1. Southwest Asia and North Africa
Physical Geography

2. Location Southwest Asia is also called the Middle East
People call Southwest Asia different names depending on who you talk to!
Southwest Asia is also called the Middle East
It is called the crossroads of Europe, Africa, and Asia

3. Take it from me. The Sahara Desert is hot!
Climate
Take it from me. The Sahara Desert is hot!
Most of the area is desert or semiarid climate
Sahara Desert in North Africa is the largest desert in the world
Sahel is a region south of the Sahara (dry but not entirely desert)

4. Sahara Desert

5. Hazards
Desertification is when the desert expands due to human and natural conditions
A drought is a long period of time without rain

6. Droughts

7. Dudes, I didn’t make it across the mountains!
Atlas – located in northwest Africa
Taurus – located in southern Turkey
Zagros – located in Iran
Find them on your map!

8. Water Features Mediterranean Sea Red Sea Black Sea Arabian Sea
Persian/Arabian Gulf
Strait of Hormuz (connects Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea)
Bosporus Strait
Dardanelles Strait
Nile River (located in Egypt)
Tigris River (located in Iraq)
Euphrates River (located in Iraq)
Jordan River (located in Israel)

9. Suez Canal
Human made waterway connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea
Owned by Egypt

10. Suez Canal

11. Bosporus/Dardanelles
These are narrow straits that connect the Black Sea with the Mediterranean Sea
Istanbul is located on the Dardanelles

12. Soil Areas near the rivers will flood during the wet season
Some areas of alluvial soils
Deltas near the Nile and Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

13. Tigris and Euphrates Delta

14. An oasis can save your life in the desert!
Oasis/Wadi
An oasis can save your life in the desert!
An Oasis is an area in the desert that has water and vegetation can grow
A wadi is a dry riverbed in the desert that will fill with water when it rains

15. Oasis/Wadi