A part of the land is called a peninsula that has a connection with the mainland, but is washed by seas and oceans from other sides.
The largest peninsula in the world
The first place in area (2.7 million sq. Km.) Is occupied by the Arabian Peninsula. It is located in the southwestern part of Asia. Accordingly, this is the largest peninsula of Eurasia.
This place is known as the "Land of Two Mosques", as it is here that the two shrines of the Islamic world - Medina and Mecca are located. Here you will find hot desert lands, on which air temperature is rarely fixed, close to at least zero Celsius, with desert vegetation (95%). So how can you ensure your life in the desert regions? The answer is simple - the largest peninsula has huge deposits of "black gold" and "blue fuel" in its bowels.
It is believed that previously the territory of the peninsula was attached to the African shield, but at the end of the Paleogene separated and eventually merged with Eurasia. Therefore, the largest peninsula of Eurasia has landscapes that bear a greater resemblance to East Africa.
Details on the location of the Arabian Peninsula
As mentioned above, this peninsula is located in the southwestern part of Asia. Its upper border (northern) runs along approximately the thirtieth northern latitude, the southern - along the 12th parallel of the northern latitude. From west to east, the largest peninsula is located between the 34th and 60th meridians of east longitude. In total, the territory occupied by the Arabian Peninsula on the map is 2730 thousand square meters. km For comparison, we can cite a champion of Russian origin - Taimyr. This is the largest peninsula of Russia, which occupies a total of about 400 thousand square meters. km, and this is seven times less.
The following water areas are washed by the peninsula:
- Red Sea on the west coast (breaking it, you can get on the African continent).
- The Persian and Oman gulfs in the east (Iran is located on the other side of them), as well as the Arabian Sea, which, together with the Gulf of Aden, bathes the largest peninsula also in the south.
In the northern part of the peninsula there is a "connection" with the continent of Eurasia, and all of the above water areas belong to the Indian Ocean basin.
Relief features
The shores of the Arabian Peninsula are poorly divided and straight. If we again take the largest peninsula of Russia for comparison, the picture is absolutely the opposite.
Starting from the shores near the Red Sea, we find a narrow lowland that flows into the mountain ranges: Hija (to the north, with a maximum point of 2347 m) and Asir (to the south, with a maximum point of 3760 m). Further, passing to the shores of the Gulf of Aden, is the Hadramaut Upland. In general, if you look at the Arabian Peninsula on the map, you can note its certain resemblance to a boot, but not as elegant as Italy. So, in the area where the fingers should be (the east coast, washed by the Gulf of Oman), there is also a hill - the massif El-Akhdar. Its maximum height is in the region of 3352 meters. Thus, it turns out that the peninsula is almost entirely framed by the hills that hide the desert flat territories. The largest desert on the peninsula - Rub al-Khali - occupies about a third of the entire territory, in the area of the “foot” of the boot (the southern territory between the Al-Ahdar massif and the Asir mountain range). There are also two large deserts - Small Nefood and Big Nefood. The Syrian desert also climbed a little from the mainland to the north of the peninsula .
The climate is not the most favorable
The mountain ranges played a significant role in the establishment of the climate conditions that exist on the Arabian lands. Add to this the position in the tropical zone, and what do we get?
Plain regions can boast annual precipitation in an amount of 50 to 100, and in some places up to 70 millimeters. For comparison, we give the city of Moscow, where the annual rainfall is from 400 to 500 millimeters. All the moisture from the seas is taken away by mountain ranges, on which the amount of precipitation exceeds Moscow’s indicators by a hundred. The temperature in summer is constantly in the region of 30 ° C, with frequent cases of much higher rates. In winter, the thermometer can drop to 7-24 degrees Celsius, although there have been cases of decline even to zero.
The largest peninsula has almost no permanent rivers, based on such conditions. In the summer they dry up, and in the winter they are again filled with waters. Arabs call these rivers "wadi". There are lowlands with water - oases formed by proximity to the surface of groundwater. The rest of the territory is deserted and virtually lifeless.
Flora and fauna
The flora and fauna that the largest peninsula possesses, based on climatic conditions, will not surprise with its diversity. Dates can be found in oases, aloe, mimosa and acacia grow on the slopes of the mountains. In the far south, a fan palm - bismany is very common. In those regions where it is not completely deserted, different types of herbs and cereals are common. From animals:
- birds (quail, ostrich, bustard, pigeon);
- mammals (wolf, hyena, panther, fox, wild cat and their prey - gazelle, mountain goat, antelope, gerbils);
- lizards, snakes, insects - in abundance.
Countries on the territory of the Arabian Peninsula and their population
The largest area here is occupied by Saudi Arabia - its territory is estimated at between 1750-2240 thousand square meters. km with a population of almost 23 million people. The rest is divided between Yemen (18 million people), the UAE (2.4 million people), Kuwait (2 million people), Oman (2.6 million people) and Qatar (0.78 million people).
Countries such as Iraq and Jordan are also partially located on the peninsula. The population of all these countries for the most part (if not to say that virtually all) are Arabs.
Population density increases in coastal zones - 10-50 people per square kilometer, in large cities this figure rises to two hundred. In other regions not adapted for human existence, there are less than 10 people per 1 sq. Km. km or not at all.
Problems with foreign workers
An interesting fact that worries the governments of all countries that occupy the largest peninsula in terms of area is the question of foreign workers. For example, sociologists in Saudi Arabia predicted that by 2030, a quarter of the population will fall to 39 million people for foreigners. This causes a lot of problems associated with providing jobs for the indigenous people of the country, and further along the chain from it there are still a lot of negative impacts, to the point that young people, without a job, begin to unite into extremist groups. Therefore, the governments of these countries are implementing plans for the nationalization of the economy, the main purpose of which is to reduce the percentage of foreign workers.