Arabia Deserta

Arabia Deserta, meaning "Desert Arabia," was an ancient geographical term used by the Greeks and Romans to describe the vast, barren interior of the Arabian Peninsula. This region contrasted with Arabia Felix ("Fertile Arabia") in the southwest and Arabia Petraea in the northwest. The Arabian Desert, covering about 900,000 square miles (2,300,000 square km), is the largest desert in Asia and the second largest on Earth. It is bordered by the Syrian Desert to the north and various gulfs and seas to the east, south, and west. Historically, the region was inhabited by nomadic Bedouin peoples who adapted to its harsh conditions. Exploration and mapping of the Arabian Desert intensified in the 18th century and continued with modern aerial and satellite surveys.1234