The Arabian Peninsula's Borders Based on Population

Nov 9, 2017
Cartogram map of population in the Arabian Peninsula

The geographically accurate cartogram above represents the borders of the nations in the region based on their population.  Iraq becomes the largest country with Saudi Arabia a close second.

Findings

  • Bahrain gains the most territory percentage-wise as it grows by 5,726%.  It still remains the smallest state in the region.
  • Saudi Arabia cedes the most territory but manages to remain the second largest state in the region.
  • Iraq gains the most territory and becomes the largest state in the region.
  • Oman loses the most land percentage-wise.

Caveats

  • The borders represent the area of the country if it were based on population.  The location of the states on the map is irrelevant.

Details

Several countries grow to more than twice their size including (in descending order of growth) Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, and Iraq.

The only countries to give up more than half of their territory are Saudi Arabia and Oman.

Data

StatePopulation (2016)Existing Area (sq km)Projected Area (based on 2016 population)Percent Change in Area
Iraq37,202,572436,994989,434126
Saudi Arabia32,275,6871,925,523919,454-52
Yemen27,584,213453,501815,91280
United Arab Emirates9,269,61270,753265,367275
Oman4,424,762308,946127,440-59
Kuwait4,052,58417,365113,718555
Qatar2,569,80411,54572,706530
Bahrain1,425,17168539,9065,726

Sources

United Nations.  2017.  "World Population Prospects: The 2017 Revision."  Accessed November 8, 2017.  https://www.un.org/development/desa/publications/world-population-prospects-the-2017-revision.html.

Filed under: Projecting Power