Saudi Arabia is a typical country of the Arabian Peninsula, because it occupies 80% of its entire area. It is characterized by an arid climate, poor vegetation and an abundance of desert areas. However, the Middle East exotics still attracts tourists who want to get to know such an unusual country. Let's find out what the nature of Saudi Arabia has to offer travelers.
Geography
Saudi Arabia is a typical country of the Arabian Peninsula, because it occupies 80% of its entire area. It is characterized by an arid climate, poor vegetation and an abundance of desert areas. However, the Middle East exotics still attracts tourists who want to get to know such an unusual country. Let's find out what the nature of Saudi Arabia has to offer travelers.
Geography
Saudi Arabia is a fairly large country with an area of 1,960,582 square kilometers. km. The state takes 12th place in this rating on this indicator. However, most of it is occupied by deserts and semi-deserts, where only Bedouin nomadic tribes live. There, by the way, it is not unusual to make extreme tours curious foreigners. Large cities are located mainly on the coasts - eastern and western.
Relief
Saudi Arabia on the physical map of the world is marked by two mountain systems - the Hijaz and the Asher. They stretched along the shore of the Red Sea. In the north of the country there is the El Hamad desert, in the center - the Great Nephud with sands of red color. The south and southeast is occupied by the vast desert of Rub al-Khali , whose sands, moreover, do not accurately determine the border between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The coast of the Persian Gulf is a lowland called El-Khasa.
Climate
Geographical location of Arabia determined its climate - tropical in the south and subtropical in the north. In winter it is warm here, and in summer it is very hot. The average July temperature in the whole country varies from +26 ° С to +42 ° С, but in the capital there were cases when the thermometer's column passed for +50 ° С! The exception to the general rule is the mountains, where snow falls in winter and there is a subzero temperature.
Precipitation per year drops from 70 to 100 ml. On the coasts, they happen often, and in the Rub-al-Khali desert in a few years can not fall a drop of rain. But often there are dusty and sandstorms - a real scourge of Arabia.
Natural resources
Oil is the main wealth of the interior of the country. Here, the bulk of its world reserves is concentrated. It is this resource that made Saudi Arabia what it is now - a rich state that is on the 14th place in terms of GDP. However, such valuable hydrocarbons have the property of ending, and the time will come when the oil reserves will be exhausted. It is projected that this will happen in 70 years.
In connection with the risk of the return of former poverty, the rulers of Saudi Arabia are now striving to diversify their economies, that is, to develop other sectors not connected not with oil production, processing and export. In this regard, in 2013, previously isolated from the world, the country even opened its borders to tourists. By the way, other oil powers - the United Arab Emirates , Oman , Bahrain - do the same.
Flora
The vegetative nature of Saudi Arabia is very poor. It is represented mainly by desert and semidesert plants. Here you can see:
- camel thorn;
- lichens;
- tamarisk;
- gapofitnye bushes;
- wild olives;
- acacia;
- almond.
In oases, nature is more diverse: it is overgrown with date palms, banana and citrus groves.
Fauna of Saudi Arabia
The animal world here is much more diverse than vegetation. In the Arabian expanses live species that have adapted to life in such unfavorable conditions as heat and a deficit of plant foods. Among them:
- the Nubian mountain goat;
- Arabian antelope oryx;
- Damans and gazelles;
- wolves, jackals, hyenas;
- fox-fennel;
- wild ass;
- caracal.
Also there are many reptiles and rodents. Ornithofauna is represented by eagles, vultures, falcons, kites, bustards, larks, quails.
You can admire the wild nature of Saudi Arabia in one of its nature reserves. Most tourists go to the National Park of Asir and the island of Farasan for this .
Reservoirs
There are practically no rivers in the country. They appear only during the rainy season and dry very quickly, losing in the sands. In the rest of the time this is only a dry riverbed - wadi - where you can visit the excursion. Therefore, in Saudi Arabia, as in Oman, the main source of liquid for drinking is desalinated sea water.
However, there are in the Arabian deserts and oases with fresh sources. There, where the underground waters come to the surface, and most cities are concentrated. This water is used mainly for technical needs, including for agriculture - surprisingly, but in Saudi Arabia there are more than 32 thousand square meters. km of cultivated land. It is difficult to imagine that in this country with its climate and droughts it is possible to engage in the agrarian industry, but it is so. Here grow coffee, barley, millet, corn and even rice! For irrigation use complex irrigation systems that feed from wells and dams.
Coast
The main advantage of the nature of Saudi Arabia, which is appreciated by tourists, is its access to the sea. The territory of the country is washed by the Red Sea (in the west) and the Persian Gulf (in the northeast). On both sides are coastal resorts , pleasing foreign guests the opportunity to do diving, surfing, fishing and other entertainment. Here, holidaymakers are waiting for tender and warm waves, soft, clean and not crowded beaches .