Presentation is loading. Please wait.

Presentation is loading. Please wait.

Part I: Landforms & Resources Physical Geography of the Middle East (AKA Southwest Asia)

Similar presentations


Presentation on theme: "Part I: Landforms & Resources Physical Geography of the Middle East (AKA Southwest Asia)"— Presentation transcript:

1 Part I: Landforms & Resources Physical Geography of the Middle East (AKA Southwest Asia)

2 A. Landforms Peninsulas  a large landmass with water on three sides The Arabian Peninsula  Surrounded by the Red Sea to the west, the Persian Gulf to the east Anatolian Peninsula  occupied by Turkey; marks the beginning of the Asian continent; surrounded by the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea Suez Canal  keeps goods flowing to and from Europe and Africa into the Middle East Straits (narrow waterways linking two larger waterways) The Bosporus Strait & the Dardanelles Strait are important for trading with Russia and the interior of Asia The Strait of Hormuz is the only waterway to the oilfields of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iraq Plains Covers most of the Arabian Peninsula Since its so flat, dry, sandy and windy, many folks have adapted to nomadic lifestyles, moving from place to place in search of water

3 A. Landforms (Continued) Plateaus Iran  surrounded by mountains Anatolian Peninsula also has a lot of mountains Mountains Hindu Kush Mountains keep Afghanistan isolated from the rest of the world Zagros Mountains & Elburz Mountains isolate Iran Taurus Mountains cut Turkey off from the rest of the Middle East Water Very important for trade and travel Tigris and Euphrates rivers flow through Turkey, Iraq and Syria making the valleys fertile and good for farming Jordan River  provides water to the region and serves as a border b/t Israel and Jordan Dead Sea  salt lake that’s 1,349 feet below seal level

4 B. Resources Oil  most oil is on the Arabian Peninsula, Iran & Iraq ½ of the world’s oil reserves are in Southwest Asia (aka Middle East) Hydroelectric power from water resources in Turkey, Iran, Lebanon and Afghanistan Coal, copper, potash & phosphates

5 Part II: Climate & Vegetation Physical Geography of the Middle East (AKA Southwest Asia)

6 A. Arid Land of the Middle East Less than 18 inches of rain per year Lots of sand dunes and salt flats Rivers don’t flow all year Irrigation helps people farm the land and get much needed water Land around the Mediterranean Sea is pretty fertile

7 B. Deserts Covered with salt, sand or rock Rub al-Khali (Empty Quarter) desert is the most famous desert on the Arabian Peninsula There are several other deserts; sometimes in the deserts, there is an oasis. This is an area where vegetation grows in the desert b/c of underwater springs

8 C. Areas with ample rainfall Countries along the Mediterranean coast (i.e. Turkey) have a great climate for growing citrus fruits, olives and vegetables because of the steady rainfall

9 Part III: Human-Environment Interaction Physical Geography of the Middle East (AKA Southwest Asia)

10 A. Providing Precious Water Water is the most critical resource Challenge: finding and storing water to survive and prosper Dams and irrigation As Turkey seeks to build dams for water and hydroelectric power, countries down stream like Syria and Iraq fear that they will not have enough Israel’s National Water Carrier Project also waters Israel by taking from many places used by other countries…again, controversial Desalination – removal of salt from the ocean water

11 B. Oil from the sand ½ of the world’s petroleum is found here; this fuels cars, etc; used in plastics and so forth Very important region economically Saudi Arabia is the largest oil producing country Crude oil is what is pumped from the ground or removed from the earth; it then has to be refined Oil spills happen while trying to move oil from one place to another

12 Part IV: North Africa Physical Geography of the Middle East (AKA Southwest Asia)

13 A. Countries Algeria Egypt Libya Morocco Sudan Tunisia

14 B. Physical Geography Nile River essential to Egypt (and so many other countries) for trade and travel Oil is also found in Algeria, Libya & Tunisia The Sahara Desert covers much of North Africa


Download ppt "Part I: Landforms & Resources Physical Geography of the Middle East (AKA Southwest Asia)"

Similar presentations


Ads by Google