THE LAND OF HOT SAND-SAUDI ARABIA
A desert is a place where there is very little rain, very few plants grow and few animals live. The general climate is hot and dry almost throughout the year. The sky is always clear and bright. The land is covered with loose sand. Most deserts of the world lie near the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere and near the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere. Dry winds called Trade winds blow in these regions making the land hot and dry.
The different hot deserts of the world in the Northern Hemisphere are Sahara Desert in North Africa, Colorado Desert in North America, Arabian Desert near the Red Sea and the Thar Desert in India. The hot deserts in the Southern Hemisphere are smaller. These are the Atacama Desert in South America, the Namib and Kalahari Desert in South Africa, and the Great Australian Desert in Central and West Australia.
Let us learn more about life in the desert region of Saudi Arabia.
SAUDI ARABIA
Saudi Arabia, a country in the Middle East, is situated in the Arabian desert. It is situated between the Red sea and the Persian Gulf. It occupies four-fifth of the Arabian Peninsula. The Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. The neighbouring countries of Saudi Arabia are Jordon, Israel, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, United Arab Emirates and the Democratic Republic of Yemen.
CLIMATE
Saudi Arabia has a desert climate characterized by extreme heat during the day and an abrupt drop in temperature at night. It is one of the few places in the world where summer temperature above 50° C are common. The average winter temperature range is between 8° C to 20° C.
The desert regions have small hills of sand called sand dunes. Strong winds and dust stroms keep blowing the dry sand and shifting these sand dunes from one place to another.
There is very little rainfall in this region (even less than 25cm in a year). When it rains, it rains continuously for a few hours and a number of small plants spring up and bloom for a few days, Soon they wither away and die, because the water evaporates very fast due to heat.
VEGETATION
There are hardly any trees in this region. The vegetation consists mainly of cactus, hardy grasses and thorny bushes. These plants have long roots which go deep into the ground to draw water.
However, some places in the desert have a store of underground water like lakes or deep wells. These places are called oasis.
They are green islands surrounded by a vast ocean of sand. Villages and cities grow up around these oasis. People who live around these oasis grow food crops such as wheat, barley, dates, melons, vegetables like tomatoes and coffee. The most important tree of an oasis is date palm. Dates are widely eaten by the desert people, as they are sweet and nutritious.
ANIMAL LIFE
The animals that can live with very little water can be found in desert. Snakes, lizards and insects are quite common in the desert. During rainy season one can also see animals like wolves, foxes, deer and hyenas. The camels are the most useful animals in the deserts. They are well adapted to desert. They can live without food and water for many days. Camel therefore, is called the 'Ship of the desert'.
LIFE OF THE PEOPLE
Life of the people in the desert is very tough. They are mainly nomads who wander from place to place in search of pasture land for their animals. These people are called Bedouins. The Bedouins mostly move in groups forming long rows of camels called caravans. They keep herds of camels, goats, sheeps and sometimes horses as well. They live in tents which are wide and low. These tents are made of cloth and animals hides.
The discovery of petroleum or liquid gold has completely changed the life style of people. Now, the standard of living is very high. All the modern facilities like air-conditioned houses, schools, colleges, hospitals and business centres are found in cities and towns. Now modern amenities have become possible because of the money earned from the export of petroleum. Petroleum has made Saudi Arabia one of the richest countries of the world.
Arabic is the main language of the people of Saudi Arabia. It is the official language of the country. English is also taught in school and widely used in business dealings and international affairs. The people of Saudi Arabia are Muslims and follow the Islam. Riyadh is the capital of country.
NATURAL RESOURCES
Petroleum is the most important natural resource of Saudi Arabia. It contains about a quarter of the world's known oil reserves. Most of the oil fields are situated in the eastern part of the country and in the Persian Gulf. Some deposits of copper, iron, gold and silver are also found here.
IMPORTANT CITIES
Riyadh
Riyadh is the capital and the biggest city of Saudi Arabia. It serves as the gateway to the Muslim holy centres-Mecca and Medina. King Abdul Aziz International Airport, in Jeddah, is one of the largest airports of the world.
Mecca
Mecca is the greatest centre of pilgrimage of the Muslims. It is the birth place of Prophet Mohammed, the founder of the Islam. Every year thousands of Muslims from all over the world make a pilgrimage to this holy city.
Medina
Medina is also an important pilgrimage centre of the Muslims.
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