Name
Class Date
sec t ion geography
GeoActivity
1 . 3 The A ra b ian P enins u la
Study Arabian Vegetation and Wildlife
The vast Arabian Peninsula is more than one million square miles of arid deserts
and plateaus. It is home to animals and vegetation that have adapted to this
climate. Study the photographs below and answer the questions.
The date palm grows throughout the peninsula, and its
trunk, fruit, and sap are a resource for wood products
and food.
The horned viper gets its name from the scaly spines
that grow above each eye. It waits out the heat of day
under the sand or rocks and comes out at night to hunt
rodents, lizards, and birds.
007-016_GA00000_U08C15S1.indd 3
Use with Southwest Asia & North Africa Geography & History, Section 1.3, in your textbook.
myNGconnect.com to complete this activity online.
Juniper trees and other plants are found in the
southwestern highlands and in desert oases. These trees
are a source for building materials and wood products.
The jerboa, a long-tailed desert rodent, lives in small,
closed burrows that stay damp. It comes out only at
night to forage for plants and insects.
Southwest Asia & North Africa Geography & History SEC TION 1. 3
Go to Interactive Whiteboard GeoActivities at
1. Compare Visuals  Look at the two types of trees on the
Arabian Peninsula and where they grow. How are they
similar and different?
They are similar because they are wood products and building materials
resources.
2. Draw Conclusions  What adaptations do the viper and the
jerboa have that help them survive in the desert?
They both come out during the night. Which means they adapted to the night
and not the morning.
3. Make Inferences  In what ways do humans use different kinds
of vegetation in the desert?
They eat dates from date palms
4. Make Predictions  How do you think desert conditions impact
farming practices on the Arabian Peninsula?
The desert isnt fertile for growing crops. You need dirt to do that. Instead it's all
sand so you can only grow date palms and juniper trees.
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5/6/11 9:53 AM