Arabia

American  

[uh-rey-bee-uh] / əˈreɪ bi ə /

noun

1. a peninsula in SW Asia, including Saudi Arabia, Yemen Arab Republic, People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Kuwait: divided in ancient times into Arabia Deserta, Arabia Petraea, and Arabia Felix. About 1,000,000 sq. mi. (2,600,000 sq. km).

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Arabia British  

/ əˈreɪbɪə /

noun

1. a great peninsula of SW Asia, between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf: consists chiefly of a desert plateau, with mountains rising over 3000 m (10 000 ft) in the west and scattered oases; includes the present-day countries of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. Area: about 2 600 000 sq km (1 000 000 sq miles)

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Arabia Cultural  

1. Peninsula in southwest Asia, bordered on the north by Jordan and Iraq, on the east by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, on the south by the Gulf of Aden, and on the west by the Red Sea. This historical region in the Middle East consists of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

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Strategically important because it is situated at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa, Arabia has been coveted and controlled by many empires throughout history. The area's importance is all the greater today because of its fabulous oil reserves. The United States and the Soviet Union both competed for influence in Arabia after the British presence ended in the late 1960s. Arabian states joined the coalition against Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. (See also Persian Gulf War.)

Example Sentences

Spain begin their World Cup campaign in Group H against Cape Verde on 15 June, before facing Saudi Arabia on 21 June and Uruguay on 27 June.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey, which have been working closely on mediation efforts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

The results in the Middle East were due to lower activity in Saudi Arabia and reduced drilling services in Qatar, while Asia saw higher completion tool sales.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026

In the same year Saudi Arabia supplied 14% of China’s crude, Iraq 10%, Oman 7% and the United Arab Emirates 6%.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

Yet by the time he died in 632, his faith had spread throughout Arabia.

From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson