Asir Mountains
Encyclopedia
The Asir mountains is a mountainous region in southwestern Saudi Arabia
running parallel to the Red Sea
. It comprises primarily areas in Asir within Saudi Arabia, however it also generally includes areas near the Yemen
border. Asir covers approximately 40000 mi2 and consists of mountains, plains, and valleys of the Arabian highlands.
, Cretaceous
, and Tertiary
origin.
due to largely seasonal rain. Average rainfall can range from 600 millimetres (23.6 in) to over 1000 millimetres (39.4 in) per year, in wet regions. The eastern plains and plateaus receive much lower amounts, from 500 millimetres (19.7 in) to below 100 millimetres (3.9 in) per year.
.
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
running parallel to the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
. It comprises primarily areas in Asir within Saudi Arabia, however it also generally includes areas near the Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
border. Asir covers approximately 40000 mi2 and consists of mountains, plains, and valleys of the Arabian highlands.
Geography
The mountains consist primarily of sedimentary rock of JurassicJurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
, Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
, and Tertiary
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
origin.
Climate and agriculture
The region has the highest average rainfall of Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
due to largely seasonal rain. Average rainfall can range from 600 millimetres (23.6 in) to over 1000 millimetres (39.4 in) per year, in wet regions. The eastern plains and plateaus receive much lower amounts, from 500 millimetres (19.7 in) to below 100 millimetres (3.9 in) per year.
Agriculture
The region's crops, most of which are cultivated on steeply terraced mountainsides, include wheat, coffee, cotton, indigo, ginger, vegetables, and palms. The region also supports cattle, sheep, goats, and camels.Biodiversity
The region's difficult terrain has helped preserve the region's unique biodiversity. Several new Myxomycetes fungi species have been discovered in the region, as have a variety of previously undiscovered plant life. Asir is also thought to be one of the last natural habitats of the Arabian leopardArabian leopard
The Arabian leopard is a leopard subspecies native to the Arabian Peninsula and classified as critically endangered by IUCN since 1996. Less than 200 animals remained in 2006...
.