Arabian Peninsula

Arabian Peninsula, vast land, largely desert, in southwest Asia, surrounded by the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the Persian Gulf. Saudi Arabia takes up the greatest part of land. Other countries are the Republic of Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Kuwait. The arid area, approximately 1,162,000 sq mi (3,009,600 sq km), is economically and politically important because of its great petroleum resources.