Editing Arabian Peninsula (section)

==Geography==
{{See also|Geography of Saudi Arabia|Geography of Yemen}}
[[File:Map of the regions of Arabia.svg|thumb|Map of the geographic regions of the Arabian Peninsula]]
The Arabian Peninsula is located in the continent of Asia and is bounded by (clockwise) the Persian Gulf on the north-east, the [[Strait of Hormuz]] and the Gulf of Oman on the east, the Arabian Sea on the south-east, the [[Gulf of Aden]], and the [[Guardafui Channel]] on the south, and the [[Bab-el-Mandeb]] strait on the south-west and the Red Sea, which is located on the south-west and west.<ref name = arabia/> The northern portion of the peninsula merges with the [[Syrian Desert]] with no clear borderline, although the northern boundary of the peninsula is generally considered to be the northern borders of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, also southern regions of Iraq and Jordan.<ref name = arabia/>

The most prominent feature of the peninsula is [[desert]], but in the south-west, there are mountain ranges, which receive greater rainfall than the rest of the peninsula. [[Harrat ash Shaam]] is a large volcanic field that extends from north-western Arabia into Jordan and southern [[Syria]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Weinstein |first=Y. |title=A transition from strombolian to phreatomagmatic activity induced by a lava flow damming water in a valley|journal= Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research |date=1 January 2007 |volume=159 |issue=1–3 |pages=267–284 |doi=10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2006.06.015|bibcode=2007JVGR..159..267W }}</ref>

===Political boundaries===
[[File:Arabian Peninsula Map.svg|thumb|219px|The constituent countries of Arabia]]

The Peninsula's constituent countries are (clockwise from north to south) [[Kuwait]], [[Qatar]], and the [[United Arab Emirates]] (UAE) on the east, [[Oman]] on the south-east, [[Yemen]] on the south, and Saudi Arabia at the center. The island country of [[Bahrain]] lies just off the east coast of the Peninsula.<ref name = arabia/> Due to Yemen's jurisdiction over the [[Socotra Governorate|Socotra Archipelago]], the Peninsula's geopolitical outline faces the [[Guardafui Channel]] and the Somali Sea to the south.<ref>McLaughlin, Rob (2015). "The Continuing Conundrum of the Somali Territorial Sea and Exclusive Economic Zone". ''The International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law'' 30.2. 305–334.</ref>

The six countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE form the [[Gulf Cooperation Council]] (GCC).<ref>A.S. Alsharhan, Z. A. Rizk, A. E. M. Nairn [et al.], 2001, ''Waterology of an Arid Region'', Elsevier.</ref>

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia covers the greater part of the Peninsula. The Peninsula contains the world's largest reserves of oil. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are economically the wealthiest in the region. Qatar, the only peninsular country in the Persian Gulf on the larger peninsula, is home to the [[Arabic]] television station [[Al Jazeera Media Network|Al Jazeera]] and its English-language subsidiary [[Al Jazeera English]]. Kuwait, on the border with Iraq, is an important country strategically, forming one of the main staging grounds for coalition forces mounting the [[United States]]–led [[2003 invasion of Iraq]].

===Population===
{{Historical populations
|type =
|footnote = Political Definition: Gulf Cooperation Council and Yemen<br><small>Sources:1950–2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/international/data/idb/region.php?N=%20Results%20&T=6&A=separate&RT=0&Y=1950,1960,1970,1980,1990,2000,2010&R=-1&C=BA,KU,MU,QA,SA,AE,YM|title=International Programs|work=census.gov|access-date=2017-12-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924122421/http://www.census.gov/population/international/data/idb/region.php?N=%20Results%20&T=6&A=separate&RT=0&Y=1950,1960,1970,1980,1990,2000,2010&R=-1&C=BA,KU,MU,QA,SA,AE,YM|archive-date=2015-09-24|url-status=dead}}</ref> 2000–2014<ref name="citypopulation.de">{{cite web|url=http://www.citypopulation.de/Asia.html|title=Asia: Population Statistics in Maps and Charts for Cities, Agglomerations and Administrative Divisions of all Countries in Asia|work=citypopulation.de|access-date=26 October 2014|archive-date=6 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106080903/http://citypopulation.de/Asia.html|url-status=live}}</ref></small>
|1950 | 9,481,713
|1960 | 11,788,232
|1970 | 15,319,678
|1980 | 23,286,256
|1990 | 35,167,708
|2000 | 47,466,523
|2010 | 63,364,000
|2014 | 77,584,000
|2018 | 86,221,765
|2023|93,900,000}}
{{Historical populations
|type =
|title = Historical population (Gulf 4)
|footnote = Population of 4 smallest (in area) [[Gulf Cooperation Council|GCC]] states with their coastline in the Persian Gulf: UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait <br><small>Sources:1950–2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/international/data/idb/region.php?N=%20Results%20&T=6&A=both&RT=0&Y=1950,1960,1970,1980,1990,2000,2010&R=-1&C=BA,KU,QA,AE|title=International Programs|work=census.gov|access-date=2017-12-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924122419/http://www.census.gov/population/international/data/idb/region.php?N=%20Results%20&T=6&A=both&RT=0&Y=1950,1960,1970,1980,1990,2000,2010&R=-1&C=BA,KU,QA,AE|archive-date=2015-09-24|url-status=dead}}</ref> 2000–2014<ref name="citypopulation.de"/></small>
|1950 | 356,235
|1970 | 1,329,168
|1990 | 4,896,491
|2010 | 11,457,000
|2014 | 17,086,000
|2018 | 18,675,440
}}

Despite its historically sparse population, political Arabia stands out for its rapid population growth, driven by both significant inflows of migrant labor and persistently high birth rates. The population is characterized by its relative youth and a heavily skewed gender ratio favoring males. In several states, the number of South Asians surpasses that of the native population. The four smallest states (by area), with coastlines entirely bordering the Persian Gulf, showcase the world's most extreme population growth, nearly tripling every two decades. In 2014, the estimated population of the Arabian Peninsula was 77,983,936 (including expatriates).<ref name=yam>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html|title=The World Fact book|publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]]|access-date=2008-08-12 |date=2007-08-07| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080812233855/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html| archive-date= 12 August 2008 | url-status= dead}}</ref> The Arabian Peninsula is known for having one of the most uneven adult sex ratios in the world, with females in some regions (especially the east) constituting only a quarter of people aged between 20 and 40.<ref>Alrouh, Hekmat, Awatef Ismail, and Sohaila Cheema. "Demographic and health indicators in Gulf Cooperation Council nations with an emphasis on Qatar." Journal of Local and Global Health Perspectives (2013): p 4</ref>

====Cities====
[[File:Riyadh Skyline.jpg|thumb|[[Riyadh]], [[Saudi Arabia]], the most populous city in the Arabian Peninsula]]
The eleven most populous cities on the Arabian Peninsula are:

{| class="toccolours" style="border-spacing:1; text-align:center"
|- style="border-bottom:1px solid black;"
! style="width:1.5em; border-bottom:1px solid black;" | Rank
! style="border-bottom:1px solid black;" | City
! style="width:5em; border-bottom:1px solid black;" | Population
|-
|1|| {{left}} {{flagicon|KSA}} [[Riyadh]] || {{right}} 7,009,100
|-
|2|| {{left}} {{flagicon|KSA}} [[Jeddah]] || {{right}} 3,751,700
|-
|3|| {{left}} {{flagicon|UAE}} [[Dubai]] || {{right}} 3,488,745
|-
|4|| {{left}} {{flagicon|YEM}} [[Sanaa]] || {{right}} 3,407,814
|-
|5|| {{left}} {{flagicon|KSA}} [[Mecca]] || {{right}} 2,427,900
|-
|6|| {{left}} {{flagicon|UAE}} [[Sharjah (city)|Sharjah]] || {{right}} 1,785,684
|-
|7|| {{left}} {{flagicon|OMN}} [[Muscat]] || {{right}} 1,650,319
|-
|8|| {{left}} {{flagicon|UAE}} [[Abu Dhabi]] || {{right}} 1,539,830
|-
|9|| {{left}} {{flagicon|KSA}} [[Dammam]] || {{right}} 1,545,420
|-
|10|| {{left}} {{flagicon|KSA}} [[Medina]] || {{right}} 1,477,000
|-
|11|| {{left}} {{flagicon|IRQ}} [[Basra]] || {{right}} 1,400,000
|-
|12|| {{left}} {{Flagicon|YEM}} [[Aden]]  || {{right}} 1,079,670
|-
|colspan="100%" style="font-size:85%; border-top:1px solid black;" |Sources:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://portal.saudicensus.sa/portal/public/1/15/45?type=DASHBOARD |title=GASTAT Portal}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Dubai Population |url=https://www.globalmediainsight.com/blog/uae-population-statistics/ |website=citypopulation.de|date=18 March 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sanaa Population 2024 |url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/sanaa-population |access-date=2024-06-10 |website=worldpopulationreview.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sharjah Population 2022 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs) |url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/sharjah-population |access-date=2022-04-07 |website=worldpopulationreview.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Fulmer |first1=Shane |title=Muscat Population 2023 |url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/muscat-population |website=World Population Review |access-date=16 May 2023 |location=United States |language=English}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Abu Dhabi Population 2022 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs) |url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/abu-dhabi-population |access-date=2022-04-07 |website=worldpopulationreview.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://portal.saudicensus.sa/portal/public/1/15/45?type=DASHBOARD |title=GASTAT Portal }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/iraq/admin/al_ba%E1%B9%A3rah/1501__al_ba%E1%B9%A3rah/|title=Al-Baṣrah (District, Iraq) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location|website=www.citypopulation.de}}</ref><ref name="Yemeni City Estimates">{{cite web |last1=Fulmer |first1=Shane |title=Aden Population 2023 |url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/aden-population |website=World Population Review |at=Other Cities in Yemen |access-date=16 May 2023 |location=United States |language=English}}</ref>
|}

===Landscape===
{{multiple image |align=right |direction=vertical
 |image1=A journey.jpg |caption1=A caravan crossing [[Ad-Dahna Desert]] in central Saudi Arabia
 |image2=Ras al jinz flickr01.jpg |caption2=[[Ras al-Jinz]] in southeastern Arabia (Oman), also known as the 'Turtle Beach'
 |image3=Arabian Plate map-uni.png |caption3=AR-Arabian Plate, velocities with respect to Africa in millimeters per year
}}

The rocks exposed vary systematically across Arabia, with the oldest rocks exposed in the [[Arabian-Nubian Shield]] near the Red Sea, overlain by earlier sediments that become younger towards the Persian Gulf. Perhaps the best-preserved [[ophiolite]] on Earth, the [[Semail Ophiolite]], lies exposed in the mountains of the UAE and northern Oman.

The peninsula consists of:

# A central plateau, the [[Najd]], with fertile valleys and pastures used for the grazing of [[sheep]] and other livestock
# A range of deserts: the [[Nefud]] in the north,<ref name=Prothero15>{{cite book|last=Prothero|first=G.W.|title=Arabia|year=1920|publisher=H.M. Stationery Office|location=London|page=15|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11767/view/1/15/|access-date=8 September 2013|archive-date=31 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031163556/https://www.wdl.org/en/item/11767/view/1/15/|url-status=live}}</ref> which is stony; the [[Rub' al Khali]] or Great [[Arabian Desert]] in the south, with sand estimated to extend {{cvt|600|ft}} below the surface; between them, the [[Dahna]] [[#Mountains|Mountains]]<ref name="Burrows2010">{{cite book |author=Robert D. Burrowes |title=Historical Dictionary of Yemen |pages=5–340 |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |year=2010 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tjXRfqBv_0UC |isbn=978-0-8108-5528-1 |access-date=19 May 2020 |archive-date=15 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215025046/https://books.google.com/books?id=tjXRfqBv_0UC |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Laughlin2008">{{cite book |last=McLaughlin |first=Daniel |title=Yemen |publisher=[[Bradt Travel Guides]] |chapter=1: Background |page=3 |isbn=978-1-8416-2212-5 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eQvhZaEVzjcC |year=2008 |access-date=29 December 2018 |archive-date=2 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702224444/https://books.google.com/books?id=eQvhZaEVzjcC |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Cavendish2007">{{cite book |last=Cavendish |first=Marshall |author-link=Marshall Cavendish |title=World and Its Peoples |volume=1 |chapter=Geography and climate |date=2007 |publisher=Cavendish Square Publishing |isbn=978-0-7614-7571-2 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/worlditspeoplesm0000unse/page/n151 8]–19 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j894miuOqc4C&pg=PA8 |url=https://archive.org/details/worlditspeoplesm0000unse |url-access=limited }}</ref>
# Stretches of dry or marshy coastline with coral reefs on the Red Sea side ([[Tihamah]])
# Oases and marshy coast-land in [[Eastern Arabia]], the most important of which are those of the [[Al Ain, Emirate of Abu Dhabi|Al Ain emirate]] ([[Tawam (region)|Tawam]] region) and [[Hofuf]]/[[Al-Ahsa Oasis|Al-Ahsa]] (in modern-day Saudi Arabia), according to an author<ref name="Cavendish2007"/>
# The south-west [[monsoon]] coastline of [[Dhofar Governorate#Geography|Dhofar]] and Eastern Yemen ([[Al Mahrah Governorate|Mahra]]).

[[File:Dune - panoramio (1).jpg|thumb|[[Rub' al Khali]] is part of the larger [[Arabian Desert]]]]
Arabia has few lakes or permanent rivers. Most areas are drained by ephemeral watercourses called [[wadi]]s, which are dry except during the rainy season. Plentiful ancient [[aquifer]]s exist beneath much of the peninsula, however, and where this water surfaces, [[oases]] form (e.g. Al-Hasa and [[Qatif]], two of the world's largest [[oases]]) and permit agriculture, especially [[palm trees]], which allowed the peninsula to produce more [[date palm|dates]] than any other region in the world. In general, the climate is extremely hot and [[Desert|arid]], although there are exceptions. Higher elevations are made temperate by their altitude, and the Arabian Sea coastline can receive cool, humid breezes in summer due to cold upwelling offshore. The peninsula has no thick forests. Desert-adapted wildlife is present throughout the region.

A plateau more than {{convert|2500|ft}} high extends across much of the Arabian Peninsula. The plateau slopes eastwards from the massive, rifted escarpment along the coast of the Red Sea, to the shallow waters of the Persian Gulf. The interior is characterized by ''cuestas'' and valleys, drained by a system of ''wadis''. A crescent of sand and [[gravel]] deserts lies to the east.

====Mountains====
[[File:Kawkaban -68 (353668857).jpg|thumb|The [[Jabal Haraz|Haraz Mountains]] in the west of present-day Yemen include Arabia's highest mountain, [[Jabal An-Nabi Shu'ayb]] or Jabal Hadhur<ref name="DAKAI 01-1998"/><ref name="GazetteerArabia1917"/><ref name="Mindat"/> near [[Sanaa]].<ref name="Burrows2010"/><ref name="Laughlin2008"/>]]

There are mountains at the eastern, southern and north-western borders of the peninsula. Broadly, the ranges can be grouped as follows:
* North-east: The [[Hajar Mountains|Hajar range]], of UAE and Oman<ref name="Cavendish2007"/>
* South-east: The [[Dhofar Mountains]] of southern Oman,<ref name="Cavendish2007"/> contiguous with the eastern Yemeni [[Hadhramaut Mountains|Hadhramaut]]<ref name="Scoville1979">{{cite book |last=Scoville |first=Sheila A. |title=Gazetteer of Arabia: a geographical and tribal history of the Arabian Peninsula |volume=2 |pages=117–288 |publisher=Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AH8YAQAAMAAJ&q=hadhramaut+mountains |isbn=978-0-7614-7571-2 |year=2006 |access-date=19 May 2020 |archive-date=31 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031101208/https://books.google.com/books?id=AH8YAQAAMAAJ&q=hadhramaut+mountains |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="GhazanfarFisher2013">{{cite book |last=Ghazanfar |first=Shahina A. |author-link=Shahina A. Ghazanfar |title=Vegetation of the Arabian Peninsula |last2=Fisher |first2=Martin |date=2013-04-17 |publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media|Springer Science & Business Media]] |isbn=978-9-4017-3637-4 |location=[[Sultan Qaboos University]], [[Muscat]] |pages=27–55 |chapter=1–2 |access-date=24 October 2020 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uc_tCAAAQBAJ&q=hadhramaut+highlands&pg=PA52 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031101205/https://books.google.com/books?id=uc_tCAAAQBAJ&q=hadhramaut+highlands&pg=PA52 |archive-date=31 October 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* West: Bordering the [[Tihamah|eastern coast]] of the Red Sea are the [[Sarawat Mountains|Sarawat]],<ref name="Burrows2010"/> which can be seen to include the [[Jabal Haraz|Haraz Mountains]] to the east of Yemen,<ref name="Laughlin2008"/> as well as those of [[Asir Mountains|'Asir]] (once part of Yemen) <ref name="Overstreet1977">{{cite book |last=Overstreet |first=William Courtney |title=Tertiary laterite of the As Sarat Mountains, Asir Province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia |publisher=Directorate General of Mineral Resources |volume=2 |pages=iii–2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KmxPAQAAIAAJ&q=sarat+mountains |year=1977 |access-date=19 May 2020 |archive-date=8 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208154921/https://books.google.com/books?id=KmxPAQAAIAAJ&q=sarat+mountains |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Hejaz vilayet|Hejaz]]<ref name="Mandal1990">{{cite book |last=Mandal |first=Ram Bahadur |title=Patterns of Regional Geography: World regions |publisher=Concept Publishing Company |chapter=VI: A Regional Geography |page=354 |isbn=978-8-1702-2292-7 |location=[[New Delhi]], [[India]] |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XWwCHWwgKt0C&q=sarawat+mountains&pg=PA354 |year=1990 |access-date=24 October 2020 |archive-date=3 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603000536/https://books.google.com/books?id=XWwCHWwgKt0C&q=sarawat+mountains&pg=PA354 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Nasr2013">{{cite book |last=Nasr |first=Seyyed Hossein |author-link=Hossein Nasr |title=Mecca the Blessed, Medina the Radiant: The Holiest Cities of Islam |publisher=[[Tuttle Publishing]] |chapter=1: The Holiest Cities of Islam |isbn=978-1-4629-1365-7 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4RvQAgAAQBAJ&q=sarat+mountains |year=2013 |access-date=24 October 2020 |archive-date=31 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031101203/https://books.google.com/books?id=4RvQAgAAQBAJ&q=sarat+mountains |url-status=live }}</ref> the latter including the [[Midian Mountains|Midian]] in what is now north-western Saudi Arabia<ref name="Scoville1979"/>
* North-west: Aside from the Sarawat, the northern portion of Saudi Arabia hosts the [[Shammar Mountains|Jabal Shamar Mountains]], which include the Aja and [[Salma Mountains|Salma]] subranges<ref name="Cavendish2007"/>
* Central: The Najd hosts the [[Tuwaiq]] Escarpment<ref name="Scoville1979"/> or Tuwair range<ref name="Cavendish2007"/>

From the [[Hejaz]] southwards, the mountains show a steady increase in altitude westward as they get nearer to Yemen, and the highest peaks and ranges are all located in Yemen. The highest, [[Jabal An-Nabi Shu'ayb]] or Jabal Hadhur<ref name="DAKAI 01-1998">{{Cite book |last=زبارة |first=محمد بن محمد بن يحيى اليمني/الصنعاني |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L4dyDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT359 |title=نيل الوطر من تراجم رجال اليمن في القرن الثالث عشر 1–2 ج1 |date=1998-01-01 |publisher=Dar Al Kotob Al Ilmiyah (دار الكتب العلمية) |isbn=978-2-7451-2623-8 |language=ar |access-date=18 April 2020 |archive-date=25 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225083339/https://books.google.nl/books?id=L4dyDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT359&redir_esc=y |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="GazetteerArabia1917">{{cite book |publisher=[[Qatar Digital Library]] |title=Gazetteer of Arabia |volume=II [1044] (81/688) |url=https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023727632.0x000052 |year=1917 |access-date=2020-04-17 |archive-date=9 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309051759/https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023727632.0x000052 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Mindat">{{cite web |publisher=Mindat.org |title=Jabal an-Nabī Shu'ayb, Bani Matar, Sanaa, Yemen |url=https://www.mindat.org/feature-72377.html |access-date=2020-04-17 |archive-date=12 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612211036/https://www.mindat.org/feature-72377.html |url-status=live }}</ref> of the Haraz subrange of the Sarawat range, is {{convert|3666|m|0}} high.<ref name="Burrows2010"/><ref name="Laughlin2008"/> By comparison, the [[Tuwayr Mountains|Tuwayr]], Shammar and Dhofar generally do not exceed {{cvt|1000|m}} in height.<ref name="Cavendish2007"/>

Not all mountains in the peninsula are visibly within ranges. [[Jebel Hafeet]] in particular, on the border of the UAE and Oman, measuring between {{cvt|1100|and|1300|m|abbr=on}},<ref name="Gardner 01-2004">{{cite web |last=Gardner |first=Andrew Somerville |title=The reptiles of Jebel Hafeet |publisher=[[Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations|ADCO]] and Emirates Natural History Group |pages=149–168 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235918847 |date=January 2004 |access-date=2019-01-14 |archive-date=14 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190114153347/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235918847_The_reptiles_of_Jebel_Hafit |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="LiethMasoom2012">{{cite book |title=Towards the rational use of high salinity tolerant plants: Vol 2: Agriculture and forestry under marginal soil water conditions |date=2012-12-06 |publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media]] |isbn=978-9-4011-1860-6 |editor-last1=Lieth |editor-first1=Helmut |volume=2: Agriculture and forestry under marginal soil water conditions |pages=271–274 |chapter=Reclamation potentials of saline degraded lands in Abu Dhabi eastern region using high salinity-tolerant woody plants and some salt marsh species |access-date=13 January 2019 |editor-last2=Al Masoom |editor-first2=A. A. |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y-fqCAAAQBAJ&q=hafit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330131859/https://books.google.com/books?id=Y-fqCAAAQBAJ&q=hafit |archive-date=30 March 2019 |url-status=live |name-list-style=and}}</ref> is not within the Hajar range, but may be considered an [[outlier]] of that range.

<gallery mode="packed">
File:Salalah Oman.jpg|[[Dhofar Governorate|Dhofar]]
File:Yemen landscape 05.jpg|[[At Tawilah District|At-Tawilah]], [[Al Mahwit]], [[Yemen]]
File:شعيب جو بجبال أجـــا - panoramio.jpg|A subrange of the Jabal Shammar mountains in the desert region of [[Ha'il]], Saudi Arabia
</gallery>

===Land and sea===
{{multiple image
| align             = right
| direction         = vertical
| image1            = Al hafa corniche.jpg
| caption1          = Coconut palms line corniches of Al-Hafa, Oman.
| image2            = Coral Reef in the Red Sea.JPG
| caption2          = Red Sea coral reefs
| image3            = Al-Shaggain, Mukalla.jpg
| caption3          = {{transliteration|ar|Al-Shaggain}} rock formation in [[Burum, Yemen|Burum]], a [[List of World Heritage Sites in Yemen#Tentative list|tentative World Heritage Site in Yemen]]
}}

Most of the Arabian Peninsula is unsuited to agriculture, making irrigation and land reclamation projects essential. The narrow coastal plain and isolated oases, amounting to less than 1% of the land area, are used to cultivate grains, [[coffee]] and [[tropical fruit]]s. Goat, sheep, and [[camel]] husbandry is widespread elsewhere throughout the rest of the Peninsula. Some areas have a summer humid [[tropical monsoon climate]], in particular the [[Dhofar]] and [[Al Mahrah]] areas of Oman and Yemen. These areas allow for large scale coconut plantations. Much of Yemen has a tropical [[monsoon]] rain influenced mountain climate. The plains usually have either a tropical or subtropical arid [[desert climate]] or arid [[steppe climate]]. The sea surrounding the Arabian Peninsula is generally tropical with a very rich  sea life and some of the world's largest and most pristine coral reefs. In addition, the [[protozoa]] and [[zooxanthellae]] living in [[symbiosis]] with Red Sea corals have a unique hot weather adaptation to sudden rise (and fall) in sea water temperature. Hence, these coral reefs are not affected by coral bleaching caused by rise in temperatures, as [[Indo-Pacific]] coral reefs are. The reefs are also unaffected by mass tourism and diving or other large scale human interference. The Persian gulf has suffered significant loss and degradation of coral reefs with the biggest ongoing threat believed to be coastal construction activity altering the marine environment.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Riegl |first1=Bernhard |last2=Purkis |first2=Samuel|date=2011 |editor-last=Hopley |editor-first=D |title= Encyclopedia of Modern Coral Reefs |publisher=Springer |pages=790–798 |chapter=Persian/Arabian Gulf Coral Reefs |isbn=978-90-481-2639-2|doi=10.1007/978-90-481-2639-2_123}}</ref>

The fertile soils of Yemen have encouraged settlement of almost all of the land from sea level up to the mountains at {{convert|10000|ft}}. In the higher elevations, elaborate terraces have been constructed to facilitate grain, fruit, coffee, ginger and [[khat]] cultivation. The Arabian peninsula is known for its rich oil, i.e. petroleum production due to its geographical location.<ref>{{cite web |last=Sorkhabi |first=Rasoul |title=The Emergence of the Arabian Oil Industry |url=https://www.geoexpro.com/articles/2008/06/the-emergence-of-the-arabian-oil-industry |website=Geoexpro |date=June 2008 |access-date=16 April 2021 |archive-date=1 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210601235624/https://www.geoexpro.com/articles/2008/06/the-emergence-of-the-arabian-oil-industry |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to NASA's [[Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment]] (GRACE) satellite data (2003–2013) analysed in a [[University of California, Irvine]] (UCI)-led study published in [[Water Resources Research]] on 16 June 2015, the most over-stressed aquifer system in the world is the [[Arabian Aquifer System]], upon which more than 60 million people depend for water.<ref name="NASA_GRACE">{{citation |url=http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4626 |work=NASA |date=16 June 2015 |access-date=26 June 2015 |title=Study: Third of Big Groundwater Basins in Distress |archive-date=27 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627045543/http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4626 |url-status=live }}</ref> Twenty-one of the 37 largest aquifers "have exceeded sustainability tipping points and are being depleted" and thirteen of them are "considered significantly distressed".<ref name="NASA_GRACE"/>