Facts about the Arabian Desert
The Arabian Desert is located in the Middle East, or the Asian continent. It is the largest desert on the Asian continent with an area of 2,330,000 square kilometers (900,000 sq mi). The largest sand desert in the world. It occupies most of the Arabian Peninsula. The desert covers large parts of Saudi Arabia. It extends into Yemen, Oman, UAE, Iraq, Jordan and Qatar as well. This is one of the five largest deserts in the world.
The Arabian Desert extends from the Red Sea to the Persian Gulf. The area is known for its sands and vast sand dunes. At its center is the Rub’ al Khali (“Empty Quarter”), one of the largest continuous bodies of sand in the world.
Climate of the Arabian Desert
The temperature in the desert ranges from 32 to 40 degrees Celsius during daytime and from 5 degrees Celsius at night.
The average temperature during summer is 40°C while during winter it ranges between 10°C and 15°C. The lowest temperature recorded on this land was -2 degrees Celsius.
Temperatures can also reach over 50 °C (122 °F) during summers, while they can drop below freezing point during winter nights.
The region receives less than 100 mm of rainfall annually.
Surrounded by mountains and deserts, the Arabian Desert is a harsh environment for its inhabitants. Its climate is defined by the fact that it is both hot and dry for most of the year.
Living beings in the largest desert of the Asia
The desert is also home to a number of animals including wolves, foxes, hyenas, bats and lizards. In winter, the area is home to migratory birds such as storks and swallows.
In Western Asia, the Arabian Desert is a large desert region. The desert is mostly rocky or stony desert with wide gravel plains and sandy deserts covering 80% of its surface. It is composed of several distinct ecosystems: sandy and stony deserts, oases, dry steppes (with grass), dunes and salt flats. Although much reduced in extent, there are still substantial areas where vegetation can survive even if only as low scrub or thorny plants adapted to drought conditions.
The desert has no permanent human population but there are Bedouin encampments that are used seasonally by nomads who spend most of their time herding camels in search of pasture. The domestication of camels allowed Arabian nomads to travel long distances without water.
