Geography Of The Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula, also known as Arabia, is the world's largest peninsula at 3,100,000 square kilometers. The peninsula consists of six countries and seven Emirates and is bordered by the Red Sea to it's west, the Gulf of Aqaba to it's north west, the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Hormuz to it's east, the Gulf of Oman to it's south east, and the Arabian Sea to it's south.
The Arabian Sea is a branch of the Indian Ocean which covers an area of 3,862,000 square kilometers. The sea connects with the Red Sea via the Gulf of Aden and the Bab el Mandab Strait and connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman via the Strait of Hormuz.
For centuries the Arabian Sea has been a major, international, trade route which is home to several large ports, including the large Arabian port cities of Aden in the Yemen and Duqm, Muscat and Salalah in Oman. Salalah is a major supply base for visiting warships and the international task forces which provide protection from Somali pirates to the many commercial ships and oil tankers which pass through the Strait of Hormuz every day.
The Red Sea covers an area of 438,000 square kilometers. The sea borders Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea, to it's west, Saudi Arabia and the Yemen to it's east and the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt and the Gulfs of Aqaba and Suez to it's north.
The Persian Gulf covers an area of 251,000 square kilometers and is fed by the waters of the Shatt al-Arab river delta.The gulf borders Iran to it's east, Saudi Arabia to it's west, Kuwait to it's north west and Oman and the U.A.E to it's south. The gulf, overall, is very shallow with an average depth of just fifty meters.
The Gulf of Oman is a branch of the Persian Gulf which, geographically, is a strait and not a gulf. The gulf is 370 kilometers wide and 545 kilometers long and borders Pakistan and Iran to it's north east and Oman to it's south west.
The Strait of Hormuz is just thirty nine kilometres wide, and is positioned along the territorial waters of Iran and Oman. The strait has been classified as a naval choke point, which requires vessels using it to navigate their way by way of a traffic seperation scheme. The scheme is in place in order to accommodate the strait's daily inbound and out bound traffic, as it can expect around fourteen Super Max oil tankers a day to pass through it, that between them carry around twenty per cent of the world's petroleum. The Musandam Peninsula, a governate of Oman, is located on the Strait of Hormuz, which is home to the Shinas - Khasab diesel powered, catamaran ferry, which has attained speeds of up to 55.9 knots and has a regular cruising speed of fifty two knots, making it the fastest ferry service in the world.
MAP OF THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ
The Arabian Peninsula's highest point is the Jabal an Nabi' Shu'ayb, at 3,666 meters high, situated in the Yemen and the peninsula's lowest point is situated on the Arabian Sea coast at sea level.
The peninsula is also home to the world's largest sand desert, the 650,000 square kilometers Rub al - Khali, in Saudi Arabia.
The peninsula is surrounded by several islands, including the Island Emirate of Bahrain. The largest of these Islands is Soqatra, a region of the Yemen situated in the Arabian Sea, which covers an area of 3,796 square kilometers and is renowned for it's diverse flora, fauna and wild life.
In all the Arabian Peninsula is home to eight national parks, two marine national parks and eleven UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Below are listed the countries of the Arabian Peninsula, with area in sq kms, capital city and map, followed by a list of the United Arab Emirates, also with area in sq kms, capital city and map.
The six countries of the Arabian Peninsula are;
(Showing land area and capital city)
Bahrain - 691 sq km.- Manama.
Kuwait - 17,818 sq km. - Kuwait City.
Oman - 271,950 sq km. - Muscat.
Qatar - 11,437 sq km. - Doha.
Saudi Arabia - 2,200,000 sq km. - Riyadh.
Yemen - 527,968 sq km - San'a.
United Arab Emirates - 77,700 sq km.
MAP OF THE ARABIAN PENINSULA
THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
The United Arab Emirates cover an area of of 83,600,000 square kilometers and have a 1,318 kilometer coastline on the Persian Gulf to it's north and the Gulf of Oman to it's east.
The Emirates share a 999 kilometer land border with three countries - 530 kms with Saudi Arabia to it's west, south and south east, 450 kms with Oman to it's south east and north east and 19 kms with Qatar to it's north west.
The U.A.E is home to the vast Liwa Oasis, the Ras Ganadah Marine National Park and the Al Ain UNESCO World Heritage Site, all located in Abu Dhabi. The Emirates are also home to four national parks and several protected areas and nature and wildlife reserves.
The United Arab Emirates national flag carrier airline is - www.emirates.com
The seven Arab emirates are;
Abu Dhabi -(Shown above)- 67,340 sq km.
Ajman - 259 sq km.
Dubai - 3,885 sq km.
Fujeirah - 1,165 sq km.
Ras al Khaymah - 168 sq km.
Sharjah - 2,590 sq km.
Umm al Quwain - 1,165 sq km.
MAP OF THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
