Nature

Lake Assal lies 155 metres below sea level — the lowest point in Africa — ringed by a blinding crust of salt. Nearby, Lake Abbe is a field of limestone chimneys venting steam across a plain that looks like another planet.

This is the Afar Triangle, where three tectonic plates are pulling apart. The Ardoukoba volcano erupted here as recently as 1978, and the Gulf of Tadjoura cuts deep into the coast, drawing whale sharks each winter.

The Banc d'Arguin National Park, a World Heritage Site, is where the Sahara runs straight into the Atlantic. Its shallow banks, mudflats and seagrass beds host millions of migratory shorebirds, and Imraguen fishermen still work the water with sail-driven boats.

Inland, the Adrar and Tagant plateaus hold canyons, palm oases and rock art, and the Richat Structure — a vast circular formation in the desert — is visible from orbit.

Socotra, four hundred kilometres off the coast, has been separated from the mainland for so long that a third of its plant life exists nowhere else on earth. The dragon's blood tree, the desert rose and the frankincense trees of its limestone plateaus make it one of the most distinctive landscapes in the world.

On the mainland, the western highlands rise above three thousand metres and are cut into stone terraces that have been farmed for coffee, qat, sorghum and fruit for well over a thousand years.

The Nile has shaped Egyptian settlement, agriculture, transport, and imagination for thousands of years. Its fertile banks created a narrow green corridor through an otherwise arid landscape, allowing communities and cities to flourish from southern Egypt to the Mediterranean Delta.

For ancient Egyptians, the river's seasonal rhythms influenced farming and the organization of society. In later centuries, the Nile continued to support agriculture, trade, fishing, transportation, and urban development, remaining central to the country's economic and cultural life.

Today the river passes through major cities and rural communities, alongside cultivated fields, palm groves, islands, historic monuments, and modern bridges. Feluccas and other boats remain a familiar part of the river landscape, particularly around Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan.

The Nile is therefore more than a geographic feature. It is a continuous thread linking Egypt's ancient past with its contemporary life, and one of the clearest ways to understand how landscape has shaped the country's identity.

Jordan's natural landscape changes dramatically over relatively short distances. Forested northern hills, deep valleys, sandstone mountains, desert plains, mineral-rich shores, and the Red Sea coast create far greater environmental variety than the country's size might suggest.

Dana Biosphere Reserve is one of the clearest examples of this diversity. Its dramatic valleys descend through different elevations and ecological zones, supporting varied plant and animal life while offering expansive views across rugged terrain.

Elsewhere, Wadi Mujib cuts through steep canyon walls toward the Dead Sea, while Wadi Rum presents a completely different world of red sand, monumental sandstone formations, natural arches, and open desert.

These landscapes make Jordan attractive not only for cultural tourism but also for hiking, canyoning, desert exploration, stargazing, nature photography, and journeys through protected areas.

Southern Tunisia opens into the Sahara at the salt flats of Chott el Jerid and the dune fields around Douz, with mountain oases at Chebika, Tamerza and Mides tucked into the rock.

The north is greener: cork oak forest in the Kroumirie hills, and Ichkeul Lake, a World Heritage wetland where hundreds of thousands of migrating birds stop each winter.

At Khartoum the Blue Nile, arriving from the Ethiopian highlands, meets the White Nile from the Great Lakes; the line where the two waters run side by side before mixing is visible from the bank.

North of the confluence the Nubian Desert takes over, while the Red Sea coast at Port Sudan and Sanganeb holds reefs, sea grass and marine life protected from heavy tourism.

More than eighty per cent of Algeria is Sahara: the dune seas of the Grand Erg Oriental and Occidental, the volcanic peaks of the Hoggar around Tamanrasset, and the sandstone towers of Tassili.

To the north, the Tell and Saharan Atlas ranges catch the Mediterranean rain, supporting cedar forest at Chréa and Theniet El Had, high plateaus, and a coastline of more than a thousand kilometres.

Somalia has the longest mainland coastline in Africa, more than three thousand kilometres of reef, dune and fishing ground running from the Gulf of Aden around the Horn to the Indian Ocean.

Inland, the Cal Madow mountains hold relict forests and endemic species, and at Laas Geel near Hargeisa some of the oldest and best preserved rock paintings in Africa still show cattle and herders in vivid colour.

Oman's landscape is far more varied than the desert image often associated with Arabia. The Hajar Mountains rise dramatically across the north of the country, creating deep canyons, high plateaus, terraced farms, remote villages, and some of the Sultanate's most impressive viewpoints.

Jebel Akhdar is known for its cooler climate, terraced agriculture, fruit orchards, and mountain settlements, while Jebel Shams overlooks the immense canyon landscapes of the interior. Roads and walking trails reveal changing scenery as rocky escarpments give way to cultivated terraces and isolated communities.

Below the mountains, Oman's wadis form natural corridors through the rock. Places such as Wadi Shab, Wadi Bani Khalid, and Wadi Tiwi are known for clear pools, palm groves, narrow gorges, and seasonal waterways that create striking contrasts with the surrounding arid terrain.

Together, the mountains and wadis show how water, geology, agriculture, and settlement have shaped life in Oman. They are also central to the country's growing appeal for hiking, nature tourism, photography, and outdoor exploration.

Two mountain ranges run the length of the country, separated by the Bekaa Valley. Snow lies on the peaks into spring, which is why it is possible to ski in the morning and swim in the afternoon.

The cedar of Lebanon, which appears on the national flag, survives in protected groves at Bsharri, Tannourine and the Shouf Biosphere Reserve, where restoration work is slowly extending the forest again.

More than nine-tenths of Libya is desert. The Ubari sand sea holds a chain of salt lakes among the dunes, and the volcanic massifs of the Acacus and Tibesti rise on the southern frontiers.

To the north, the Jebel Akhdar — the Green Mountain — catches enough rain to support forest and farmland, and the Mediterranean coastline runs for more than 1,700 kilometres.

Beyond the city, Kuwait is open desert that turns briefly green after winter rain, when families camp across the Kabd and Al-Sulaibiya areas. The Jal Az-Zor escarpment rises above Kuwait Bay in the north.

The bay itself, and the nine offshore islands, support seagrass beds, shrimp grounds and large numbers of migrating birds on the route between Asia and Africa.

The Ahwar, the marshes of southern Iraq, are the largest wetland in western Asia: a world of reed islands, buffalo and water channels where the Marsh Arabs have lived for millennia. Drained in the 1990s, they have been substantially restored.

In the north, the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan rise to more than three thousand metres, with alpine meadows, gorges and villages that keep their own languages and traditions.

Mount Karthala on Grande Comore is one of the largest and most active volcanoes in the world, with a caldera several kilometres across and rainforest on its flanks.

The surrounding waters hold coral reefs, nesting turtles and migrating humpback whales, and the deep channels here are where the coelacanth — a fish believed extinct for millions of years — was rediscovered.

The central highlands are cut into stone terraces that have held soil and rainwater for thousands of years, planted with olive, fig, almond and vine.

Eastward the land falls sharply into the Jordan Valley and the shore of the Dead Sea, the lowest point on the surface of the earth, while the coastal plain at Gaza meets the Mediterranean.

Khor Al Adaid, the inland sea in the south, is one of the few places on earth where the sea reaches deep into the desert and tidal water lies among the dunes. It is a protected reserve, reached only across sand.

Elsewhere the peninsula offers mangroves at Al Thakira, limestone formations at Zekreet, and long stretches of quiet coast used by nesting turtles.

Bahrain's landscape is shaped by the meeting of desert and sea. Date gardens and artesian springs once covered the northern coast, while the interior rises gently towards Jabal ad-Dukhan, the Mountain of Smoke.

Offshore, the Hawar Islands are a refuge for migratory birds and hold one of the largest breeding colonies of Socotra cormorants in the world. In the southern desert, the Tree of Life stands alone, drawing water from an unseen source.

The Dead Sea forms one of Jordan's most distinctive natural landscapes. Set within the Jordan Rift Valley, its intensely saline water, mineral-rich shoreline, surrounding mountains, and unusually low elevation create an environment unlike almost anywhere else.

Visitors are drawn to the experience of floating in the dense water and to the dramatic contrast between pale mineral deposits, blue water, and arid mountains. Resorts and wellness facilities have developed along parts of the Jordanian shore.

The wider region also provides access to nearby valleys, archaeological locations, religious heritage sites, and elevated viewpoints. Changes in water level have made environmental conservation and long-term management increasingly important.

The Dead Sea is therefore both a major visitor destination and a reminder of the delicate relationship between water resources, regional geography, tourism, and environmental change.

Although the UAE is often associated with desert landscapes and modern cities, its geography is remarkably varied. Golden dunes extend across much of the interior, while the Hajar Mountains rise dramatically in the east and long coastlines meet the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.

Mountain areas around Hatta, Ras Al Khaimah, and Fujairah offer rugged valleys, reservoirs, hiking routes, farms, and cooler elevations. Al Ain provides a different environment, where extensive palm oases and historic irrigation systems demonstrate how communities created productive landscapes in an arid region.

Along the coast are beaches, islands, lagoons, mangroves, coral environments, fishing communities, and protected wetlands. Fujairah's mountainous shoreline contrasts sharply with the flatter Gulf coast, while mangrove ecosystems provide important habitats for birds and marine life.

These landscapes support desert travel, mountain activities, kayaking, diving, wildlife observation, beach tourism, and scenic road journeys. They also reveal how strongly geography has influenced settlement, food, livelihoods, and local traditions across the seven emirates.

Morocco contains an exceptional range of landscapes within a relatively compact area. The Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines, Rif and Atlas mountain ranges, fertile plains, cedar forests, river valleys, rocky plateaus, palm-filled oases, and Saharan dunes create dramatically different environments across the country.

The Atlas Mountains form a powerful geographic backbone, with high peaks, remote villages, terraced fields, and valleys that support agriculture and traditional communities. In the north, the Rif Mountains descend toward the Mediterranean, creating greener landscapes around towns such as Chefchaouen.

Farther south and east, the environment becomes increasingly arid. Oasis valleys, rocky desert, earthen settlements, and the great dune fields near Merzouga introduce visitors to Morocco's Saharan landscapes, while the Atlantic coast offers cliffs, beaches, fishing ports, and windswept coastal towns.

This diversity supports hiking, surfing, desert travel, wildlife observation, mountain tourism, and scenic road journeys. It also explains the remarkable regional differences in architecture, agriculture, cuisine, clothing, and local traditions found throughout Morocco.

Saudi Arabia is often associated with desert landscapes, but its geography is considerably more diverse.

The immense Rub' al Khali, or Empty Quarter, contains some of the world's largest continuous sand landscapes, while dramatic sandstone formations characterize areas of northwestern Saudi Arabia.

Along the western side of the country, the Sarawat Mountains rise above the Red Sea. Farther south, the highlands of Asir offer cooler temperatures, mountain valleys, juniper forests, agricultural terraces, and seasonal greenery that contrast dramatically with central Arabia.

The Red Sea adds another environment entirely, with islands, coral reefs and extensive marine ecosystems along the Kingdom's western coastline. Oases, volcanic fields, wadis, cliffs and protected areas add still more variety.

Together, these landscapes reveal a Saudi Arabia that extends far beyond the familiar image of endless desert.