Waterways

What are the advantages/disadvantages? Trade Transportation Resource (drinking, bathing) Agriculture Floods Disputes of control Weather pollution

Major Waterways The Mississippi River

The Caspian Sea divided between Russia, Kazakhstan, Iran, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan. World’s largest body of enclosed water.

Mediterranean Sea: Heavily contested region in world history Trade route that connects Europe, Africa, and Asia Movement of People, Goods, Ideas Region

Gibraltar: Narrow strait separating Europe from Africa

Bosporus and Dardanelles Connects the Mediterranean to the interior of the continent City of Istanbul Controls trade and transportation to Russia and the interior of Asia

Deepest in world: a mile from surface to bottom at deepest point Lake Baikal Deepest in world: a mile from surface to bottom at deepest point 400 miles long, holds 20% of world’s fresh water very clean lake, home to 1,200 unique plant, animal species http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g298526-Lake_Baikal_Siberian_District-Vacations.html

Danube River One of Europe’s most important rivers Flows through much of central and eastern Europe Forms the border of 10 countries Empties into the Black Sea

Volga longest in Europe drains into Caspian Sea flows 2,300 miles south from Moscow carries 60% of Russia’s river traffic

Rhine River Begins in Switzerland and flows north through Rotterdam, Netherlands Flows through 9 countries, important river in the BENELUX region and western Germany

Polders: Land from the Sea “God created the world, but the Dutch created Holland.” To hold growing population, the Dutch reclaimed land from the sea. 40% of the Netherlands was once under water. The Dutch built dikes—earthen banks that hold back the sea. A polder is a piece of land reclaimed by diking and draining land.

Seaworks Seaworks are structures like dikes that control the sea’s destructive force. Terpen are high earthen platforms that provide safe ground during floods. In 1400s windmills were used to power pumps that drained land. Today, the pumps are powered by electricity. http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terp

Transforming the Sea Zuider Zee is an arm of North sea that the Dutch turned into a fresh-water lake. The Dutch built dikes across the waterway in early the 1900s. The saltwater was eventually replaced by fresh water. The project added hundreds of square miles of land to the Netherlands, and created Lake Ijsselmeer. http://www.lorentz.leidenuniv.nl/history/zuiderzee/zuiderzee.html

AMAZON RIVER The Amazon is the largest river in the world. It begins in the Andes Mountains in Peru and flows east across Brazil. It is 4,000 miles long.

Nile River 4,000 miles long 90% of Egypt's population Flows north

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

Congo River and Basin Flows through central African tropical rainforest Second largest river in Africa Important transportation route

Niger River Basin Located in Western Africa Delta of Niger River is known as “Oil Delta” Historic deposits of gold

Suez Canal Man made Connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea Completed by the British in 1869

The Fertile Crescent

The Tigris & Euphrates River System Mesopotamia: ”Land Between the Two Rivers” -Sustained one of the earliest civilizations ever! -Great for agriculture

The Ganges Holy- Hinduism Purification powers People bathe, use for drinking, worship, temples line river, death rituals, industrial waste=HIGH bacteria counts and disease rates Extreme Pollution

The Yellow River Huang He (Yellow River). -Floods frequently. -Extremely polluted -Industrialization along the river

The Yangtze River Longest river in China Main river for southern China 3rd longest in the world Main river for southern China 1/3 of China’s population Empties out to China Sea at Shanghai Main river for rice agriculture

MEKONG River Begins in China and crosses several Southeast Asian nations Forms a boundary between Myanmar and Laos and between Laos and Thailand

Strait of Malacca Important shipping channel Connects Indian Ocean with Pacific Ocean Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore along it