One-third of Arabia is covered by great deserts with high ridges of sand
called dunes. These dunes are sometimes more than a day's journey in
length, and the valleys of sand between the dunes take three or four
hours to cross. However, there are some large, fertile valleys in
Arabia, and here a large part of the population lives.
One-third of Arabia is covered by great deserts with high ridges of sand called dunes. These dunes are sometimes more than a day's journey in length, and the valleys of sand between the dunes take three or four hours to cross. However, there are some large, fertile valleys in Arabia, and here a large part of the population lives.
The climate of Arabia is one of the hottest and driest in the world. The temperature is often 110 to 120 degrees, hotter than it ever is in the United States. In some parts of the country hardly a shower falls during the year, but there are many oases in the deserts. An oasis is a watering spot, with a spring and usually with shade trees, where caravans of merchants or pilgrims can rest. There are no forests in Arabia, but there are vast stretches of desert grass, which make admirable pasture land for the horses.
The most familiar animal in Arabia is the camel, which is useful in carrying people on the long desert journeys between cities. The Arabian camel can travel 20 to 25 miles a day, and needs water only every third or fourth day. There are not many wild animals in Arabia, though wolves live in the mountains and sometimes attack flocks of sheep. Also, the Arabian hyena is large and fierce, and when it is hungry is even said to attack men. Of all the many birds, the ostrich is the most remarkable, and men hunt it for its plumes and also for its eggs, which they eat. People have to be careful of the many poisonous insects in Arabia. The scorpion living in the desert has a painful sting, and there are dangerous spiders and giant ant that have a poisonous bite.
