North Africa and Southwest Asia SSWG3 The student will describe the interaction of physical and human systems that have shaped contemporary North Africa/Southwest Asia.

Physical Geography

Importance of North Africa and the Middle East’s Features Essential Questions: What are the major physical features of North Africa and Southwest Asia? What is their impact on human culture?

The Mighty Nile River: “Longest River in the World”

Sahara Desert Largest hot desert in the world 3rd largest desert in the world 3.629 million square miles in area Follow this link to explore the Sahara Desert: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/explore/sahara/sahara_overview_lo.html

Egypt: The “Gift of the Nile” Nile Delta Annual Nile Flooding 95% of the Egyptian people live on 5% of the land!

Mesopotamia: ”Land Between the Two Rivers” aka the Fertile Crescent The Tigris & Euphrates River System Zagros Mountains Mesopotamia: ”Land Between the Two Rivers” aka the Fertile Crescent

Sinai Peninsula Forms a land bridge between Egypt (Africa) and the Arabian Peninsula (Asia) Mediterranean Sea

Dead Sea: Lowest Point on Earth Highest Salt Content (33%) 2,300 feet below sea level Highest Salt Content (33%) *9x saltier than ocean

Suez Canal Links Mediterranean Sea to Red Sea Shortest maritime route in the region Longest canal in the world without locks No change in elevation Navigation goes day and night

Completed by the British in 1869 Suez Canal Completed by the British in 1869

Strait of Hormuz -Most important strait in WORLD. Connects the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. It is the most vital choke point for transportation in the oil trade industry.

Rub al-Khali: “The Empty Quarter”

Importance of Mountains & Rivers Why are mountains and deserts important to people? They are both NATURAL barriers of protection. Mountains often form human boundaries between countries. Why are rivers of great importance? Supply water to drink Supply Food Good source of water for crops Transportation/Trade

Physical Features Map Complete a physical map of North Africa and Southwest Asia. Make sure you label all required elements.

Climate, Vegetation, and Resources of North Africa and Southwest Asia SSWG3b, c

North Africa/Middle East: Climate Regions

Climate Desert Climate 50% of N. Africa & S.W. Asia Semi-Arid (not as dry as desert) Mediterranean Highland

The Sahara Largest desert in the world = 3.5 million sq. miles The size of the US

Mediterranean Climate Hot, dry summers, & cool rainy winters Found primarily in countries that border bodies of water http://www.classzone.com/cz/books/world_geography05/get_chapter_group.htm?cin=7&rg=map_center&at=maps&var=maps

Highland Climates Tops of mountains and plateaus Areas where major food crops are grown  cereals Most rainfall of the region

Oasis = places in the desert where water is present Desertification = land becoming more dry and so turns into desert

North Africa/Middle East: Vegetation

Desert The #1 vegetation region throughout North Africa and the Middle East

Steppe/Grasslands Area surrounding deserts Grassy areas where people can live and where animals can be raised  Pastoralism (domesticating and raising animals and living off them)

The Natural Resources of the North Africa/Middle East How is the LAND used? What are the MAIN resources?

Natural Resources Petroleum & Natural Gas 60% of the world’s known petroleum reserves

What are your observations from the diagram? World Oil Flow Routes What are your observations from the diagram?

World Oil Reserves

Leading U. S. Oil Suppliers The U. S. imports 30% of its oil needs from the Middle East.

The Culture of North Africa and the Middle East Human Geography The Culture of North Africa and the Middle East

North Africa/Middle East: Population Density

Cairo, Egypt: Most Populated City in the Middle East 17,000,000+ People!

Desert Bedouins – people who have no permanent home and live off of the land.

NOT Turks TURKEY TURKEY Ottoman Turks – ruled an empire in eastern Mediterranean (modern day Turkey) Not Arab, but most practice Islam Unique culture that blends Turkish, Islamic, and Western elements TURKEY NOT TURKEY

Arabs Speak Arabic Mostly Muslims Most trace ancestry back to the Arabian Peninsula Civilizations such as Egyptians & Babylonians

Iranians (Persians) Speak Farsi, an Indo-European language that is related to English Practice a form of Islam known as Shi’ite A religious state  the religious leaders run the government

Jews 6 million people in the region Citizens of the country of Israel Of the people 5 million are Jewish, 1 million Arab (Palestinians) Fighting between Jews and Palestinians is a constant occurrence because both claim rights to the land and want to be in control

Major Middle East Issues Problem: Access to Water - Iraq, Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf Countries, North Africa Solution: setting up desalination plants that remove salt from the ocean water for drinking Problem: Middle East Issue – Palestinians want their own govt. – Israel wants to control the area Solution: Diplomacy with United States and other countries acting as negotiator Problem: Disagreement between Islamic Sects – Iraq, Lebanon, Syria Solution: Secular Governments guarantee a percentage of leadership positions to a certain sect; people will still disagree Problem: Lack of Natural Resources like agricultural lands or forests Solution: Countries invest in other industries like chemical manufacturing or technology Major Middle East Issues

Common History In the last 100 years most of the Saudi Arabian Peninsula and North Africa struggled for independence from Great Britain, France, or Italy 1945- After WWII Arabic speaking countries decided to unite Formed the Arab League, an organization of Arabic speaking nations with common interests Passes political and economic resolutions Has little real power because has no military Many Islamic countries feel ignored or betrayed by English speaking countries Broken promises to help them with financing new governments Our Allies – Egypt, Jordan, Syria*, Algeria, Tunisia, Pakistan, Iraq, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar Non-allies – Iran, Afghanistan, Sudan, Lebanon, Yemen

“Middle East Issue” Creation of Israel after the Holocaust 1949 – Great Britain set the boundaries Promised Arabs a government of their own Reneged on the promise Since then, Arabs and Israelis have had problems

Israel vs. Palestine Gaza Strip Smuggling