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Arabian Desert Facts & Worksheets

The Arabian Desert, a vast desert area spanning the whole Arabian Peninsula, is in extreme southwest Asia. The Syrian Desert, the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Red Sea surround the Arabian Desert on its northern, northeastern, eastern, and southern borders, respectively.

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The Arabian Desert, a vast desert area spanning the whole Arabian Peninsula, is in extreme southwest Asia. With an area of about 2,300,000 square kilometers, it is the largest desert region on the continent and the second-largest on Earth, only surpassed in size by the Sahara in northern Africa.

See the fact file below for more information about the Arabian Desert, or you can download our 29-page Arabian Desert worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

INTRODUCTION

  • The Syrian Desert, the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Red Sea are all about the Arabian Desert on its northern, northeastern, eastern, and southern borders, respectively. 
  • The present Saudi Arabian monarchy contains a sizable portion of the Arabian Desert. On the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden beaches, Yemen shares a boundary with the desert to the southwest. 
  • On the eastern edge of the desert, Oman protrudes into the Gulf of Oman. The United Arab Emirates and sheikhdoms of Qatar extend along the Persian Gulf’s southern shore at the northeastern edge of the desert. 
  • In the northern Persian Gulf, between Saudi Arabia and Iraq, is the emirate of Kuwait. Jordan is bordered by the desert in the northwest.
  • When viewed from above, the Arabian Desert looks like a sizable area of light-colored terrain with sporadic, hazy lines of mountain ranges or escarpments, black lava flows, or reddish networks of desert dunes extending to the horizon. Between watering holes, camel trails go over the ground. 
  • Details stand out on the ground, and the relief appears more pronounced. Although it may initially appear that there is no vegetation, a keen eye can spot sporadic growth areas or green patches where struggling bushes can be found. 
  • There is typically a breeze, which varies seasonally to gale-force winds. Those air currents can either burn or chill the body.

PHYSICAL FEATURES

  • Prior to a fissure in the Earth’s crust, which led to the formation of the Red Sea and the final separation of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula about five to six million years ago, Western Arabia was a part of the African mainland. 
  • Because of this, the southern part of the peninsula is more similar to Somalia and Ethiopia than to northern Arabia or the rest of Asia. 
  • Through the Syrian steppe (treeless plain), the north Arabian Desert seamlessly transitions into Arab Asia. Mountain ranges on the Arabian plate’s bulge in Oman were created as oceanic crust accumulated as it drifted northeast. 
  • The length of the peninsula, from northwest to southeast, is around 1,300 miles (2,100 km); its width, from the Red Sea to the Gulf of Oman or the Persian Gulf, varies from approximately 700 miles (1,100 km) in central Saudi Arabia to about 1,250 miles (2,000 km) in the south, between Yemen and Oman.
  • Three corners have significant altitudes: the southwest corner in Yemen, where Mount Al-Nab Shuayb rises to 12,030 feet (3,665 meters). The northwestern corner in Hejaz (Al-ijz, a region of Saudi Arabia), where Mount Al-Lawz reaches 8,464 feet (2,580 meters), and the southeast corner in Oman, where Mount Al-Shm comes 9,957 feet (3,035 meters).

GEOLOGY

  • The Arabian Desert consists of two central regions with distinct geological histories. The western region, part of the ancient Arabian platform, is primarily composed of Precambrian gneiss, dating back between 2.6 billion and 541 million years.
  • In contrast, the eastern region is formed by sedimentary rock strata that have accumulated over the past 541 million years along the Arabian Platform’s borders. 
  • These sedimentary layers contain abundant petroleum deposits, making the Arabian Desert one of the world’s most significant petroleum-producing areas.
  • Around 33 million years ago, during the Oligocene Epoch, Arabia began to separate from Africa, leading to a period of rifting caused by upwelling from the Earth’s mantle on either side of the Red Sea.
  • This process resulted in the eruption of magma as lava between 30 and 20 million years ago, creating flood basalts that now constitute a substantial part of the tall mountains along Yemen’s Red Sea coastline. 
  • Some minor volcanic activity has occurred during the Holocene Epoch (the last 11,700 years), causing the region to rise and dome, weakening and expanding the crust, and creating extensive fault networks along the Red Sea margin.
  • Approximately 6 to 5 million years ago, oceanic crust began forming in the Red Sea, leading to the development of a proto-ocean, which is the early stage of a new ocean. Concurrently, the Arabian plate has steadily rotated northward during the rifting period, eventually colliding with the Eurasian plate. 
  • This collision has resulted in the Persian Gulf shrinking, the formation of the mountains of Oman through the transfer of ocean crust from the Gulf of Oman to the Arabian plate, and the creation of the Zagros Mountains in Iran due to the compression of the Eurasian plate.

PHYSIOGRAPHY

  • The Arabian Desert encompasses diverse geographical features, including mountainous highlands in the Asir region, Hejaz, Yemen, and Oman, with volcanic fields mainly in Hejaz. 
  • Plateaus and plains covered in chert, rocks, or gravel extend beneath these highlands, some with smooth, cemented surfaces.
  • Ancient river systems left deposits during the Pleistocene Epoch.
  • Drainage canals in the desert are typically dry or transient, except for the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and the Wadi ‘ajr in southern Hadhramaut. 
  • Sabkhahs, saline flats, are unique to eastern Arabia, formed by concentrated seawater due to high evaporation rates. 
  • Saline basins develop in enclosed valleys from floodwaters or neighboring salt outcrops.
  • The Arabian Desert features various sand types, including dunes, hills, and large complexes with recognizable patterns. Notable sand formations include Al-Nafd in the northwest and Rub al-Khali (Al-Ramlah) in the southeast, the latter being larger than France and exhibiting unique dune formations like seif dunes, massive dune complexes, hook-shaped dunes, and dunes with vegetation and moisture.
  • Additionally, there are the Al-Sabʿatayn Dunes in north-central Yemen, the Al Wahbah Dunes with interdune troughs and linear ridges, and Urq Subay in the southern portion of the Wadi Al-Rimah basin. These diverse landscapes make the Arabian Desert a region of geological significance.

CLIMATE

  • Despite its northern location, the Arabian Desert is considered a tropical desert due to its vast latitudinal range. It experiences scorching summertime temperatures reaching up to 130°F (55°C) with dry heat, although coastal areas and highlands can have humid summers with dew and fog. 
  • Annual rainfall averages less than 4 inches (100 mm) but can vary. The desert mostly has clear skies, sporadic winter rains, and rare heavy downpours. 
  • During winters, the coldest weather occurs at high elevations and in the far north.
  • The dominant winds in the Arabian Desert come from the Mediterranean and blow east, southeast, south, and southwest. There are two windy seasons, known as shamals, lasting 30 to 50 days each, with speeds averaging 30 mph (48 km/h). 
  • Shamals are dry, carrying sand and dust, reshaping dunes. Dust devils and local sandstorms occur, but wind erosion is less effective than water erosion.
  • Occasionally, a large “brown roller” storm appears, spanning up to 60 miles (100 km) and carrying sand and dust into the air. This storm is followed by a temperature drop and sometimes rain, with strong gale-force winds lasting about 30 minutes. Dust devils and mirages can also be seen on hot days.

ANIMAL LIFE

  • Many different kinds of animals live in the Arabian Desert, such as flies, mosquitoes that transmit malaria, fleas, lice, roaches, ants, termites, beetles, and mantids. 
  • Large serpulids, scorpions, ticks, and spiders are examples of arachnids, and the painful sting of a scorpion can be fatal to young children.
  • Small fish can be found in pools in oases, and amphibians like newts, salamanders, toads, and frogs are also present. 
  • Reptiles include lizards, snakes, and turtles. The monitor lizard eats locusts and other insects, while the dab, a fat-tailed lizard, lives on the plains. The majority of Arabs are afraid of snakes, especially the sand cobra.
  • Local bird species and migratory flocks from northern Europe, Africa, and India are among the birds found in the Arabian Desert. Birds reproduce from late winter to early spring, and many have superb concealment.
  • Bee-eaters, warblers, babblers, carrion kites, swallows, martins, swifts, wheatears, shrikes, larks, flycatchers, hoopoes, and several exotic species of birds move between northern Europe and the tropics between the fall and spring.
  • The Arabian oryx, the Nubian ibex, ratels, foxes, civets, hyenas, jackals, hares, golden sand rabbits, small rodents, and baboons are among the mammals in the desert. 
  • There are many different creatures and plants to discover in the region’s diverse and unusual fauna.

PEOPLE

  • Humans have resided in the Arabian Desert since early Pleistocene times, with artifacts found in southwestern Rubʿ al-Khali. The Bedouins developed camels, Arabian horses, and sheep, as well as date palms and other crops, to adapt to their nomadic lifestyle in the desert. 
  • They interacted with the settled population through religious rituals, long-distance commerce, and cultural activities. Tribal loyalties have declined politically but remained significant in marriage. Modernization has brought change, with many Bedouins moving to urban areas and some remaining part-time nomads. 
  • Petroleum was discovered in 1936, and this led to an increase in Western cultural influence and the invention of contemporary comforts like telephones, televisions, and airplanes. Increased mobility has allowed nomads greater access to education and public services.

ECONOMY

Resources

  • The largest natural resource in the Arabian Desert is its underground water supply, which is presently being used to supplement an underground water supply that is essentially depleted due to the Arabian Desert’s poor rainfall. The governments of Arab nations have developed water sources and irrigated agricultural soil using contemporary methods. 
  • The Arabian Peninsula is one of the world’s major regions utilizing this technology, with desalinization plants erected along the coasts producing large amounts of fresh water from seawater.
  • The discovery of petroleum in eastern Saudi Arabia in 1936 had the most significant long-term impact on the area economically and politically. 
  • 1938, commercial oil production commenced, but World War II soon stopped it. 
  • The enormous Al-Ghawr oil field in the northeastern Rub al-Khali is only one of the several new oil fields and refineries that have been operational since the war. 
  • They have massive reserves and a production capacity measured in the millions of barrels daily. Natural gas reserves have also been extensively used. 
  • Although production levels have typically been high, they have been impacted by changes in the global oil markets and political unrest in the area, including occurrences like the Persian Gulf War in 1990–1991, the Iraq War in 2003–11, and the Syrian and Iraqi conflicts in the 2010s.
  • Stone, adobe, a primitive cement formed from impure calcareous rock collected from the Persian Gulf floor, and the wood of date palm and juniper were among the building materials used before the middle of the 20th century. 
  • Since then, Hejaz slates, steel, concrete, light alloys, imported lumber, and native stone—particularly granites, marbles, and limestone—have been used more frequently in construction. Saline flats are used to make salt and gypsum.

Transportation of the Arabian Desert

  • Today, traveling through the Arabian Desert is simple and quick. Automobiles now rumble across desert landscapes in place of the sluggish camel caravan. 
  • The railroad travels from Al-Dammam on the Persian Gulf to Riyadh in a few hours while jets soar overhead. 
  • The main Saudi cities are connected by paved, multilane highways that span the desert, while practically all towns and villages are also connected to the national network by narrower roads. Asir has new roadways, opening access to urban markets for the province’s high-quality agricultural products. There are flights between communities located in various desert regions provided by a government-owned airline in Saudi Arabia.
  • Despite the lack of roads, around half of the Arabian Desert is reachable by automobile. The capacity to haul fuel, food, and water, as well as spare parts, camping supplies, and sand tires, are all necessary pieces of equipment.

Arabian Desert Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about the Arabian Desert across 29 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about the Arabian Desert. With an area of about 2,300,000 square kilometers, it is the largest desert region on the continent and the second-largest on Earth, only surpassed in size by the Sahara in northern Africa.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  1. Arabian Desert Facts
  2. Locate and Describe
  3. Adaptations of Animals
  4. Climate Swing
  5. Desert Erosion Battle Plan
  6. Desert Duets
  7. Poster Campaign
  8. Sounds of Arabia
  9. Festival Collage
  10. Video Analysis
  11. Survival Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Arabian Desert located?

The Arabian Desert is located in Western Asia, covering much of the Arabian Peninsula. It spans several countries, including Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Jordan, and Iraq.

What is the size of the Arabian Desert?

The Arabian Desert is one of the largest deserts in the world, with an approximate area of 2.33 million square kilometers (900,000 square miles).

What is the climate in the Arabian Desert like?

The Arabian Desert experiences an extreme desert climate with high temperatures and very little precipitation. Summers are scorching hot, with daytime temperatures often exceeding 40°C (104°F), while winters are relatively mild and cooler. Rainfall is scarce and sporadic.

What unique features are found in the Arabian Desert?

The Arabian Desert is known for its vast stretches of sand dunes, including some of the world’s largest and most iconic dunes, like the Rub’ al Khali, also known as the Empty Quarter. It’s also home to a variety of desert wildlife adapted to the harsh environment, such as Arabian oryx, sand gazelles, and various reptiles.

How has the Arabian Desert influenced the culture and history of the region?

The Arabian Desert has played a significant role in the history and culture of the Arabian Peninsula. It is associated with the nomadic Bedouin way of life and served as a trade route for centuries, facilitating the exchange of goods, ideas, and cultures. The desert is also of great historical and cultural significance due to its association with the birth and early history of Islam, including the city of Mecca and the Prophet Muhammad’s journey.

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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