ARABIA, a vast peninsula in the S. W. of Asia, bounded on the N. by the great Syro-Babylonian plain, N. E. by the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, S. E. by the Indian Ocean, and S. W. by the Red Sea and Gulf of Suez. Its length from N. W. to S. E. is about 1,800 miles, its mean breadth about 600 miles, its area rather over 1,000,000 square miles, its popula tion may be roughly estimated at 10, 000,000.
Topography.—It exhibits a central table-land, surrounded by a series of des erts, with numerous scattered oases, while around this is a line of mountains parallel to and approaching the coasts, and with a narrow rim of low grounds (tehama) between them and the sea. Rivers proper, there are none. By the ancients cients the whole peninsula was broadly divided into three great sections—Arabia Petriea (containing the city of Petra), Deserta (desert), and Felix (happy). The first and last of these answer roughly to the modern divisions of the region of Sinai in the N. W., and Yemen in the S. W., while the name Deserta was vaguely given to the rest of the country.
Political Divisions.—The principal di visions are Madian in the N. W.; S. of this, Hejaz, Assir and Yemen, all on the Red Sea, the last named occupying the southwestern part of the peninsula; Hadramaut, on the S. coast; Oman oc cupying the S. E. angle; El-Hasa and Koveit on the Persian Gulf; El-Hamad (desert of Syria), Nefud and Jebel Shammar in the N.; Nejd, the Central Highlands, which occupies a great part of the interior of the country, while S. of it is the great unexplored Dahkna or Sandy Desert. Previous to the World War Madian belonged to Egypt, the Hejaz, Yemen, Bahr-el-Hasa, Koveit, etc., were more or less under the suze rainty of Turkey. The rest of the coun try was ruled by independent chiefs— sheikhs, emirs, and imams—while the title of Sultan has been assumed by the chief of the Wahabis in Nejd, the sover eign of Oman (who has a subvention from the Indian Government), and some petty princes in the S. of the peninsula. The chief towns are Mecca, the birth place of Mohammed; Medina, the place to which he fled from Mecca (A. D. 622) and where he is buried; Mocha, a sea port celebrated for its coffee; Aden, on the S. W. coast, a strongly fortified gar rison belonging to Britain; Sana, the capital of Yemen; and Muscat, the capi tal of Oman, a busy port with a safe anchorage.
Climate and Productions.—The climate of Arabia, in general, is marked by ex treme heat and dryness. Aridity and bareness characterize both high and low grounds, and the date palm is often the only representative of vegetable exist ence. There are districts which, in the course of the year, are hardly refreshed by a single shower of rain. Forests there are few or none. The date palm furnishes the staple article of food; the cereals are wheat, barley, maize, and mil let; various sorts of fruit flourish; coffee and many aromatic and sub stances, such as gum arable, benzoin, mastic, balsam, aloes, myrrh, frankin cense, etc., are produced. There are also cultivated in different parts of the penin sula, according to the soil and climate, beans, rice, lentils, tobacco, melons, saf fron, colocynth, poppies, olives, etc. Sheep, goats, oxen, the horse, the camel, ass and mule supply man's domestic and personal wants. Among wild animals are gazelles, ostriches, the lion, panther, hyena, jackal, etc. Among mineral products are saltpeter, mineral pitch, petroleum, salt, sulphur, and several precious stones, as the carnelian, agate and onyx.
People.—The Arabs, as a race, are of middle stature, of a powerful though slender build, and have a skin of a more or less brownish color; in towns and the uplands often almost white. Their features are well cut, the nose straight, the forehead high. They are naturally active, intelligent and courte ous; and their character is marked by temperance. bravery and hospitality. The first religion of the Arabs, a Semitic nature worship, in places like the wor ship of the stars, was supplanted by the doctrines of Mohammedanism, which suc ceeded rapidly in establishing itself throughout Arabia. Besides the twc principal sects of Islam, the Sunnites and the Shiites, there also exists, in considerable numbers, a third Moham medan sect, the Wahabis, which arose in the latter half of the 18th century, and for a time possessed great political im portance in the peninsula. The mode of the Arabs is either nomadic or settled. The nomadic tribes are termed Bedouins and among them are considered to be the Arabs of the purest blood.