1. The
Geography
of the
Middle East
Part Two

2. Mountains and Plateaus

3. Physical Subdivisions of the Realm
CAUCASUS MTS
ATLAS MTS.
ZAGROS
MTS
ANATOLIAN
PLATEAU
IRANIAN
PLATEAU

4. Mountains & Plateaus Caucasus Mts. Anatolian Plateau Iranian Plateau
Elburz Mts.
Anatolian Plateau
Iranian Plateau
Taurus Mts.
Zagros Mts.
Atlas Mts.
Hejaz Mts.

5. Physical Geography of Northern Africa & Southwest Asia
Mountains
Atlas Mountains in Northern Algeria and Morocco
Thorus Mts in Southern Turkey
Elburz & Zagros Mts. In Iran
Golan Heights in Israel

6. Physical Geography Plateaus - Anatolian Highland
Peninsulas - Saudi Arabian, Suez

7. Sinai Peninsula located between Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula

8. Asia Minor and Cyprus:
Pontic Mountains north of North Anatolian Transform Fault
Slippage and earthquakes (August 1999)
Taurus Mountains on southern side of Asia Minor

9. Iranian Plateau and Ranges:
Compression, subduction between Arabian plate and Iranian sub-plate
Creation of Zagros Mountains
Makran Range farther SE as uplifted crust
Up folding of Elburz Mountains and Kopet Mountains between Iranian sub-plate and Eurasian plate
Connected tectonic activity and volcanoes

10. Atlas Mountains
The Atlas Mountains of North Africa, the physiographic base of the settled Maghreb (Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia), are also a part of the Alpine System.
The Atlas Mountains receive an average rainfall of 750 mm (30 inches), something unusual for this region.
The role of altitude is clear.
Even 240 km (150 miles) into the interior, the slopes of the Atlas receive more than 250 mm (10 inches) of rainfall.

11. Atlas Mountains Continued
Separates the northern moist Mediterranean climate from the arid south.

12. Atlas Mts.

15. Taurus and Zagros Mountains
Spreads across Turkey
Runs east-west along the northern edge of Turkey
Highest Point- Mt. Ararat-16, 583 ft., Biblical historians believe Noah’s Ark landed here.
Zagros
Extends through southwestern Iran, and through northern Iraq
Highest point- ZardKuh, 14, 921 ft.

18. Mountain Ranges in Mid-East
Elburz Mts., Iran
Zagros Mts., Iran
Lebanese Mts.
Taurus Mts., Turkey

19. Anti-Taurus Mountains
Pontic Mounatins
Elburz Mountains

20. Anatolian Plateau
Fertile soil
Conducive (helpful) for farming

21. Iranian Plateau
Very dry
Sparsely populated

22. Pair-Share
With your partner, using the PowerPoint and Reading Notes, summarize the effects of the mountain ranges on the Middle East region.

23. Deserts

24. Deserts Negev Desert Sinai Desert Libyan Desert Arabian Desert
Rub al-Khali
Sahara Desert

25. Physical Geography of Northern Africa & Southwest Asia
Deserts
The Sahara Desert
The Saudi Arabian Desert
The Libyan Desert
Negev Desert

26. NEGEV DESERT

27. Where is the driest desert?

28. Sandy Deserts
Rub al-Khali—Arabian Peninsula desert, known as the Empty Quarter
250,000 square miles, with dunes as high as 800 feet
10 years can pass without rain
Nearby An-Nafud Desert contains the occasional oasis
-desert area where underground spring water supports vegetation
Syrian Desert is between Lebanon, Israel, Syria, and the Fertile Crescent
Israel’s Negev Desert produces crops through irrigation

29. Two ways of life—nomadic and sedentary—developed in the desert.
Nomadic life- people moved from place to place within tribes for protection, and as the seasons changed.
Sedentary- people settled in oases, where they could farm. These settlements often became towns.
Towns became centers of trade. Many had a souk, a market or bazaar, where goods were traded.

30. Nomadic Life: Bedouins
Many people in North Africa and the Middle East still live a nomadic lifestyle. Nomads live on the Arabian Peninsula and in the Sahara Desert.
The deserts have also led to a way of life that developed around the need to survive in such harsh surroundings.
These people are known as “Bedouins” or desert nomads
They survive and make a living by
Living in tent camps
Surviving as sheep and camel herders
Trading animals and handmade goods

32. Desert Bedouins

33. Rub al-Khali: “The Empty Quarter”

34. Rub Al-Khali Size of Texas One of largest sandy deserts in world
It is the largest area of continuous sand in the world.
Surface temps, can reach 150°
Very Arid
10 years may pass w/out rain
No permanent streams exist

35. temperatures reach as high as 130° F in some areas.
The Rub 'al-Khali, or "Empty Quarter" is a large desert in Saudi Arabia. It is the largest area of continuous sand in the world.
The climate is extremely arid. Few places
receive more than 7 inches of rain a year, and no permanent streams exist. Summer
temperatures reach as high as 130° F in some areas.

36. Arabian Peninsula
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, Yemen
Small population
Lack of water BUT lots and lots of oil!!!
Birthplace of Islam
Very dry, sandy, & windy
Wadis- riverbeds that remain dry except for the rainy season.

37. The Arabian Peninsula is primarily steep and has a desert climate

39. Salt Deserts
In Iran, high mountains block rain; dry winds increase evaporation
Loss of moisture in soil leaves chemical salts, creates a salt flat (a flat expanse of land covered in salt and other minerals; usually shines white under the sun)
Iran’s salt flat deserts:
Dasht-e Kavir in central Iran
Dasht-e Lut in eastern Iran
Land is salt-crusted, surrounded by salt marshes, it’s very hot
Almost uninhabited, it’s a barrier to easy travel across Iran

40. Iranian Salt Flat

41. Sahara Desert:

42. Sahara Desert Location
Atlantic Ocean on the west
Atlas Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea on the north
Red Sea and Egypt on the east
Sudan and the valley of the
Niger River on the south.

43. The Sahara
The Sahara is the world’s largest desert, stretching 3.5 million square miles.
Very dry, so very few people live there
Averages less than five inches of rain each year.
Temperatures there can run to the extreme
freezing at night
Can be more than 130 degrees Fahrenheit at the peak of day.
Nearly every settlement in the Sahara is located near an oasis, a wet and fertile area in a desert where a spring or well provides water.
Common features in the Sahara include broad gravel plains, tall sand dunes, and dry streambeds.

46. Breeding Areas of Desert Locusts

47. Swarms of Desert Locusts!
Israel Hit By Worst Locust Plague Since the 1950s!
Locusts Swarm the Pyramids Complex at Giza!

48. Sahel:
- Area separating the Sahara from the tropical rainforest of Africa.

49. What has surprised you about the desert of the Middle East region?
Pair-Share
What has surprised you about the desert of the Middle East region?
Why?

50. Completed Map Caucasus Mts. Black Sea Caspian Sea Dardanelles Strait
Anatolian Plateau
Elburz Mts.
Atlantic Ocean
Mediterranean Sea
Tigris River
Euphrates River
Iranian Plateau
Taurus Mts.
Jordan River
Zagros Mts.
Atlas Mts.
Negev Desert
Sinai Desert
Suez Canal
Strait of Hormuz
Arabian Desert
Persian Gulf
Libyan Desert
Nile River
Gulf of Oman
Rub al-Khali
Red Sea
Hejaz Mts.
Sahara Desert
Arabian Sea
Gulf of Aden
Indian Ocean

51. The Natural Resources of the Middle East

52. Major Resources of the Middle East
Petroleum
Water
Cotton
Natural Gas
Coal
Iron

53. Oil

54. Oil Economy oil dominated industry
Petroleum- remains of plants & animals, formed from pressure & heat over millions of years.
Oil is not in big pools under the ground, it is trapped in the pores of rocks.
Taken out of ground by pressure

55. Crude Oil- unprocessed petroleum
Refinery- converts crude oil into useful products like gasoline & kerosene

56. Oil
Oil is certainly the most important resource of North Africa and Southwest Asia.
Deposits are concentrated around the Persian Gulf. It is the most economically important export of the realm.
Between , on average, these countries together produced 28.0 percent of the world’s total output.
Saudi Arabia ranked as the world’s leading producer with 13.1 percent followed by: Iran with 5.8 percent; the United Arab Emirates with 3.6 percent; Kuwait with 3.3 percent; and Libya with 2.2 percent (Table 6.2).
Additional detailed statistics on the world’s leading oil countries are shown in Table 6.3.
In 1997, the world estimates in petroleum reserves were 1,160,069,500,000,000 barrels.
These countries collectively account for 56.3 percent of the world's total reserves. Saudi Arabia has 22.6 percent, Iraq 9.7 percent, Kuwait 8.2 percent, Iran 7.8 percent, U.A.E. 5.5 percent, and Libya 2.5 percent.

57. Oil Reserves vs. Economy
The Southwest Asian countries with the largest reserves of natural gas and oil are:
Saudi Arabia
Iran
Iraq
Kuwait
These countries have seen tremendous growth in national wealth and an improved standard of living in the past 50 years.
Some other countries have smaller reserves, especially around the Arabian Gulf.
Those countries without the reserves have had a much harder time improving living conditions for their people.
This difference has lead to much conflict.

58. Reserves
Until the Gulf War, Kuwait had a 21 billion- barrel proven reserve.
Iraq has a 7 billion barrel proven reserve.

59. Saudi Arabia Have a proven 200 year reserve.
The Saudi Government could purchase the entire National Football League (contracts, salaries, stadiums, etc.) with 6 weeks of their oil reserves.

60. Kuwait: An Island Floating on a Sea of Oil
Kuwait City

61. Oil

62. World Oil Reserves

63. Saudi Oil Fields & Refineries

64. Importance of Oil
For this reason, countries in the Middle East have a steady market for all the oil and natural gas they produce.
Saudi Arabia and Iran are two of the world’s largest suppliers / producers of oil.
Over half of the world’s known supply comes from them.
Israel has very few natural resources and practically no oil.
They have a high industrial economy, so the world price of oil has a huge impact on their economy.

65. Importance of Oil
Oil is one of the most important and valuable natural resources in the Middle East.
Oil and natural gas are considered fossil fuels which means they were created centuries ago.
They are also non-renewable natural resources which means they cannot be replaced
Most of the world’s industrial nations depend on a steady supply of both resources
The US imports over half of its supply, almost 18 million barrels every day.

66. Oil Transport

67. How are oil and gas transported?

68. Saudi Pipeline

69. Oil Tanker (Knock Nevis)

70. Effects of Oil

71. However, oil has also been a source of conflict.
Regional Issues
Over the last few decades, major conflicts have erupted in the Middle East. Issues that have contributed to the conflicts include the presence of huge oil reserves, the growth of Islamism, and the conflict between Israel and its neighbors.
About two-thirds of world’s known oil reserved located in Middle East
Reserves have been great source of wealth for Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, other countries
Most members of Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
Oil in the Middle East
OPEC attempts to regulate production of oil exports to maximize revenues
Oil revenues allowed Middle East governments to modernize countries, promote industrialization, economic, social development
Oil Revenues
However, oil has also been a source of conflict.

72. Oil as source of conflict in Middle East
Importance of Oil
Oil as source of conflict in Middle East
Some governments have used oil revenues to build up military, maintain power, threaten neighbors
Oil wealth has caused internal clashes within countries, societies
Region’s strategic importance as source of oil has led outside nations to become involved in Middle Eastern affairs, politics

73. THE IMPACT OF OIL HIGH INCOMES MODERNIZATION INDUSTRIALIZATION
REGIONAL DISPARITIES
FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN THIS REALM
INVESTMENT IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES

74. Oil Industries
Disputes over access to other natural resources, like oil, also cause conflict.
The Persian Gulf has the largest source of oil in the world.
The countries that border the Persian Gulf also have a large oil industry.
Many wars have been fought over oil in Southwest Asia.
These wars have had a major impact on the environment.

75. Lands of Wealth and Poverty
The Geography of Fossil Fuels
Oil unevenly distributed in the area
Saudi Arabia, Iran, U.A.E., Libya, Algeria contribute significantly to oil production, while Morocco & Sudan have few developed reserves
Region has 7% of the world’s population; holds 68% of the world’s proven petroleum reserves
Regional Economic Patterns
Higher-Income Oil Exporters
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, U.A.E.
Cultural landscape reshaped because of oil wealth
Not all benefit – rural Shiite Muslims and foreign workers

76. Lands of Wealth and Poverty (cont.)
Regional Economic Patterns (cont.)
Lower-Income Oil Exporters
Algeria: oil and natural gas are its top exports; but political instability remains a problem
Iran: huge oil reserves, but long war with Iraq ( ), & fundamentalist government withdrawal from world trade under have lowered living standards
Prospering Without Oil
Israel has highest living standard in the region
Turkey has a diversified economy; has seen growth
Economic reforms in Tunisia
Lebanon has potential for prosperity through tourism & telecommunications

77. Natural
Gas
Oil
Deposits

78. The Oil Curse The “Resource Curse”
Prone to authoritarian rule, slow growth, corruption and conflict.
Resources used to finance armies, corruption and patronage.
Oil is a good example.
Modernization
High incomes.
Industrialization.
Regional and national disparities (oil wealth distribution).
Migration
Brought populations from outside the realm.
Foreign incursions

79. What is done with Oil Wealth?
Oil rich nations typically provide healthcare and improved schooling.
However those segments of the population not employed in the oil industry tend to have lower standards of living.
Girls school in Saudi Arabia
Bedouin in S.Arabia

80. Persian Gulf War Over Oil
Much of the oil refining machinery in Iraq was badly damaged in the Persian Gulf War, in 1991.
The Iraqi government did not repair the equipment that makes refining oil safer for the environment.
For years, pollution from Iraqi oil refineries leaked into the water supply and in the air.
Today, the Iraqi oil industry is not productive because of the current war in Iraq.
However, many of Iraq’s oil refineries were destroyed and burned during the war, so that the air was polluted.

81. Oil in War
During the first Gulf War, Iraq used pollution as a strategy for fighting.
Iraqi soldiers dumped over 300 gallons of oil into the Persian Gulf.
They also burned hundreds of oil wells in order to keep the U.S. from taking control of their oil industry.

82. Oil Pollution
Oil is the basis of most of the economy of the Middle East, but pollution from the oil industry is one of the biggest threats to its environment.
This pollution endangers the water supply in particular.
Since there is not much fresh water in the region, these environmental problems directly affect the lives of Middle Easterners.

83. Oil Pollution
For years, pollution from Iraqi oil refineries leaked into the water supply and in the air.
Today, the Iraqi oil industry is not productive because of the current war in Iraq.
However, many of Iraq’s oil refineries were destroyed and burned during the war, so that the air was polluted.

84. Oil Spills are a risk when transporting oil in narrow straits or around reefs
Largest in U.S. History is the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989

85. OPEC

86. OPEC
In 1960, Venezuela, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia founded OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) in an effort to dictate oil prices.
Later additions included Algeria, Ecuador, Nigeria, Gabon, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Libya.
This 13-member cartel was designed to control world pricing and production of a single commodity, oil.
Currently, OPEC has 11 members after the withdrawal of Ecuador and Gabon.

87. OPEC

88. Problems with unequal oil distribution:
Oil producing country (OPEC) can raise prices, and cut off oil supply
Oil spills

89. These 12 countries (from 3 different continents) produce 1/3 the world’s oil and set the price of oil
Members:
Algeria Iran Iraq
Kuwait Qatar Saudi Arabia
Libya Nigeria United Arab Emirates
Ecuador Venezuela Angola

90. Top Five Oil Producing Countries: -Saudi Arabia -Iraq. -Kuwait
Top Five Oil Producing Countries: -Saudi Arabia -Iraq -Kuwait -Iran -United Arab Emirates

91. Top Oil Consuming Countries -United States -Russia
Top Oil Consuming Countries -United States -Russia -Japan -Germany -China

92. Where America gets Oil

93. INCOME LEVELS

94. Pair-Share
After what we have learned about the geography of the Middle East, which resource do you think is more precious and important---fresh water or oil?
Why?