Southwest Asia Climate and Vegetation Ch 21 sec 2

I. Variety in Arid Lands Most of the areas in Southwest Asia get less than 18 inches of rain per year. The land changes from sand dunes to salt flats, and the rivers do not flow all year long. The plants and animals are able to survive with little water and in extreme temperatures. People have changed the land through irrigation into productive farmland, but there are still areas that are untouched. Some parts have a Mediterranean climate, so the land is green for some of the year. And there are also highland climates due to the mountains that divide up the land.

II. Deserts Limit Movement The deserts are so large and inhospitable that they restrict travel, and cannot be used by humans for anything. The sandy desert Rub al-Khali is about 250,000 square miles, about the size of Texas, and has sand dunes over 800 feet tall. The An-Nafud desert has an occasional oasis, but is still difficult to cross because of the sandstorms and heat.

II. Deserts Limit Movement There are salt deserts in Iran where the little moisture that reaches the ground is evaporated by the heat and dry winds, leaving behind minerals in the ground that create salt flats. The two largest are the Dasht-e Kavir in central Iran, and the Dasht-e Lut in eastern Iran. They are practically uninhabited and prevent easy movement across Iran.

III. Semiarid Lands On the edges of the deserts are regions that get enough rainfall to support growing cotton and wheat, or create enough pastureland to support sheep or goats. The lands around the Mediterranean coast have a similar climate to southern California. The climate allows for crops to grow all year round. The climate also brings people to live in those regions

In your notebooks Answer questions 1 through 4 on page 493.