Southwest Asia Unit 7 Day 1 Chapter 21 Sections 1 & 2 Pgs. 486-493

Southwest Asia “Middle East” The “Middle East” shows a Western or European point of view. This term is used to distinguish this area from the “Near East” (parts of Eastern Europe and North Africa) and the “Far East” (China, Japan, and Indochina) The regions are “East” since they are in the Eastern hemisphere! Indochina Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Once French states

Waterways and Peninsulas? Straits are the only waterway to HUGE oil fields, making them very popular Turkey is the Anatolian Peninsula Both peninsulas are located on strategic waterways Suez Canal allows goods to travel from Asia into Africa Straits are the only waterway to HUGE oil fields, making them very popular Suez Canal An opening to the Mediterranean Sea Goods flow through the canal into Europe and North Africa

Arabian Peninsula Iraq, Iran, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen All of these countries, except Yemen, are called the Arab Gulf States. They are among the wealthiest places in the World. Dry, sandy and windy conditions cause few things to happen on the Arabian Peninsula. Severe sandstorms and brutal heat Mostly people move by waterways World’s largest peninsula Wadis: riverbeds that are dry until the rainy season Large barren plains Mainly desert Poor weather conditions and nomads search for water Plentiful in oil and natural gas

Anatolian Peninsula Also called: Asia Minor Turkey Large plateaus Produces agriculture and grazing Mountains divide the peninsula

Hindu Kush Mountains Stretches from central Afghanistan into Pakistan About 25,000 feet tall at the highest peak

Zagros Mountains Iran 14,000 feet at highest peak

Elburz Mountains Iran

Taurus Mountains Turkey Many of the peaks reach 10,000 to 12,000 feet high

--Tigris and Euphrates --Jordan River provides precious water Large bodies of water? --Tigris and Euphrates --Jordan River provides precious water --Dead Sea is a large salt lake Sumerians, Assyrians, Babylonians and Chaldeans lived in the Fertile Crescent Dead sea is so salty that nothing can live in the waters and people go there to bathe and use the black mud

Climate/Vegetation? So dry, rivers do not flow year round Most areas receive less than 18 inches annually. Plants and wildlife accustomed to dry weather

Sandy deserts? Rub al-Khali Approximately the size of Texas The sand can get as hot as 150 degrees 10 years can pass without rain 40 days to cross in a car with modern day technology Oasis: underground spring provides vegetation Sand storms

Winds evaporate moisture in the soil Known as a salt flat Winds evaporate moisture in the soil Extremely hot and uninhabited Salt deserts? Winds evaporate water in the soil and only chemical salts remain

Resources Oil most abundant resource ½ of the world’s oil reserves are found in Southwest Asia. Water is a major resource in certain parts of the region, but scarce in others. Coal, copper, salt Water is a scarce resource that must be guarded and preserved Efforts to conserve water have been around for thousands of years (in the region) Water is in short supply and it is critical

Why is Oil so important? Petroleum is the source of gasoline for: Automobiles Heating oil Basis of many chemicals used to make everything from fertilizers to plastics