PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SW ASIA

SW ASIA Connects Asia, Africa, & Europe -a busy trade route throughout history -site of many invasions

PENINSULAS Arabian Peninsula -most dominate landform Sinai Peninsula -connects SW Asia & Africa Anatolia Peninsula -connects SW Asia & Europe ArabianAnatolia Sinai

BODIES OF WATER Allow travel/trade Red Sea -separates Arabian Peninsula from Africa -connected to Mediterranean Sea by Suez Canal Persian Gulf -world’s largest deposit of oil Horn of Africa Suez Canal

BODIES OF WATER, CON’T. Dead Sea -high salt content halts plant/animal life -lowest place on Earth’s crust

BODIES OF WATER, CON’T. Mediterranean Sea -allows access to Europe

BODIES OF WATER, CON’T. Tigris and Euphrates Rivers -form the “Fertile Crescent” Jordan River -border between Jordan & Israel

SUEZ CANAL CONNECTS THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA TO THE RED SEA BUILT IN 1869/10 YEARS 101 MILES IN LENGTH

PERSIAN GULF ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BODIES OF WATER IN THE WORLD 20-25% OF WORLDS OIL STARITS OF HORMUZ 17 BILLION BARRELS PER DAY

DESERTS Limit movement and life Sand, gravel, or salt Rub Al-Khali Desert -“the empty quarter” -sandy & HOT (186* F) An-Nafud Desert -has oases Syrian Desert

MOUNTAINS & PLATEAUS Mountains form natural boundaries -slow travel/trade Plateaus form much of the northern region -Iran and Turkey Some have snow! -skiing in Iran

NATURAL RESOURCES Fresh Water -the MOST valuable! Oil & Natural Gas -the rest of the world depends on it -Arabian Peninsula, Iran, & Iraq -1/2 of world’s reserves Salt -used in manufacturing and chemical processes

CLIMATE Mainly arid (desert) -Less than 10 inches of rain per year -Hot days and cold nights Semiarid -avg. 16 inches of rain -allows some agriculture Mediterranean -hot summers and mild, rainy winters -prefect for fruits/vegetables

WADIS MAINLY-DRY RIVER BEDS FOUND THROUGHOUT S.W ASIA

OIL & SW ASIA

Products Made From Oil Clothing Ink, Heart Valves, Crayons, Parachutes, Telephones Enamel, Transparent tape, Antiseptics, Vacuum bottles, Deodorant, Pantyhose, Rubbing Alcohol, Carpets, Epoxy paint Oil filters, Upholstery, Hearing Aids, Car sound insulation Cassettes, Motorcycle helmets, Pillows, Shower doors, Shoes, Refrigerator linings, Electrical tape, Safety glass, Awnings Salad bowl, Rubber cement, Nylon rope, Ice buckets, Fertilizers Hair coloring, Toilet seats, Denture adhesive, Loudspeakers Movie film, Fishing boots, Candles, Water pipes, Car enamel Shower curtains, Credit cards, Aspirin, Golf balls, Detergents Sunglasses, Glue, Fishing rods, Linoleum, Plastic wood, Soft contact lenses, Trash bags, Hand lotion, Shampoo Shaving cream, Footballs, Paint brushes, Balloons, Fan belts Umbrellas, Paint Rollers, Luggage, Antifreeze Model cars Floor wax, Sports car bodies, Tires, Dishwashing liquids Unbreakable dishes, Toothbrushes, Toothpaste, Combs Tents, Hair curlers, Lipstick, Ice cube trays, Electric blankets Tennis rackets, Drinking cups, House paint, Rollerskates wheels, Guitar strings, Ammonia, Eyeglasses, Ice chests, Life jackets, TV cabinets, Car battery cases, Insect repellent, Refrigerants, Typewriter ribbons, Cold cream, Glycerin, Plywood adhesive, Cameras, Anesthetics, Artificial turf Artificial Limbs, Bandages, Dentures, Mops, Beach Umbrellas Ballpoint pens, Boats, Nail polish, Golf bags, Caulking, Tape recorders, Curtains, Vitamin capsules, Dashboards, Putty, Percolators, Skis, Insecticides, Fishing lures, Perfumes, Shoe polish, Petroleum jelly, Faucet washers, Food preservatives, Antihistamines, Cortisone, Dyes, LP records Solvents, Roofing

WHAT IS CRUDE OIL? CRUDE OIL OR PETROLEUM IS A FOSSIL FUEL (ALONG WITH COAL/NATURAL GAS) DECAYED PLANT AND ANIMAL MATTER-MILLIONS OF YEARS NONRENEWABLE RESOURCE

oil 1 barrel of oil=42 gallons 42 gallons of crude oil will become 19 gallons of fuel Crude oil-how it comes out of the ground Oil refinery-turns crude into products

Top oil producers The world produces 85 million barrels per day #1 Saudi Arabia #2 Russia #3 USA #4 Iran #5 China

Top Consumers # 1 USA 19 MILLION BARRELS PER DAY #2 CHINA 9 MILLION #3 JAPAN #4 INDIA THE USA CONSUMED 6.8 BILLION BARRELS IN 2011

WHERE DO WE GET OUR OIL CANADA-25% MEXICO-12% SAUDI ARABIA-12% VENEZUELA-7% NIGERIA-6%

SW ASIA BEFORE OIL

SW ASIA TODAY

DUBAI AFTER OIL

HOME TO THE “BIG 3” Where Judaism, Christianity, and Islam began