabia were once joined Tectonic movement created a rift valley That valley filled w/water Bam! Red Sea
ARABIAN PENINSULA (Know def. of peninsula) Surrounded by Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and the Persian Gulf Israel, Jordan, and Iraq make up northern border
ARABIAN SHIELD Creates a mountain range in northwest Saudi Arabia Steep escarpment on western edge Many extinct volcanoes
NAJD The central plateau of the Arabian Peninsula Slopes very gently from east to west (unusual for a plateau)
DESERT Peninsula is mostly unsuitable for human settlement Arabian Desert has 2 parts: 1) An Nafud: reddish, crescent shaped dunes covers 25,000 sq. mi. 2) Rub al-Khali: The Empty Quarter 10X the size of An Nafud; world s largest uninterrupted area of sand; one of the driest regions on earth
WINDS MONSOON: a seasonal WIND that brings warm air from the oceans in the summer and cooler, dry air from inland in winter Creates intense contrast with desert climate Dense fog and humidity on coastal areas
WINDS CONT SIMOOM: dry, suffocating wind from the Arabian Peninsula Last c. 20 minutes Destroys plant and animal life (simoom translates to poison )
MORE WIND SHAMAL: northwesterly wind in the Persian Gulf area Occur midwinter and early summer Carries millions of tons of sand and silt into the Rub al-Khali
NATURAL RESOURCES Arabian Peninsula has at least 25% of world s proven oil reserves Only Bahrain does not have significant oil Most crucial resource is fresh water
HISTORY Tribal social groups based on family relationships SHEIKDOM: territory ruled by an Arab tribal leader Bedouins controlled most of AP Nomadic and pastoral No formal government
GOVERNMENT TODAY Majority on AP are monarchies Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar are absolute monarchies Bahrain and Kuwait are constitutional monarchies UAE is a federation of emirates, states ruled by emirs (Arab rulers) Yemen is a republic
SECTS OF ISLAM Death of Muhammad caused conflict among Muslim leaders (who would succeed him?) Islam broke into 2 branches: 1) SUNNI: regards 1st4 successors of Muhammad as the rightful leaders 2) SHIA: regards Muhammad s son-in-law Ali and the imams as his rightful successor
SECTS OF ISLAM IBADHISM: conservative form of Islam (Oman) WAHHABISM: strictly orthodox Sunni Muslim sect; advocates a return to the early Islam of the Koran and Sunna, rejecting later innovations (Saudi Arabia)
GEOPOLITICS Def: government policy as it is influenced by physical, human, and economic activity Unrest in oil producing countries is a real concern
