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GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north
of Yemen |
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Geographic
Coordinates:
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25
00 N, 45 00 E |
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Map
References:
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Middle
East |
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Area:
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total:
1,960,582 sq km
land: 1,960,582 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
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Area
- Comparative:
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slightly
more than one-fifth the size of the US |
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Land
Boundaries:
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total:
4,415 km
border countries: Iraq 814 km, Jordan 728 km, Kuwait 222
km, Oman 676 km, Qatar 60 km, UAE 457 km, Yemen 1,458 km |
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Coastline:
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2,640
km |
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Maritime
Claims:
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contiguous
zone: 18 nm
continental shelf: not specified
territorial sea: 12 nm |
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Climate:
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harsh,
dry desert with great extremes of temperature |
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Terrain:
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mostly
uninhabited, sandy desert |
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Land
Use:
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arable
land: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 56%
forests and woodland: 1%
other: 41% (1993 est.) |
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Irrigated
Land :
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4,350
sq km (1993 est.) |
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Natural
Hazards:
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frequent
sand and dust storms |
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Environment
- Current Issues:
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desertification;
depletion of underground water resources; the lack of perennial
rivers or permanent water bodies has prompted the development
of extensive seawater desalination facilities; coastal pollution
from oil spills |
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Environment
- International Agreements:
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party
to: Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not
ratified: none of the selected agreements |
