The Middle East -Southwest Asia & North Africa PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY Lindsey Barnes, 2015 Objective 10/19: To analyze the physical geography of the Middle East region and determine how it impacts the people’s socially, politically and economically.

Location, location, location…  Location of the Middle East – between Europe, Asia and Africa – made it the perfect trading hub in early times as goods were transported along the Silk Route.  Trade also brought different cultures, language, ethnicities and religions.  Europeans became interested in the Middle East due its importance in the trading world which led to colonization. Lindsey Barnes, 2015

Regions we will focus on for the Middle East 1. Arabian Peninsula  Saudi Arabia 2. Eastern Mediterranean  Israel/Palestine, Syria 3. Northeast  Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan 4. North Africa  Egypt, Somalia, Nigeria Lindsey Barnes, 2015

Regions of the Middle East

Physical Regions – landforms, climate, vegetation etc.  Varied physical regions have impacted the different lifestyles of the people:  Nomadic, semi-nomadic, farming, fishing, urban.  Major physical features include:  Bodies of water  Peninsulas and deserts  Mountains Lindsey Barnes, 2015

Bodies of water  Rivers – Tigris and Euphrates River created a fertile land known as Mesopotamia.  Fertile land provided the opportunity for early settlers to become agrarian societies.  Birthplace of urban culture  6,000 years ago.  Strait of Hormuz – the only waterway to the oilfields of the Arabian Peninsula.  VERY important for exporting oil.  Suez Canal – only waterway access between the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea to increase trade between Asia, Europe and Africa. Lindsey Barnes, 2015

Mesopotamia Lindsey Barnes, 2015 Present day: Syria Iraq Israel/Palestine Egypt

Strait of Hormuz Lindsey Barnes, 2015 Oil Waterway! OIL !

Suez Canal Lindsey Barnes, 2015

Arabian Peninsula and deserts  Much of the Arabian Peninsula is covered by dry, sandy, and windy plains.  Major desert is the Rub al-Khali known as the “Empty Quarter”  OIL  Semiarid land located on the fringes of desert that receive enough rain to support cotton, wheat, and pastures.  Arid and semi-arid land resulted in a nomadic culture of Bedouins.  Lifestyle developed into one of strong clans and tribes who relied on each other for survival. Lindsey Barnes, 2015

Mountains  Mountains in the Middle East have created natural barriers between societies and cultures.  Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan have created very strong and isolated tribal societies.  Mountains are an obstacle with the War on Terror.  Zargos Mountains of Iran created an isolated society of Persians who are different from the Arabs. Lindsey Barnes, 2015

Zargos Mountains separate Iran from the rest of the Arab world. Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan

Resources  Petroleum  natural resource that can be refined into natural gas or oil.  Oil is the most abundant resource in the region.  Major oil fields are located on the Arabian Peninsula, Iran and Iraq and offshore drilling sites.  Oil has made the region important to the international community.  Believed that ½ the world’s oil is in the Middle East. Lindsey Barnes, 2015

 1 st discovery of oil was in Iran in 1908 and more oil was discovered in the region around the 1920s.  Increased the area’s attraction by colonizers.  Oil is a strategic commodity  a resource that is so important nations will go to war to ensure its steady supply.  Unpredictable oil prices have made it difficult for the region’s nations to have a steady economic growth. Lindsey Barnes, 2015

Resources Continued…  Most VALUABLE resource in the Middle East is WATER because it is in short supply.  Water is a source of international conflict TODAY and will be even more so in the FUTURE.  Water management includes – dams, irrigation, desalinization (removing salt from water), waste water plants and aquifer water but MORE is needed for the population. Lindsey Barnes, 2015