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Area: - comparative: slightly more than one-fifth the size of the US: Terrain: mostly uninhabited, sandy desert: Natural hazards: frequent sand and dust storms: land: 1,960,582 sq km water: 0 sq km arable land: 2% permanent crops: 0% forests and woodland: 1% www.maptown.com/geos/saudiarabia.html

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Geography
Saudi Arabia is mainly a desert country; but there is in fact a great deal of variety in its topography. There are vast areas of true desert, but a considerable area bears vegetation. In the West and South West, the Hejaz and Asir mountain ranges rise in places to almost 10,000 feet, but the country consists mainly of a plateau which slopes very gradually from those western mountains to sea level on the Gulf in the East. The climate is dry and there are no constantly running rivers. Its history and customs are well presented in the Berlitz Travellers' Guide to Saudi Arabia. This is an extremely comprehensive guide to the country and visitors will find it a useful source of pre-arrival information. www.britishcouncil.org/saudiarabia/contact/sauvisit.htm

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Saudi Arabia compared to the U.S.A.

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Climate
Average Temperatures: November to April, 10 to 35°C, May to October, 35 to 45°+ Rainfall is scant, irregular and unreliable, occurring mostly during the months from October to April. In Riyadh the air is dry throughout the year whilst in Jeddah, on the Red Sea, and in the cities along the Arabian Gulf coast, the humidity is high, particularly during summer. In Riyadh temperatures range from occasional frost on winter nights to over 49°C (120°F) during summer. There is little cloud cover so temperatures can drop markedly between day and night. Jeddah has daytime temperatures from 25°C (62°F) in December to over 45°C (117°F) in the summer. The coastal cities of the Eastern Province have a climate similar to Jeddah, although daily temperatures are a little lower.

www.britishcouncil.org/saudiarabia/contact/sauvisit.htm

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Arabia has intrigued travelers for centuries. Its vast swathes of desert were the swaddling clothes of infant Islam and the birthplace of the Arab race. www.lloydstsb2.lloydstsb.com/lonelyplanet/destinations/mea/sau.htm   picture: www.geocities.com/kingfahadems/pictures_of_ksa.htm

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Clothing
Light cotton fabrics (rather than nylon or silk) are recommended. Suits should be lightweight for most of the year and medium weight for the very short winter. When on official business, men wear a suit or jacket and tie. Women need light dresses which cover the arms to the wrists and reach their ankles. It is advisable to bring head scarves for official meetings. It is not obligatory to wear the abaya (a black cloak) but it is the convention to do so.

www.britishcouncil.org/saudiarabia/contact/sauvisit.htm

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Environment: Saudi Arabia is mostly desert, about half the country (an area the size of France) is taken up by the Rub' al-Khali, or Empty Quarter, the largest sand desert in the world.
www.geocities.com/Paris/Bistro/1766/jouf.html

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Rub Al Khali, The Empty Quarter www.geocities.com/mijimaki/arabia.html?r=1

In the south of the Kingdom is the famous Rub al-Khali (the Empty  quarter), a massive, trackless expanse of shifting sand dunes. The Rub al-Khali is one of the driest places on earth, receiving almost no rain at all. www.saudinf.com/main/a35.htm

I was pleasantly surprised one weekend at the beginning of Jeddah's winter period to see a sky that was so beautiful, just like the ski's of Florida that I fell in love with. Compare to the normal sky we see..... a solid haze. both my pictures

Diamonds: WOW! After Gill found the "Star of Arabia" it made the rest of our stuff look bad ... It was the find of the trip and looks a lot clearer in full sunlight. www.cajunprincess.com/diamonds.html

The selenite rose can be found in places like California, Libya, Mexico, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, just to name a few. www.roserockmuseum.com/gallery/selenite.html

Sand storms occur mostly in the desert but the inner cities do get a good amount of dust storms! In fact if there is a nice breeze you can bet your boots that there is also dust! www.dgsonline.org/main_files/OIL_DROP/oildrop_jan01/oildrop_jan01.htm

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click to see a bigger picture.
Again in August 2005 we had this storm come upon us, these pictures were taken from my living room window. Storms 'arrival', the night effect and the after effect.

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A crater in the desert.  www.sealeyfamily.com/images/crater3070898.jpg