Geography of the Arab world

The Arab world is made up of 22 countries in different parts of the world. These places are in Western Asia, Northern Africa, the Maghreb, the Horn of Africa, and near the Indian Ocean.

Together, these countries cover a very large area of about 13 million square kilometers. The Arab world starts from Morocco in the west. It stretches down to Comoros in the south, reaches east to Somalia, and goes north to Iraq. This big area has many different landscapes and cultures. This makes the Arab world an important part of the world's geography.

Geography of each country

The Arab world has many countries, and each one has its own special geography.

Regions

The Arab world has three main types of terrain: large deserts, fertile areas in the south and north, and high mountains like the Atlas, Ahaggar, Zagros, Anti-Lebanon Mountains, and the Hijaz Mountain range.

The Arab world is split into two parts: 12 countries in Asia and 10 in Africa. It also has many neighbors on land and at sea. The countries can be grouped into four main areas. There are about 350 million people living there. Culturally, the Arab states can be divided into three regions: the Greater Maghreb with Morocco, Mauritania, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya; the Fertile Crescent with Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Iraq and Jordan; and the Arabian Peninsula with Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Yemen.

Landscape

Most of the Arab world is very dry, with almost 80% covered in desert. These deserts stretch from countries like Mauritania and Morocco all the way to Oman and the UAE. Semi-arid land is also common and is found in all Arab countries except Lebanon and Comoros.

The highest point in the Arab world is Jbel Toubkal in Morocco, which stands 4,165 meters tall. Other high points include Jabal An-Nabi Shu'ayb in Yemen and Cheekha Dar in Iraq. The lowest point is the Dead Sea between Jordan and Palestine, which sits 400 meters below sea level — the lowest point on Earth.

Climate

The Arab world can get very hot. The highest temperature ever recorded was in Kuwait City in summer 2022. It reached 54.6 °C (130.3 °F), which was the hottest it had ever been recorded.