Countries of the Arabian Peninsula Bahrain Kuwait Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates Yemen

Landforms The Arabian Peninsula is surrounded almost entirely by water. The climate of the interior is arid, or very dry, and is unsuitable for agriculture or human settlement. The extremely dry Rub’ al-Khali in the Arabian desert is the world’s largest uninterrupted area of sand, while the smaller, northern desert, An Nafūd, is known for its crescent-shaped dunes, or ridges of sand formed by wind.

History and Government Religion, ethnicity, and shared culture define the region, with most people being ethnic Arabs who practice Islam. Bedouins: nomadic tribes that occupied much of the Arabian Peninsula. Bedouins practiced Sheikdom tribes that controlled specific territories mostly in the Arabian peninsula. For centuries, tribal groups based on family relationships, or sheikdoms, controlled specific areas of the sub region, and their influence continues. The majority of governments in the area are monarchies, with Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar being absolute monarchies.

Population Patterns The dry, desert climate causes most people to live along the coasts of the Persian Gulf and Red Sea. Migration of workers to oil and construction jobs has altered the once exclusively Arab population. In the interior of Saudi Arabia lies Makkah (Mecca), the holiest city of Islam, Madinah (Medina), which houses the tomb of the prophet Muhammad, and Riyadh, an important oil refining center and the capital.

Society and Culture Today Arabic is the primary language in the sub region, with English the most common second language. After Muhammad’s death, conflicts arose over who would be the rightful successor, breaking the religion into different sects. Shari’ah, or Islamic law, governs every aspect of a Muslim’s life. Most countries do not enforce equal rights for women, and women have little political power.

Economic Activities Oil has produced great wealth for the Arabian Peninsula; it is one of the world’s most important regions for oil production. Saudi Arabia leads the world in Petroleum production. Countries with smaller oil reserves have developed other industries, such as banking and finance in Bahrain, and fishing in Oman, to foster economic growth. Most of the world’s oil is shipped through the Straits of Hormuz. The strategic control of this strait impacts the trading of oil. Lack of water remains the most important natural resource issue.

Threats to the Gulf "You have thousands of tankers entering the Gulf and washing their tanks illegally. Between the tankers, pollution from urban centers and the brine disposed of from desalination plants, the Gulf is almost dead."                            —Dr. Shawki Barghouti, director-general of                        the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture,             from "Desalination Threat to the Growing Gulf,"                           The National, August 31, 2009

Managing Resources Oil is a nonrenewable resource, yet it is the most widely used energy source today. Burning fossil fuels creates greenhouse gases, which contribute to a rise in air temperature. This climate change negatively affects the environment by decreasing the amount of rainfall and causing a rise in sea level, threatening coastal populations and marine ecology.

Human Impact The rapidly growing population in the sub region is dramatically increasing the demand on already scarce water resources. Political instability contributes to the problem as corrupt and weak governments do not enact solutions, while profiteers extract precious water for personal gain without regard to the environment. Ongoing desertification is taking a heavy toll on vegetation, resulting in soil erosion.

Addressing the Issues Governmental subsidies to lower water costs have resulted in high water consumption rates despite the scant water resources in the region. Desalination is being used to address some water needs, but it alone cannot satisfy demand; it also has negative environmental impacts. Changes in agricultural practices are being encouraged to meet the demand for food, thereby decreasing the amount of water needed for farming, dairy, and meat production.