Why is arabia a desert

The flagship species of the Arabian Sand Desert ecoregion is the Arabian oryx. Image credit: Sharp Photography, Creative Commons. Rainfall is seasonal with an annual average of mm in the north and less than 50 mm in the south.

Despite the extreme climatic conditions, vegetation is found across the entire area; the characteristic woody perennial Calligonium comosum grows along the unstable crests of the high dunes, and in the lower slopes species such as Cornulaca arabica , Moltkiopsis ciliata , Haloxylon persicum, and Dipterygium glaucum create sparse communities. A succession of annuals and grasses including Neurada procumbens and Danthonia forskallii populate the sands following sporadic rainfall and trees such as ghaf and Acacia ehrenbergiana can be found on the outskirts of the desert.

Endemic plant species include Limeum arabicum and Calligonium crinitum spp. Did you know that the vast desert occupying much of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula used to be lush jungles? Several chapters of the Quran narrate anecdotes of lands that turned from lush gardens with rivers into arid deserts after its people sinned.

Early human communities lived in the congested area of the Nile valley almost BCE. At one point, many of those inhabitants moved to Asia and from there into the rest of the world.

What attracted those communities to come to Arabia, recent research points out, is a change in the weather of the arid desert caused by a sudden burst of monsoon rains. Within the span of just a few centuries, the rain changed the arid landscape into a lush savannah-type environment. These two things account for the difference of 3 places in the list of largest deserts :.

Found all the info I needed here for my H-W. Sign in. Forgot your password? Get help. Password recovery. Asia Saudi Arabia. Arabian Desert. Dead Sea. Atacama Desert. I love this website there are so many good facts on here that i never knew about. Area in square miles: , Captial: Riyadh. Location: Middle East.

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