GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE

A range of mountains runs parallel to the relatively narrow coastal plains along the Red Sea. It extends from the North gradually increasing in elevation to the South, with its highest peak rising to 2,750 meters in Asir. The Najd plateau extends eastward from the mountains, gradually sloping down toward the Arabian Gulf. To the Southeast of the Najd plateau stretches the vast desert of the legendary Empty Quarter (Rub-al-Khali).

 Saudi Arabia is warm and dry. However, the climate along the coastal regions is hot and humid in the summer and moderate during winter with occasional rainfall between November and February. The central region is warm most of the year with temperatures reaching as high as 45-50 degrees Centigrade (113-122 Fahrenheit) during summer.