Musandam Peninsula
Place
| جَزِيْرَة مُسَنْدَم رَأْس مُسَنْدَم | |
|---|---|
 The peninsula as seen from space. Al-Khasab to the north (top) shown in green, is contrasted between the more subtle rainbow tones of the surrounding rock in this false-colour image. The term Khasab refers to the fertility of the soil. | |
| Coordinates: 25°54′N 56°12′E / 25.900°N 56.200°E / 25.900; 56.200 | |
| Governorates of Oman and Emirates of the United Arab Emirates | Musandam Governorate (Oman) Ras Al Khaimah (UAE) |
The Musandam Peninsula (Arabic: جَزِيْرَة مُسَنْدَم \ رَأْس مُسَنْدَم, romanized: Jazīrat Musandam / Raʾs Musandam), locally known as Ruus Al Jibal (Arabic: رُؤُوْس ٱلْجِبَال, romanized: Ruʾūs al-Jibāl Capes of the Mountains),[3] is a peninsula that forms the northeastern point of the Arabian Peninsula. It is located to the south of the Strait of Hormuz, between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.[4] It is inhabited by the Shihuh tribe and is mainly governed by Oman as the Musandam Governorate with certain parts governed by the United Arab Emirates, including Ras Al Khaimah and parts of Dibba.[1][2]
Climate, geology and geography
Land features include the Western Hajar Mountains. Since these are the northernmost of the Hajar range, they and the peninsula are referred to as Ruʾūs al-Jibāl (Arabic: رُؤُوْس ٱلْجِبَال, romanized: Capes of the Mountains).[1][2] The largest wadi in Mussandam is Wadi Bih, which forms the central drainage basin.[5][6]
The highest Mountain in Mussandam, and Ru'us al Jibal, is Jebel Harim.
During winter, the region can be fairly cool, particularly the mountains of Jais, Yanas and Mebrah.[7][8]
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View of Jebal Harim from the Green Valley, March 2013 -
View of the mountains of Musandam, December 1971 -
View of the Ru'us al-Jibal from Jabal Qiwhi -
The mountainous area of Kumzar, c. 1908 -
Sedimentary rock layers near Khasab in Musandam Governorate, Oman -
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Hills and mountains on the Arabian Peninsula
Note: Mountains are sorted in alphabetical order, unless where it concerns ranges. The highest confirmed mountains in each country are indicated with 'HP', and those with the highest peak are indicated with 'HP', bearing in mind that in the UAE, the highest mountain and the mountain with the highest peak are different. Outcrops are indicated with 'OC', and outliers with 'OL', and anticlines with 'AC'. Volcanoes are indicated with 'V', volcanic craters with 'VC', lava fields with 'LF', and volcanic fields with 'VF'.
Other notes:
- ^ Shared with the UAE
- ^ Also regarded as being of the Western Hajar
- ^ Also regarded as being of the Western Hajar
- ^ Shared with the UAE
- ^ Shared with the UAE
- ^ Sensu lato, shared with Yemen
- ^ Shared with Yemen
- ^ Sensu lato
- ^ Sensu lato
- ^ Shared with Oman
- ^ Shared with Oman
- ^ Highest mountain in the UAE, but the peak is in Oman
- ^ Due to the peak of Jebel Jais being in Oman, this mountain has the highest confirmed peak in the UAE
- ^ Shared with Oman
- ^ Shared with Oman
- ^ Shared with Saudi Arabia
- ^ Highest confirmed peak in the Arabian Peninsula
Fauna and flora
Fauna include the Ruus al Jibal fan-footed gecko,[9] Arabian tahr and caracal. It is unknown if the Arabian leopard is still present.[1][2]
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African monarch butterfly (Danaus chrysippus) in Zhighy Bay, Musandam Governorate -
Blue basker dragonfly (Urothemis edwardsii) -
Common mynah (Acridotheres tristis) -
House sparrow (Passer domesticus) -
Rock semaphore gecko (Pristurus rupestris)
References
- ^ a b c d Edmonds, J.-A.; Budd, K. J.; Al Midfa, A. & Gross, C. (2006). "Status of the Arabian Leopard in United Arab Emirates" (PDF). Cat News (Special Issue 1): 33–39.
- ^ a b c d Spalton, J. A. & Al-Hikmani, H. M. (2006). "The Leopard in the Arabian Peninsula – Distribution and Subspecies Status" (PDF). Cat News (Special Issue 1): 3–47.
- ^ Thomas, B. (March 1927). Travels in Oman. Visit of B. Thomas to the Musandam Peninsula. 1928. Notes on Shihuh dialects & people, also Kumzaris' [10r]. British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers. p. 9.
- ^ Diba, B. A. (2011). Is Iran legally permitted to close Strait of Hormuz to countries that impose sanctions against Iran's oil?. Cupertino, California: Payvand Iranian-American Website.
- ^ Lancaster, Fidelity; Lancaster, William (2011). Honour is in Contentment: Life Before Oil in Ras Al-Khaimah (UAE) and Some Neighbouring Regions. Berlin, New York: Walter de Gruyter. pp. 3–598. ISBN 978-3-1102-2339-2.
- ^ Allen, Calvin H. Jr. (2016-02-05). "1: Land and People". Oman: the Modernization of the Sultanate. Abingdon, New York: Routledge. pp. 1–8. ISBN 978-1-3172-9164-0.
- ^ Al Serkal, Mariam M. (2019-03-10). "UAE to see cold days ahead, temperatures drop to 2.6°C". Gulf News. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
- ^ Al Serkal, Mariam M. (2019-02-28). "UAE to get 5 days of rain and "significant drop in temperature"". Gulf News. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
- ^ Simó-Riudalbas, M.; Metallinou, M.; De Pous, P.; Els, J.; Jayasinghe, S.; Péntek-Zakar, E.; Wilms, Thomas; Al-Saadi, Saleh; Carranza, Salvador (2017-08-02), "Cryptic diversity in Ptyodactylus (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) from the northern Hajar Mountains of Oman and the United Arab Emirates uncovered by an integrative taxonomic approach", PLOS ONE, 12 (8): e0180397, Bibcode:2017PLoSO..1280397S, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0180397, PMC 5540286, PMID 28767644, e0180397
External links
- Hiking: The Highest Points in the UAE
