Coll 6/10 'Hejaz-Nejd Affairs: Financial Situation and Internal Situation' [‎51v] (109/1310)

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which all rights are shared equally by Saudi Arabia and Iraq in the one case, and
Saudi Arabia and Koweit in the other. The latter, which is economically the
more important area, forms an irregular quadrangle on the base of the Persian
Gulf coast from Ras Mish’ab to Ras-al-Qalia.
The south-eastern frontier is still unsettled, but the de facto line may be said
to run south from the head of Dohat-as-Salwa out into the Great Desert, the Rub-
ai-Khali.
The southern frontier, now fixed by treaty with the Yemen, runs inland from
a point north of Midi on the Red Sea coast. Excerpts from the relevant treaties
giving exact definition of the frontiers will be found in an appendix to this report
(b) Physical Features and Climate (see Map I(')).
The country enclosed within these frontiers is divided into three geographical
zones, each of which lends itself to generalisation. The most important
characteristic of the peninsula is the range of mountains which runs the leno-th
of the west coast, the Hejaz mountains, dividing, as its name signifies, the eastern
plateau (Nejd) from the Red Sea. Coastward from the Hejaz range lie the foot
hills and narrow coastal plain called Tihama. The climate of this zone is hot and
near the sea extremely damp. The soil is sandy and unfertile, and the zone would
be of little importance did not the foothills harbour the cities of Mecca and
Medina, the holiness of which has transformed this naked waste into a centre of
pilgrimage and brought trade and money to its ports.
The Hejaz range itself, averaging v 5,000 feet, rises to a height of 8,000 feet
in the Harrat areas (lava desert) on the north, and still higher to 10,000 and
12,000 feet in Asir. The climate of this mountain is less torrid. Rain is
plentiful in the winter, especially in the south, and good vegetation is found in
the larger oases of Taima, Khaibar, Taif, Turaba and Abha.
Eastward from the Hejaz range the surface of the land slopes gradually down
to the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , the central plateau having a mean elevation of somewhat
oyer 2,000 feet. Here and there harder masses stand above the level of the
plateau, as the Jebel Shammar, 5,000 feet, and the long low ridge of Jebel Tuwaiq
1 he whole of this third zone is divided into two parts by a ring of deserts which
is almost continuous from the Great Nafud in the north, through the Dahana to
the east of Jebel luwaiq, down to the Rub-al-Khali in the south. The area
between the Hejaz range and the desert ring is Nejd (the plateau), and consists
aigeh of gravel plains and steppe land, cut into by strips of Dahana (hard desert
plain covered by sand belts), or Nafud (deep sand formed into dunes). Jebel
bhammar and Jebel Tuwaiq form a bulwark against these deserts, and harbour
whirh nnm 1 ! y fi SufflC ! ent su b-surface water to support a semi-circle of oases,
vhich politically and geographically fall into three groups: Firstly Jebel
bhammo^mfl } lt l S T hlef t0 T of l H , ail; secondly, the Qasim between Jebel
including, notably 3 the"capital^Riy'adh^ aShm ’ ^ Wadl DaWaSlr diStnCtS ’
Wad?^rhnn th wdl i n L 0 f l de f rts iie ’ ^ north > the fertile depression of the
A1 Hasa mo’st.lv barren "f oasls at Jauf and to the east the coastal plain of
A1 Hasa 'oasis wdh the tr. U '/jO'y'HK tl |e largest oasis in the country, the
a vast area' of stenne la nr] "fair ldu Between Hasa and Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Sirhan curves
a vasr area ot steppe land, falling away to the Euphrates valley
dry iPthe summer^and^ld^n^l^^'^t 00 "^^^' Central Arabia is hot and
has Thot clTmate and on he P * fr ° St known ^ the north. Hasa
nas a not climate and on the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. coast s as damn as the Hein 7 Tihama
Rainfall throughout is scarce, and nowhere so nW;E T • 1 . '
mountains. The rainfall of Hasa is thnncrlit - P* entl ™ a ? m the western
Owinff to the lack of urprinit^iVv to aAera g e about 4 inches per annum.
of Saudi Arabia, but many river blds "^^^^ 3 ) 1- ^^^ 1-61111 ’ 81 T ®- 8 wh °! e
to carry off the storm floods and whose easily nnL-'e 'Li [ Ve a ? draina g e channels
oases on their course. The most imnortant r f th ' a Sub ' surface water fertilises
Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Rumma. which falls from thi xr “ ® f _ these drainage channels are in the
Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Rumma, which falls from the HeTaz faZlm , fnrT a?”? 1 S al \ ln t
the Qasim, to the head of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ami flm w ^ ar f r °m Medina, through
from the same area as the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Rumma r d h ^ I f amdh ’ whiob ’ startln g
Red Sea. ’ uns west ward, past Medina, to the
0) Not reproduced.