Arabian Desert Facts

The Arabian desert is one of the most prominent attribute of the Arabian peninsula. Though the harsh environment here makes it unsuitable for human habitation, several plants and animal species have successfully adapted themselves to this region, with extremely hot days and freezing nights. Several Arabian desert facts, especially the ones pertaining to its geographical location, climate as well as the plants and animals native to this region, continue to elude most of the people of the world.

Facts about the Arabian Desert

Spanning over an area of 137987.90 sq. miles, the Arabian desert is indeed one of the most amazing facets of the planet Earth. The vastness of the Arabian desert can be apprehended by the sheer fact that it houses one of the largest sand deserts in the world - the Rub' al Khali, which lies in its center. Given below are some of the most prominent facts about Arabian desert, which are bound to leave you amazed.

Location: Virtually encompassing the entire Arabian peninsula, the Arabian desert stretches from the Persian Gulf to Yemen, and from Oman to Jordan and Iraq. In terms of the Gulf countries, this desert occupies a large part of Saudi Arabia, and simultaneously extends into the neighboring countries like Yemen, Egypt, Iraq, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Jordan. The desert is bordered by the Nile valley, in the west, and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Suez, in the east.

Climate: The climate of the Arabian desert is classified as hyper-arid climate, typically characterized by extreme dryness and frequent temperature oscillations. Extreme heat prevails all throughout the day, while nights are freezing cold in this desert. The rainfall in this region seldom exceeds 35 mm annually. The average temperature here ranges between 104-122°F in summer, and 41-59°F in winter. At times, the temperature is also known to go below the 0° mark, thus making the conditions here harsh, and unsuitable for human habitation.

Animals: This extreme conditions, however, fail to dissuade animal species from inhabiting this region. Insects, reptiles, birds and mammals, you name it and you have it here in this desert biome. Among the several insect species found in the Arabian desert the beetles, spiders and scorpions are the most common. There also exists a range of reptiles, right from lizard species, such as the monitor lizard and the spiny-tailed lizard, to snake species, such as the Arabian cobra. Most popular birds found in this desert are the sand grouse and the lanner falcon, while the mammals found here include jerboa, gazelles, Arabian oryx, sand cats, etc. All these animals have adapted themselves quite well to these harsh surroundings.

Plants: Like the animals, even the plants here have adapted themselves quite well to this harsh environment. With such scanty amount of rainfall, the most crucial plant adaptation in this region is undoubtedly the ability to survive with minimal water. Some of the most common plant species found in the Arabian desert include the date palms, caper, ghaf and juniper. Other than these, plant species like calligonum crinitum and calligonum comosum are also seen widely in this region. Among the various species of plants found in the Arabian desert, date palms are by far the most popular, owing to the delicious edible fruits that grow on it.

These were some of the lesser known Arabian desert facts, which emphasized on its geographical location, climate and life forms found in this region. More recently, however, this region has been subjected to large-scale habitat destruction triggered by human activities, such as off-road driving, over grazing by domesticated animals, etc. This is a major threat to the Arabian desert, and further delay in implementation of the conservation measures will only worsen the situation, and result in a series of ill-effects on the planet.