Arabian Desert Facts for Kids

The Arabian Desert is located on the continent of Asia where is spans most of the Arabian Peninsula. Bordered by five countries, the biome spreads across approximately 2,330,990 square kilometers (900,000 square miles). The Arabian Desert boasts the world's biggest expanse of unbroken sand at Rub' al-Khali, also know as the Empty Quarter.

Factsmania provides interesting desert facts for kids with information about animal survival, food chain, plant growth and adaptations, history, formation, weather conditions, precipitation, size and location of one of the world's biggest deserts which stretches across the Middle East from Yemen to the Persian Gulf and Oman to Iraq and Jordan.

Interesting Arabian Desert Facts for Kids:- Our printable interesting facts about the Arabian Desert for kids is free for schools and teachers to use as part of a biome project or homework help. With fun facts on the Arabian Desert, kids can learn the most amazing facts and info. Did you know that the Arabian Desert has oil wells and gas reserves? Did you know that camels are the main mode of transport in the Arabian Desert? Did you know that the term 'desertification' can be defined as the process by which fertile land becomes desert? Did you know that there are no cacti species growing in the Arabian Desert?

Interesting Arabian Desert Facts for Kids:- Our printable list of Interesting Arabian Desert Biome Facts for Kids provides fast facts and information on Asia's Arabian Desert including how it is structured, where it is located, how hot the Arabian Desert is, what type of animals and plants live in the Arabian Desert and how they are able to survive its high temperatures and arid environment?

Interesting Arabian Desert Facts for Kids

Arabian Desert Fact File for Kids:- Name Facts: The largest expanse of the Arabian Desert is throughout the Arabian Penisula, hence its name *** Average Summer Daytime Temperature: 20-30 degrees Celsius *** Location: Middle East, Asia *** Average Annual Rainfall: 30-40mm precipitation *** Size: 2,330,990 square kilometers (900,000 square miles)

Interesting Facts for Kids 1:- Where is the Arabian Desert located?
The Arabian Desert is located on the continent of Asia. The Arabian Desert engulfs almost the whole of the Arabian Peninsula. It stretches for about 900,000 sq. miles across Western Asia and is the second largest desert following the Sahara. Most of Saudi Arabia comes under the Arabian Desert area.
Yemen and the Red Sea are situated on its southwest region. Oman lies towards the eastern edge. UAE and Qatar are located towards the western stretch of the Arabian Desert. Kuwait is situated towards the north and Jordan towards the northwest.

Interesting Facts for Kids 2:- What is the temperature in the Arabian Desert?
The temperature of the Arabian Desert is determined by the biome's occurrence across 22 degree latitude, from 12 to 34 degree latitude. Lying in the tropic of Cancer, this biome is generally regarded as a tropical desert. During the summer months, average low temperatures can fluctuate between 20-30 degrees Celsius, with the hottest temperatures reaching as high as 55 degrees C. The inner areas of the Arabian Desert experience dry heat whereas the coastal areas have slight humidity during summer. During the winter season, temperatures can plummet as low as freezing.

Interesting Facts for Kids 3:- What is the climate of the Arabian Desert?
Most of the year, the temperatures remain fairly high except during winter. The colder season brings rainfall to the inner areas and summer brings in dust storms. The winters are cooler and freezing temperatures have been known. Elevated areas of the Arabian Desert experience the coldest temperatures. The area of Rub' al-Khali receives both summer rains and also monsoon rains. And in the contrary, the western area of Rub' al-Khali has the most arid climate.

Interesting Facts for Kids 4:- Arabian Desert Shamals ?
The wind can blow across the Arabian Desert like a great arc coming in from the Mediterranean region. There are two windy seasons which are known as Shamals and they can persist for about 30-50 days. These winds cause sand storms that carry sand over several kilometers.

Interesting Facts for Kids 5:- Arabian Desert Rainfall
The Arabian Desert receives about 30-40mm annual rainfall on average. When considering the entire area of the Arabian Desert, the amount of rainfall is around 100mm. The dryness that prevails in the most arid areas of the Arabian Desert are usually temporary and do not last for a long time.

Interesting Facts for Kids 6:- How big is the Arabian Desert?
The Arabian Desert is the biggest desert in Asia. The biome spans most of the Arabian Peninsula covering an area of approximately 2,330,990 square kilometers (900,000 square miles) and occurs throughout the Middle East where it is present from Yemen to the Persian Gulf and Oman to Iraq and Jordan.

Interesting Facts for Kids 7:- What animals live in the Arabian Desert?
The Arabian Desert is home to many species of animals including several types of insects, camels, lizards, gazelles and Ibex. Many types of insects can be found living in the Arabian Desert as they are robust creatures, highly adaptable to this type of biome. Many insects have the ability to survive arid climates and hot temperatures. Locust attacks had once been common in the Arabian Desert until recent times. Other common insects include beetles such as the Dung Beetle, mosquitoes, lice, roaches, and flies. The Arabian Desert is home to various types of arachnids including scorpions and spiders. The Arabian Desert is inhabited by rare lizard varieties. The most common variety is the Monitor Lizard and spiny tailed Dabb Lizard. There are many types of reptiles living in the Arabian Desert including snakes such as the Sand Cobra and the Viper. Among the most common species of mammals living in the Arabian Desert include the gazelle whose numbers have declines greatly in previous years. The Saudi government has taken measures to protect the gazelle population. The Ibex, which is a species of wild goat, has also decreased in number. The country has plans to breed such animals in captivity and release them into the wild.

Interesting Facts for Kids 8:-  Arabian Desert Cat Facts
The Arabian Desert Cat, also know as a Sand Cat, is a unique breed that looks similar to domestic cats in many ways but with enhanced features. The Arabian Desert Cat has a wider, flatter face and larger ears than the domestic cat. This animal has a firm body structure and short fur that helps it to cope with the intense heat and high temperatures of the Arabian Desert. Its legs are slender with oval round paws and fur between its toes to protect it from the hot sand. The most common colors are white, black, red and brown. This species of Sand Cat may look cute but it is tough and is able to successfully hunt its prey including birds, rodents, insects, and reptiles.

Interesting Facts for Kids 9:- Arabian Desert Wolf Facts
The Arabian Wolf is a remarkable animal which is a subspecies of the gray wolf. It leads a solitary lifestyle and has adapted to survive the harsh climate of the desert. The Arabian Wolf has long fur to protect its body from intense daytime heat. Its large ears help the animal to expel heat. As with many other species of desert wildlife, when the heat intensifies beyond levels of tolerance, the animal digs a burrow in which to shade.

Interesting Facts for Kids 11:-  How do Arabian Desert animals survive?
Animals living in the Arabian Desert have to make many adaptations in order to survive. Many mammal species live in the semi arid regions and also the desert scrubland areas. Camels are the most common animals of the Arabian Desert. This animal is highly adaptable to this type of biome. Its hardy exterior can cope with tough terrain and harsh climates. Camels can store over 80 pounds of fat in its hump and metabolize this fat for survival. Among the many features of this animal is its ability to travel for days without water across the hot sand. Their feet spread wide to prevent them from sinking into the sand and their leathery pads help to protect them from the heat.

Interesting Facts for Kids 12:- Arabian Desert Food Web Facts
The Arabian Desert food web begins with the biome's vegetation and plant life which provides a source of food to many animals. The Jerboa, Hare and birds are second in the food chain along with herbivores such as Ibex and Gazelle and insects like the Locust. These wildlife species are eaten by animals such as the Arabian Cobra, Hyena, Jackal, Scorpion and Wolf. The work of decomposition is mainly carried out by the Scarab Beetle (Dung Beetle).

Interesting Facts for Kids 13:- What plants grow in the Arabian Desert?
Many species of plant life can be found growing in the Arabian Desert including trees, shrubs, cacti, herbs and grasses. Some of the most popular Arabian Desert plant names include Date Palms, Juniper Trees, Alfalfa Plant, and Iris flowering plant. Plants bearing onion, melons, barley, daisy, mustard, and caper also exist in regions of the Arabian Desert. Plants have made extreme adaptations in order to withstand the harsh climate of this biome. Water supplies are limited across the Arabian Desert and plants have learnt to survive with less. They have also managed to gain a higher salt tolerance. One of the most interesting facts about the Arabian Desert is that cactus plants do not exist!

Interesting Facts for Kids 14:-Arabian Desert plant adaptations
The plants of the Arabian Desert have to adapt to its harsh climate and nutritionally poor soil. They are known by the species name ‘xerophyte’. They require less water than standard plants for their survival and are also tolerant to high salt levels. The palm Tree has thick bark to store their water reserve and also barbed leaves to reduce precipitation. The Ghaf Tree is a popular tree in the Arabian desert that can survive very high temperatures. The Salt Bush Plant is highly tolerant of the hot temperatures and salt component found in the sand in which it grows and survives. The Acacia plant has deep roots that allow it to reach underground water sources. .

Interesting Facts for Kids 15:- Arabian Desert landscape and vegetation
The formation of the Arabian Desert consists mainly of vast expanse of sand. The Rub' al Khali is the world's largest expanse of sand. There are natural boundaries namely the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, Red Sea and Gulf of Oman that cover the Arabian Desert and maintain the sand dunes within the desert confines. The biome has a large occurrence of mountains such as Mount Al-Nabi Shu'ayb, Mount Al-Laws and Mount Al-Sham. Towards the northern end, the Arabian Desert becomes a little elevated and is known as Syrian Steppe, and blends with the topography of Arab Asia. The southern end, on the other hand, is similar to Ethiopia and Somalia. This has been largely contributed to the continental split that separated the Arabian Peninsula from Africa. The formation and landscape of the Arabian Desert can be described as barren land, but boasts in fact huge reserves of oil, sulfur, phosphates and natural gas. Due to the arid climate and soil which is low in nutrition, the land holds less biodiversity. The biome consists of red sand dunes to terrifying areas of quicksand. There are several types of endemic (native) plants that grow in the Arabian Desert.

Interesting Facts for Kids 16:- Arabian Desert Tours and Safari
The Arabian Desert is popular with tourists who visit to witness its spectacular scenery and wildlife. The sand dunes tower up to several meters in height and tourists can thoroughly enjoy travelling across them in fun ways including by camel or on a 4 wheel drive experience. For a thrilling adventure, tourists can sand board slide down the huge sand dunes. Another great tourist attraction is an overnight stay in the Arabian Desert which incorporates a barbecue dinner and entertainment from local belly dancers.

Interesting Arabian Desert Facts for Kids