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Geography and Life in Arabia. Learning Target: Identify the physical features and describe the climate of the Arabian peninsula, its relationship to surrounding bodies of land and water, and the nomadic and sedentary ways of life. The Arabian Peninsula.
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Geography and Life in Arabia Learning Target: Identify the physical features and describe the climate of the Arabian peninsula, its relationship to surrounding bodies of land and water, and the nomadic and sedentary ways of life.
The Arabian Peninsula • The Arabian peninsula is located in the southwest corner of Asia. • It lies near the intersection of three continents: Africa, Asia and Europe. • It is bordered by four bodies of water. • The Mediterranean Sea • The Red Sea • The Arabian Sea • The Persian Gulf
Deep harbors like this one opened Saudi Arabia to maritime trade as early as 3,000 B.C.
Physical Features: Sand Dunes • Huge, sandy deserts cover large parts of Arabia. • Sand dunes, or hills of sand shaped by the wind, can rise to 800 feet high and stretch for thousands of miles. • Arabia’s Rub’al – Khali is the world’s largest sand desert.
Physical Features: Limited Water • Arabia’s deserts have very limited water supplies. • There are no permanent lakes or rivers. • Water exists mainly in oases. An oasis is a wet, fertile area in the desert usually fed by an underground water source.
Desert Climate • Arabia is one of the hottest, driest places in the world. • From June through August, midday temperatures in the desert can soar to 122 F. • The shamal, sand-laden winds from the northern deserts, is most frequent in early summer and can blow for days at 25-30 miles an hour. • Rainfall ranges from none at all for up to 10 years in the Rub Al-Khali, to 20 inches a year in the mountains of Asir Province.
Nomadic and Sedentary Ways of Life • To live in the desert environment, people developed two main ways of life: nomadic and sedentary. • Nomads – moved constantly, did not settle in towns or villages • Sedentary – settled lifestyle, developed towns and villages
Nomads • Arab • (One who lives in a moveable tent) • Lived in tents • Made of black goat’s hair • Organized into tribes • Raised herds of animals (sheep, goats, camels) • Traveled regular routes as seasons changed • Depended on camels for transportation and milk
Sedentary People • Settled in oases so they could farm • Settlements along trade routes became towns • Towns became trade centers for both nomads and townspeople. Each town had a marketplace (souk) for trade.
