Physical Geography of Middle East & North Africa

Climate

The Sahara Desert Oasis= fertile land in the middle of the desert due to a natural spring Many cities exist in these oases Largest desert in the world and covers most of North Africa Highest recorded temperature= 136º Average winter temperature= 55º Only about 3 inches of rainfall per year and it is in the winter months Only 20% is covered with soft sands, the rest is rock or gravel Most of Arabian Peninsula is desert as well

Steppes Bordering the region’s deserts are dry, treeless plains known as steppes Most of the land north of the Sahara and Middle East 4-16 inches of rainfall per year Some people in the area live as nomads and travel around with herds of livestock

Mediterranean and Highland Coastal areas around the Mediterranean and other seas enjoy a nicer climate Higher rainfall and less extreme temperatures allow for more consistent farming and population Highland climate found in mountainous regions like Afghanistan and Pakistan

The Need for Water Due to high temperatures and low amounts of rainfall, most people in the region do not have an adequate amount of water to support development Some have tapped into aquifers, which are underground water reserves A large amount of water is used for irrigation of crops Countries often compete with one another for water resources which creates conflict Desalinization is a popular process now to try to remove salts and minerals from sea water to make it drinkable This is costly and is only seen in oil-rich countries that can afford it

Landforms

Seas and Waterways Four waterways control access to seas and oceans Strait of Gibraltar links Mediterranean Sea to Atlantic Ocean Dardanelles Strait , Sea of Marmara and the Bosporus Strait links Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea Suez Canal in Egypt is important waterway for ships to pass from Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea North of Arabian Peninsula, Strait of Hormuz allows oil tankers to access the Persian gulf

Rivers Because of the regions rugged and dry land, people have long settled in fertile river valleys Early civilizations originated along the Nile in Egypt and Tigris and Euphrates in Iraq Egyptians relied on annual flooding of the Nile to carry silt and other minerals to the rest of the soil nearby Flooding in Mesopotamia (land between 2 rivers) encouraged agriculture and farming in ancient civilizations

Natural Resources

Oil and Gas Petroleum and natural gas are plentiful in these regions and are needed in countries around the world Largest reserves can be found in the Persian gulf Oil is common here because of the high amount of sedimentary rock Many countries use the wealth from selling oil to boom their economies and development (United Arab Emirates) https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=qGxOtalqpzk

Oil wealth has brought challenges as well… What happens to the countries in the area that do not have large reserves? With the internet and TV, oil-rich countries have been exposed to more ideas from other parts of the world As a result, conflicts happen between people who support new vs. traditional ways of life/thinking Other resources include: iron ore, phosphates for fertilizer and coal

Environmental Concerns Water is a scarce resource in the area, and while trying to manage life in harsh conditions, the inhabitants have greatly misused this resource Two inland seas, Aral and Caspian, have suffered greatly in recent decades Caspian Sea- Illegal farming (poaching) of sturgeon have impacted the areas fishing business Aral Sea- Irrigation projects in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan since the 1960s have drained two major rivers in the area that source the sea. Because of this, the size of the sea has reduced dramatically and the water has become more salty, making it unfit for drinking

The misuse of water also impacts the amount of nutrients in the soil Irrigated water evaporates quickly in the dry climate, leaving behind salt that leeches into the soil making it less fertile to grow crops Aswan High Dam in Egypt controls the flooding of the Nile River which messes with the yearly deposit of new nutrients into the soil Air pollution from refineries and older model cars that do not have emission controls on them