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Arabian peninsula - Definition and Overview |
| Related Words: Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Eurasia, Europe, Bill, Breakwater, Cape, Chersonese, Continent, Delta, Head, Headland, Hook, Landmass, Main, Mainland, Mull, Naze, Point, Promontory |
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The Arabian Peninsula is a peninsula in Southwest Asia at the junction of Africa and Asia.
The coastal limits of the peninsula are: on the southwest the Red Sea and Gulf of Aqaba; on the southeast the Arabian Sea; and on the northeast the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf. Politically, the Arabian peninsula is dvided into the following countries:
The country of Saudi Arabia covers most of Arabia. The majority of the population of the peninsula lives in Saudi Arabia and in Yemen. The peninsula contains large amounts of oil and is home to the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina, both of which are in Saudi Arabia. The UAE and Qatar are home to major Arabic language television stations such as Al-Jazeera.
The term "the Middle East" is sometimes applied to the peninsula alone, but usually refers to a much larger region; the term "Arabia", however, is often used to refer only to Saudi Arabia. At other times the term "Arabia" can stand for the whole Arab World, stretching from Morocco in the west to Oman in the east.
- See also : Arab World, Araby, Rub' al Khali(desert), Arabian Desert and East Sahero-Arabian xeric shrublands
Arabia was also a province of the Roman Empire beginning in the second century AD; it consisted of the former Nabataean kingdom in modern Jordan, Sinai, and northwestern Saudi Arabia. Its capital was Petra and its full name was Arabia Petraea.
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