Arabian << uh RAY bee uhn >> Desert is a desert that covers most of the Arabian Peninsula. It occupies an area of about 1 million square miles (2.6 million square kilometers). Countries that lie entirely in the desert are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen. Parts of Jordan, Syria, and Iraq also lie within the desert. The northwestern part of the Arabian Desert is also known as the Syrian Desert.
Most of the Arabian Desert consists of barren, stony highlands and plains, but sand in the form of dunes and thin sheets is common. An area in the southeast called Rub al Khali is the largest continuous area of desert sand on the earth. It covers about 250,000 square miles (647,500 square kilometers).
Average annual rainfall in most of the Arabian Desert is less than 4 inches (10 centimeters). Mountainous areas in the southwest get up to 20 inches (50 centimeters). Most of the desert is hot all year, but freezing temperatures occur in some areas in winter.
