1. Why is water important to a country?

2. The effects of Location and Environmental Issues in the Middle East

3. Georgia Performance Standards
SS7G6 The student will discuss environmental issues across Southwest Asia (Middle East).
Explain how water pollution and the unequal distribution of water impacts irrigation and drinking water.
SS7G7 The student will explain the impact of location, climate, physical characteristics, distribution of natural resources, and population distribution in Southwest Asia (Middle East).
b. Describe how the deserts and rivers of Southwest Asia (Middle East) have affected the population in terms of where people live, what type of work they do, and how they travel.

4. Part 1- How do the deserts and rivers of Southwest Asia affect where people live, work and travel?

5. Three Major Rivers:
Tigris River
Euphrates River
Jordan River

6. Important water source For Turkey, Syria, Iraq Main water source for
Israel, Jordan, Syria
longest
Smaller than
Tigris & Euphrates
Euphrates R.
Jordan R.
Middle East Rivers
Flows into
Dead Sea
Tigris R.
Important Rivers for
Drinking & Farming
North of Euphrates
Important water source for
Turkey and Iraq

7. Importance of Rivers
Critical resource of water for drinking and irrigation
Dams create hydroelectric power, but also conflicts with countries downstream
Set boundaries
Transportation / trade
Cities / industry / workers

8. Southwest Asian Deserts
Syrian Desert
Rub al-Khali (empty quarter)

9. Importance of Deserts Natural barrier against invasion
Unique way of life – surviving in harsh surroundings
Bedouins – desert nomads – herders and traders of the desert
The Bedouins way of life is gradually disappearing

10. Climate of Southwest Asia
Climate –type of weather a region has over a long period of time
Generally hot and dry climate

11. Wet or Dry? Large bodies of water border SW Asia
Mountains close to the coast block rains
As a result, much of the interior of SW Asia is desert.
Rivers and coastal areas have enough water to support agriculture, cities, and towns.

12. Climate Map

14. Total Average Yearly Rainfall
Baghdad, Iraq inches
Cairo, Egypt inches
Jerusalem, Israel inches
Amman, Jordan inches
Tehran, Iran inches
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 4.5 inches
Damascus, Syria 7.0 inches
Washington, D.C. (U.S.) 48.0 inches

15. Total Average Yearly Rainfall
Key
Inches per year

18. Population Densities (person/km2):
Israel:
Turkey: 93
Iraq: 66
Afghanistan: 46
Iran: 42
Saudi Arabia: 11
Why are they in this order??

19. Trade in Southwest Asia
“Crossroads” of Europe, Africa,& Asia
Major trade role for centuries
Ships from Asia to SW Asian ports
Camel caravans – “ships of the desert”
Today the Suez Canal allows trade without using overland caravans

20. Agriculture in SW Asia
Subsistence agriculture – growing small amounts of food for local needs.
Depends on irrigation
Some commercial agriculture – limited by irrigation
Irrigation methods:
Water wheels
Pumps
Wells
Qanats – underground tunnels
Canals

21. Water Wheels

22. Water pump

23. Qanats

24. Canals

25. Where people live-population high or low?
How people work-what types of jobs?
How people travel-how would they get around?
Deserts
High or low
Why?
Rivers

26. Complete questions 243-252 on pages 85-87 of the Blue Book.
Bellringer
Complete questions on pages of the Blue Book.

27. Part 2- Environmental Issues

28. Water Facts The Earth is made of roughly 2/3 water
97.5% of this is salt water 2.5% is fresh water
70% of the fresh water is trapped in glaciers and the ice caps
This leaves only roughly 1% of all water is available freshwater

30. What do you think are the main environmental problems in the Middle East?
Water shortages
Unequal distribution of water
Pollution, especially water
5% of world’s population live here, but less than 1% of world’s fresh water is available to these people.

31. Vocabulary
Desalination – process of removing the salt from salt water to make drinking water.
Water Rights – agreements about how countries can use the water in a region; often causes political disputes
Aquifer-an underground layer of rock and sand that contains water
Ground water -water below the surface that supplies wells and springs.

33. Problems by country
Turkey: Pollution from industries, agriculture, and oil spills in the Black Sea
Turkey/Syria/Iraq-Turkey built a dam on the Euphrates River, followed by Syria. This severely restricted the water flow into Iraq which almost caused a war.
Iraq- also has major war damage to water treatment facilities and pollution from industries and oil spills.

34. [Iraq] Young boy stands on the edge of sewage outflow
[Iraq] Young boy stands on the edge of sewage outflow. Image Credit: © IRIN

35. Problems by country
Israel-Consumption has increased, but rainfall has decreased. They are forced to draw water from aquifers, lowering levels and allowing salt water in. They have also come close to war over Jordan River.
Iran-having problem similar to Israel which is hurting their main crop-pistachios.
Afghanistan-main problem is pollution from open sewers, failed septic systems, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides. Chemical fertilizers contaminates the water supply through runoff from the fields.

36. Sewage and pollution in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza
Sewage and pollution in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza. Image Credit: © ICRC

37. A fountain in Jerusalem
A fountain in Jerusalem. Water experts say the country's water shortage is the result of overuse. Image Credit: © Shabtai Gold/IRIN

38. Picture of smog in Tehran, Iran
Picture of smog in Tehran, Iran. It was so bad in 2005, they closed schools.

39. Problems by country
Saudi Arabia-most severe problem with water scarcity and poor quality of ground water from salt water intrusion, but they have found a solution-desalination. About 30 plants in the country provide most of the country’s drinking water.

40. Match the country to the correct water issue
Less water to irrigate pistachio crop
Battles over water rights to Jordan River
Uses desalination to battle severe water shortages
Oil spills from ships pollute the Black Sea
War has damaged water treatment facilities
Open sewers, failed septic systems

41. Twenty percent of global infant mortality is accounted for by diarrhea, a problem in Egypt due to contaminated water. Image Credit: © Sarah Kamshoshy/IRIN

42. Increase in car usage, leads to increase in air pollution in Amman, Jordan

43. Major Environmental Issues- Unequal distribution of water
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers shared by Turkey, Syria, and Iraq
Jordan River shared by Israel, Syria, and Jordan.
The problem is they don’t always play nice and share-second only to religious differences, water is a major cause of wars in the region. What do you think would be 3rd?
OIL
Which countries does this leave out??
Iran and Saudi Arabia-they rely on desalination, but it is very expensive, so it is not used in many other countries

45. Darker blue shows where land is more intensely irrigated

46. Question Which river do Syria, Israel, and Jordan share? Euphrates
Nile
Tigris

47. Question Jordan Which river do Syria, Israel, and Jordan share?
Euphrates
Jordan
Nile
Tigris

48. Question
2. How has the building of dams created problems for countries sharing rivers in SW Asia?
Dams are too expensive to build to be practical
Dams limit the water available to countries further downstream
Few countries have the technology needed to be able to build dams
Countries in SW Asia are not allowed to build dams along shared rivers

49. Question
2. How has the building of dams created problems for countries sharing rivers in SW Asia?
Dams are too expensive to build to be practical
Dams limit the water available to countries further downstream
Few countries have the technology needed to be able to build dams
Countries in SW Asia are not allowed to build dams along shared rivers

50. Question
3. How has the use of chemical fertilizers affected water supplies in many countries?
Use of chemical fertilizers means crops must be watered constantly
Enormous amounts of water must be used to produce chemical fertilizers
Water supplies have been contaminated by the chemicals through runoff from the fields
Chemical fertilizers have had very little effect on local water supplies in SW Asia

51. Question
3. How has the use of chemical fertilizers affected water supplies in many countries?
Use of chemical fertilizers means crops must be watered constantly
Enormous amounts of water must be used to produce chemical fertilizers
Water supplies have been contaminated by the chemicals through runoff from the fields
Chemical fertilizers have had very little effect on local water supplies in SW Asia

52. Question 4. Why isn’t desalination used more in SW Asia?
Most countries do not know about this technology
Desalination is not very effective
Few countries have access to seawater
It is very expensive for countries to use

53. Question It is very expensive for countries to use
4. Why isn’t desalination used more in SW Asia?
Most countries do not know about this technology
Desalination is not very effective
Few countries have access to seawater
It is very expensive for countries to use

54. Assignment
Read and complete pages in the Gallopade (Yellow book)