Middle East  Covers three continents The Junction of Europe, Africa and Asia  Strategic location The Crossroads of the world  Center for trade because of all the seas  Cultures shared customs and ideas (example of cultural diffusion) Bahrain

 From Morocco in the West through Iran in the East  From Turkey North to the Arabian Peninsula in the South  Twice the size of the United States

 The world’s earliest civilizations developed here between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers (Mesopotamia - land between two rivers): ○ Sumerians (ziggurat and cuneiform), Babylonians, Assyrians, Ancient Hebrews (Jews), Egyptians (hieroglyphics), Hittites, Phoenicians, Persians Mesopotamia is also The Fertile Crescent ○ An Oasis in the desert ○ No natural barriers Frequent migrations and invasions from Mediterranean to Persian Gulf

Deserts and Plateaus  A lot of desert Sahara - worlds largest, located in North Africa Arabian located in Arabian Peninsula Rub Al Khali – the Empty Quarter where the Bedouin (desert dwellers) live  Plateaus Plateau of Iran Plateau of Anatolia

Atlas (Morocco) – separates them from rest of Africa ○ Barrier to trade with rest of Africa Pontic (Northern Turkey) Taurus (South/East around Anatolia Plateau) Elburz (North Iran) Zagros (West around Iran Plateau) Atlas Zagros Mountains

 Melting snows Cause floods Deposit silt Create rich soil with minerals  Climate Mountains prevent clouds from reaching interior  Near equator Warm winters, hot summers Less than 10 inches of rain per year Flash floods

Strategic Waterways  Turkey controls waterways that link Black Sea and Mediterranean – Dardanelles and Bosporus straits (access for Russia to sea)  Arabian Peninsula, surrounded by water Red Sea to the west Arabian Sea to the South Persian Gulf to the east Suez Canal connects Red Sea to Mediterranean Suez Canal

 Nile River Egypt founded World’s longest river Driest country, flooded yearly Feeds Sudan and Egypt Another civilization  Dead Sea Lowest point on earth ○ (1,371 ft) below sea levelsea level Waterways cont.

Cultural Aspects  Population One of the driest areas of the world – 90% desert When Population increases in land of deserts Limited space – can only live in river valleys  Major language Arabic  See Maps and Charts

 Leading Export 70% of world’s oil reserves ○ 50% of current world supply  Most precious resource Water (only 7% of land farmable) Don’t produce enough to feed themselves – they rely on world markets Economy

Economics Selective Exports:  wheat, barley, rice, millet  Israel – Jaffa oranges  Iraq – dates  Turkey – nuts, figs, olives  Egypt - cotton hazelnut

Fun Facts  Most populous nation Egypt – 71.2 millon  Nation with the largest area Algeria  Smallest nations in population Qatar – 618,000  Smallest nation in area Bahrain Cairo, Egypt, the world's 13th most populous metro area

 What three great world religions were founded in the Middle East? Judaism Christianity Islam