1. Northern Africa & Southwest Asia

2. Introduction
North Africa/Southwest Asia (also known as the Middle east) is an excellent example of a region: although is made up of countries on two continents, it is still considered a region because the people in the area share many things, especially religion

3. Ten Geographic Qualities
1. World’s great ancient culture hearth
2. Source region or hearth for several religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam)

4. Ten Geographic Qualities
3. Islam Predominates (main culture and religion of the area)
4. Arab World
Semitic- family of languages native to West Asia but are know through out southwest Asia and North Africa
5. Population is clustered around water

5. Ten Geographic Qualities
6. Desert denominates Environment and the way people live
7. Central Area between 3 continents (Asia, Africa, Europe)
8. Volatile area with conflicts – disputes religion & boundary frictions

6. Ten Geographic Qualities
9. Center of superpower chess game
10. Petroleum (Oil) - a key economic resource

7. Relative Location of Northern Africa & Southwest Asia
Centrally located between Europe, Asia & Africa
East of the Atlantic ocean, west of the Indian ocean and southeast of Mediterranean sea

8. Physical Geography of Northern Africa & Southwest Asia
Main Physical features Include
Plate Tectonics
Plateaus and Peninsula's
Deserts
Mountains
Rivers, Seas, and Gulfs

9. Physical Geography Plate Tectonics Clashing Plates
Arabian Plate into Eurasian Plate
Separating Plates
Arabian Plate pulling apart from African Plate
Red Sea spreading

10. Physical Geography Plateaus - Anatolian Highland
Peninsula's – Arabian peninsula,

11. Physical Geography of Northern Africa & Southwest Asia
Deserts
The Sahara Desert – North Africa
The Saudi Arabian Desert- Arabian Peninsula
The Libyan Desert- in-between Libya, Egypt and Sudan

12. Physical Geography of Northern Africa & Southwest Asia
Mountains
Atlas Mountains
Zagros Mountains.
Taurus Mountains
Ahagger Mountains
Pontic Mountains
Elburz Mountains

13. Physical Geography of Northern Africa & Southwest Asia
Rivers & Sea
The Nile River
The Tigris & Euphrates Rivers
The Jordan River
The Red Sea
Gulfs -
Persian Gulf,
Gulf of Suez,
Gulf of Aden
Gulf of Oman

16. Physical Geography of Northern Africa & Southwest Asia

17. Climate of Northern Africa & Southwest Asia
Climates
Desert
Semiarid
Mediterranean
Humid subtropical
Highland

18. Vegetation Map

19. Cultural Geography of Northern Africa & Southwest Asia
Population
Languages
Religion
Agriculture
Economics/
Urban

20. Cultural Geography of Northern Africa & Southwest Asia
Population
300 million
concentrations along the Nile, Euphrates and Tigris & Coasts
low overall population due to desert climate
very high growth rates in Gaza

21. Population Concentrations

22. Northern Africa Population Characteristics Birth rates 29/1000
Death rates 8/1000
Natural Increase 2.2/1000
Infant Mortality 59/1000
Doubling Time 32 yrs
Pop <15 39%
Pop > %

23. Southwest Asia Population Characteristics Birth rates 28/1000
Death rates 7/1000
Natural Increase 2.2/1000
Infant Mortality 54/1000
Doubling Time 32 yrs
Pop < %
Pop > %

24. Dying Under 40 years

25. Cultural Geography of Northern Africa & Southwest Asia
Languages
Unified by Arabic Language - An Afro-Asiatic Language
Hebrew spoken in Israel
Tribal languages spoken in remote areas of North Africa

26. Cultural Geography of Northern Africa & Southwest Asia
Religion
Main religion in the region: Islam
Christianity, and Judaism are also found in the region.
Religious landscapes of mosques, minarets, distinctive non-revealing clothing
Muslim - a follower of Islam

27. Cultural Geography of Northern Africa & Southwest Asia
Religion
Islamic Divisions
Sunni Islam
Shite Islam (Iran)

28. Cultural Geography of Northern Africa & Southwest Asia
Religion
Three major monotheistic religions were founded in Southwest Asia
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
All three Claim Jerusalem (capitol of Israel) as a Holy place for different reasons
Judaism
For Jews Jerusalem is the capitol of Israel and their modern and ancient homeland
Christianity
For Christians Jerusalem is the place where Jesus Christ was crucified
Islam
For Muslims it is the 3rd holiest site for the faith because the Dome of Rock is located their where Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad ascended into Heaven

29. The Effects of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in North Africa and Southwest Asia
How has the culture in North Africa and Southwest Asia been affected by Judaism, Christianity, and Islam?
These religions are the main religions throughout the region with Islam being the main religion
Traditions and customs of these three religions are carried out in everyday life of the people in the region
Religious conflicts are throughout the region

30. Religions

31. Cultural Geography of Northern Africa & Southwest Asia
Agriculture
commercial farming in Israel
Farming enough to sell crops
Mediterranean climate yielding citrus, avocados & ranching
Nomadic Herding dominates the region
Nomadic: Moving from place to place
Bedouins
Desertification
An expansion of dry conditions to moist areas that are next to areas, causing them to become desert land

32. Agriculture

33. Atlas Mts.

34. Israeli Kibutz

35. Tunisia

36. Cultural Geography of Northern Africa & Southwest Asia
Economy
oil dominated industry
Regional Imbalances
Oil and Non-oil states (“haves” versus “have-nots”)

37. The Impact of Oil Industrialization Regional disparities
Foreign Investment
High Incomes
Modernization
The Creation on OPEC(Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries)
eleven oil-producing and exporting countries, from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America created in 1960 by oil producing countries to create policies on selling petroleum products

38. Income levels

39. SW Asia Urban Landscape

40. Bagdad
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Baghdad

41. United Arab Emirates

42. Nile River Valley - Urban Landscape

43. Qatar

44. Regions of Northern Africa & Southwest Asia
Egypt & the Nile River Basin
Maghreb
Arabian Peninsula
Middle East
The North

45. Egypt & the Nile Basin
- Egypt and Sudan
- rely on the Nile River
- 95% of Egypt’s
71 million people live within 12 miles the Nile

46. The Maghreb (means west)
Western Mediterranean region of coastal North Africa, includes Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, dominated by the Atlas mountains main physical feature in area

47. Arabian Peninsula Includes
Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Kuwait, Oman, United Arab of Emirates
Abundance of oil in the area

48. Middle East
Includes
Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Palestine territory
North of Saudi Arabia, south of Turkey, includes Syrian desert
Center of conflict between Christians, Jews, and Muslims,
Sunni and Shi’ite Muslim conflict (within Iraq and throughout the region

49. The North Includes Turkey and Iran
Northern most countries in Southwest Asia

50. Cultural Facts
Afghanistan – infant and maternal mortality rates are high. Breastfeeding continues until the next pregnancy.
Egypt – female circumcision is viewed as the ultimate proof of virginity and takes place at the age of seven or eight.
Iran – a woman’s making direct eye contact with a man implies promiscuity and an interest in dating. Boys and girls no longer play together after age five.
Iraq – a government-sponsored fertility campaign encourages families to have at least five children.
Saudi Arabia – if a wife does not produce a son, her husband may divorce her. Women may have fifteen or more children. Religious police enforce the cultural laws governing segregation of sexes.