Rub' al Khali

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/rub-al-khali

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the location?Southern third of the Arabian Peninsula, covering approximately 650,000 km²
2. What is the countries involved?Saudi Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Yemen
3. What is the Rub' al Khali and why is it called the Empty Quarter?The Rub' al Khali is a huge desert that covers about 650,000 square kilometers in the Arabian Peninsula. It is called the Empty Quarter because it looks like it has no plants or animals and is very hard to cross.
4. How hot can it get in the Rub' al Khali?During summer, daytime temperatures can rise above 50°C (122°F). At night, temperatures can drop close to freezing in winter.

Hyper-arid: An extreme climatic condition characterized by exceptionally low precipitation and high evaporation rates.
Erg: A large, flat area of desert covered with wind-swept sand and sand dunes.
Geopolitics: The study of the influence of geography on politics and international relations.
Biodiversity: The variety of plant and animal life in a particular habitat or ecosystem.