Documents for "Arabian Peninsula Political Geography":

• Abu Dhabi Arab. Abu Zabi, sheikhdom (1995 pop. 928,360), c.26,000 sq mi (67,300 sq km), part of the federation of seven United Arab Emirates , SE Arabia, on the Persian Gulf. The sheikhdom is the largest in the federation; in it is located the city of Abu Dhabi (1995 pop. 398,695), founded c.1760 and the second largest city in the United Arab Emirates. The city of Abu Dhabi became the provisional capital of the United Arab Emirates when it was formed in...

• Aden city (1994 pop. 398,399), SW Yemen, on the Gulf of Aden near the southern entrance to the Red Sea. It is the chief port of Yemen. Aden consists of two peninsulas, Aden and Little Aden, and an...

• Ajman sheikhdom (1995 pop. 118,812), c.100 sq mi (260 sq km), part of the federation of seven United Arab Emirates , SE Arabia, primarily on the Persian Gulf. The smallest member of the federation, Ajman consists principally of a town (1995 pop. 118,812) of the same name and two mountain villages. A former...

• Al Hudaydah see Hodeida , Yemen.

• Al Hufuf see Hofuf.

• Bahrain or Bahrein , officially Kingdom of Bahrain, constitutional monarchy and archipelago (2005 est. pop. 688,300), 266 sq mi (689 sq km), in the Persian Gulf. The two main islands are Bahrain and Al Muharraq,...

• Bahrein see Bahrain.

• Barim island, Arabia: see Perim.

• Buraimi group of small oases, SE Arabia, on the border between Abu Dhabi and Oman. In the 1950s the area, rich in oil, was claimed by Saudi Arabia.

• Dahna see Rub al Khali.

• Damar see Dhamar , Yemen.

• Dhahran city (1993 pop. 73,691), NE Saudi Arabia, near the Persian Gulf. Since the discovery (1938) of oil nearby, it has grown rapidly into a modern city. In Dhahran are the headquarters of the Arabian...

• Dhamar or Damar , town (1994 pop. 82,920), S central Yemen, in a valley between two volcanic peaks. Dhamar is a market and religious center, known for its thoroughbred horses and its ancient Muslim theological...

• Doha city (1994 est. pop. 361,500), capital of Qatar, SE Arabia, on the Persian Gulf. Doha was a small fishing and pearling village until oil production in Qatar began in 1949. Since then it has become...

• Dubai sheikhdom (1995 pop. 674,101), c.1,500 sq mi (3,890 sq km), part of the federation of seven United Arab Emirates , SE Arabia, on the Persian Gulf. Nearly all of the sheikhdom's settled population is...

• Emirates of the South, Federation of the see South Arabia, Federation of.

• Federation of South Arabia see South Arabia, Federation of.

• Federation of the Emirates of the South see South Arabia, Federation of.

• Fujairah sheikhdom (1995 pop. 76,254), c.450 sq mi (1,170 sq km), part of the federation of seven United Arab Emirates , SE Arabia, on the Gulf of Oman. Agriculture, fishing, and boatbuilding are principal industries; no oil of any worth has been found in Fujairah, and it is one of the less developed emirates. Its...

• Hadhramaut or Hadramaut , region, S Arabia, on the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, occupying the southeastern part of Yemen. Historically, the name refers to the former Hadhramaut states, a collective term for the Quaiti...

• Hadramaut see Hadhramaut.

• Hail city (1993 pop. 176,757), N central Saudi Arabia. The city grew because of its location on a pilgrimage route from Iraq to Mecca. It was the capital of the independent emirate of Jabal Shammar,...

• Hasa, Al region, E Saudi Arabia, on the Persian Gulf. Administrated as the Eastern Province, Hofuf is the chief town. Dates, wheat, and rice are produced. It was taken from the Turks in 1914 by Ibn Saud. The discovery of large oil reserves in the 1930s transformed the region and is Saudi...

• Hedjaz see Hejaz , Saudi Arabia.

• Hejaz or Hedjaz , region, c.150,000 sq mi (388,500 sq km), NW Saudi Arabia, on the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea. Mecca is the chief city. Extending S to Asir, Hejaz is mainly a dissected highland region lying between the narrow, long coastal strip and the interior desert. There are several oases and some wadis...

• Hodeida or Al Hudaydah , city (1994 pop. 298,452), W Yemen, on the Red Sea. An important port, it exports coffee, cotton, dates, and hides. It was developed as a seaport in the mid-19th cent. by the Turks. After a...

• Hofuf or Al Hufuf , town (1993 pop. 225,847), E Saudi Arabia. Textile manufacturing, food processing, and Arabian horse breeding are important economic activities. It is also a trade center for dates, wheat, and...

• Jebel Shammar Saudi Arabia: see Jabal Shammar.

• Jedda see Jidda , Saudi Arabia.

• Jidda or Jedda , city (1993 est. pop. 2,058,000), Hejaz, W Saudi Arabia, on the Red Sea. Jidda is the port of Mecca (c.45 mi/72 km to the east) and annually receives a huge influx of pilgrims, mainly from Africa, Indonesia, and Pakistan. Unlike Mecca, Jidda has always accepted visitors of all religions. The...

• Katar see Qatar.

• Kowait see Kuwait.

• Kuwait or Kowait , officially State of Kuwait, independent sheikhdom (2005 est. pop. 2,336,000), 6,177 sq mi (16,000 sq km), NE Arabian peninsula, at the head of the Persian Gulf. Kuwait is bounded by Saudi Arabia...

• Madinat ash Shab town, SW Yemen, just N of Aden. Formerly called al-Ittihad, it was built in the 1960s as the federal capital of the Federation of South Arabia. From 1967 to 1970 it was, together with Aden, the...

• Makkah see Mecca , Saudi Arabia.

• Manamah, Al town (1991 pop. 127,578), capital, commercial center, and largest city of Bahrain , on the Persian Gulf. It has oil refineries and light industries and is a free port. The National Museum and a Qur'an museum are in the town, and the command of the U.S. Fifth Fleet is based there...

• Maskat see Muscat , Oman.

• Masqat see Muscat , Oman.

• Mecca or Makkah , city (1993 pop. 966,381), capital of the Hejaz, W Saudi Arabia. The birthplace c.AD 570 of Muhammad the Prophet, it is the holiest city of Islam , and the goal of the annual Muslim hajj. It is c.45 mi (70 km) from its port, Jidda , and is in a narrow valley overlooked by hills crowned with castles. Unlike those of most Middle Eastern cities, many of the buildings, constructed of stone, are more than three stories high. The...

• Medina Arabic Medinat an-Nabi [city of the Prophet] or Madinat Rasul Allah [city of the apostle of Allah], city (1993 pop. 608,226), Hejaz, W Saudi Arabia. It is situated c.110 mi (180 km) inland from the Red Sea in a well-watered oasis where fruit, dates, vegetables, and...

• Mocha town (1990 est. pop. 2,000), S Yemen, a port on the Red Sea. It was noted for the export of the coffee to which it gave its name but declined as a trading port in the late 19th cent. with the rise...

• Mukalla town (1994 pop. 94,051), S Yemen, a port on the Gulf of Aden. It is the chief settlement of the Hadhramaut and the capital of the former sultanate of Qaiti. Fish products, tobacco, and coffee are...

• Muscat   Maskat, or Masqat , city (1993 pop. 533,774), capital of Oman, SE Arabia, on the Gulf of Oman. It is flanked by rugged mountains. Muscat, which has a fine harbor, was seized by the Portuguese Afonso de Albuquerque in...

• Najd region, Arabia: see Nejd.

• Nejd or Najd , region, central Saudi Arabia. Riyadh , the country's capital and major city, is located there. The Nejd is a vast plateau from 2,500 to 5,000 ft (762-1,524 m) high. There is a chain of oasis settlements in the eastern section;...

• Oman officially Sultanate of Oman, independent sultanate (2005 est. pop. 3,002,000), c.82,000 sq mi (212,380 sq km), SE Arabian peninsula, on the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. It was formerly known...

• Perim Arab. Barim, island, c.5 sq mi (13 sq km), off the SW Arabian peninsula in the Bab el Mandeb strait; it is part of Yemen. A rocky and barren island rising to c.215 ft (65 m), it is strategically located at the...

• Qatar or Katar , officially State of Qatar, independent emirate (2005 est. pop. 863,000), c.4,400 sq mi (11,400 sq km), E Arabia, coextensive with the Qatar peninsula, which projects into the Persian Gulf. The...

• Ras al-Khaimah sheikhdom (1995 pop. 144,430), c.650 sq mi (1,680 sq km), part of the federation of seven United Arab Emirates , SE Arabia, on the Persian Gulf. Previously affiliated with Sharjah , Ras al-Khaimah...

• Riad see Riyadh , Saudi Arabia.

• Riyadh or Riad , city (1997 est. pop. 3,000,000), capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia, in the Nejd, central Saudi Arabia. It is situated in an oasis, c.240 mi (390 km) inland from the Persian Gulf. Riyadh is...

• Sana or San'a , city (1994 pop. 954,448), capital and largest city of Yemen. The city lies inland on a high plain (alt. 7,250 ft/2,210 m) and is connected to the Red Sea port of Hodeida by road. Sana is an...

• Saudi Arabia officially Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, kingdom (2005 est. pop. 26,419,000), 829,995 sq mi (2,149,690 sq km), comprising most of the Arabian peninsula. It is bounded on the west by the Gulf of Aqaba...

• Sharjah sheikhdom (1995 pop. 400,339), c.1,000 sq mi (2,590 sq km), part of the federation of seven United Arab Emirates , SE Arabia, on the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The modernized town of Sharjah (1995 pop. 320,095), on the Persian Gulf, is the third largest town in the federation, and has been developed especially as an art museum and cultural (rather than commercial) center. Oil has been...

• South Arabia, Federation of federation, 1963-67, S Arabian peninsula, formed by the merger of the British colony of Aden with the Federation of the Emirates of the South, a British protectorate. The Federation of the Emirates...

• Southern Yemen see Yemen.

• Taiz or Taizz , city (1994 pop. 317,753), S Yemen, in the interior highlands. It is an agricultural marketing center, particularly for coffee, and the focus of trade routes. Taiz was the administrative capital of...

• Tayma large oasis, SW Saudi Arabia. Cuneiform inscriptions possibly dating from the 6th cent. BC have been recovered from Tayma. In ancient Arabic tradition the oasis was noted as a prosperous Jewish...

• Tema see Tayma , Saudi Arabia.

• Umm al-Qaiwain sheikhdom (1995 pop. 35,157), c.300 sq mi (780 sq km), part of the federation of seven United Arab Emirates , SE Arabia, on the Persian Gulf. It is the least populous and least developed emirate. Fishing and boatbuilding remain important; dates are grown in a limited area. Oil has not been found there...

• United Arab Emirates federation of sheikhdoms (2005 est. pop. 2,563,000), c.30,000 sq mi (77,700 sq km), SE Arabia, on the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The federation, commonly known as the UAE, consists of seven...

• Yemen officially Republic of Yemen, republic (2005 est. pop. 20,727,000), 207,300 sq mi (535,800 sq km), SW Asia, at the southern edge of the Arabian peninsula. The present nation of Yemen was formed in...

• Yemen, Southern see Yemen.

• Zamzam see Mecca , Saudi Arabia.