The ROPME sea area includes the coastal and marine waters of the eight countries (Bahrain, Iraq, Islamic Republic of Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) that make up ROPME. This region is arid, with large seasonal fluctuations of air and water temperatures and thus the greatest extremes among tropical marine climates. While its natural resources have supported the coastal populations for thousands of years, the marine environment has recently been degraded as a result of a wide range of land-based sources and activities.