MY PERSONAL DICTIONARY AQUIFER – A PERMEABLE ROCK WHICH STORES AND TRANSFERS WATER. USEFUL WHEN UNDERLAIN BY IMPERMEABLE ROCK TO TRAP THE WATER AND ALLOW IT TO BE TAPPED. ARID – CLIMATE AREAS CHARACTERIZED BY EXTREME DRYNESS. BEDOUIN – A NOMADIC GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN MANY OF THE COUNTRIES OF THE ARABIAN PENINSULA. DESERT - landscape or region that receives almost no precipitation IRRIGATION – THE PROCESS OF BRINGING WATER TO DRY LAND. OASIS – A REGION IN A DESERT THAT IS FERTILE BECAUSE IT IS NEAR A RIVER OR SPRING. PETROLEUM – ROCK OR CRUDE OIL NATURALLY OCCURRING; FLAMMABLE LIQUID FOUND IN ROCK FORMATIONS IN THE EARTH. QANAT – A TUNNEL SYSTEM THAT ALLOWS GROUND WATER TO FLOW UNDERGROUND UNTIL IT REACHES A FLAT AREA WITH FERTILE SOIL. WADI – STEEP-SIDED VALLEY OR RAVINE IN A DESERT OR SEMI-ARID AREAS.

SAHARA DESERT – The world’s largest and hottest desert SAHARA DESERT – The world’s largest and hottest desert. Covers most of North Africa. NILE RIVER – A major north flowing river in Africa. The longest river in the world. TIGRIS RIVER – Begins in the mountains of Turkey and flows south through Iraq. It joins the Euphrates in Southern Iraq. EUPHRATES RIVER – It begins in Turkey and flows through Syria and Iraq. One of the longest rivers in the region. PERSIAN GULF – A body of water in the Middle East which lies between Saudi Arabia and Iran. STRAIT OF HORMUZ – Located at the end of the Persian Gulf. SINAI PENINSULA – Triangular peninsula in Egypt with portions located in Israel and Jordan. The Mediterranean Sea is to the North and the Red Sea is to the South. FERTILE CRESCENT – A quarter-moon shaped region in the Middle East. Extends from the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf.

Gulf of Oman – To the North is Pakistan and Oman is on the South coast Gulf of Oman – To the North is Pakistan and Oman is on the South coast. UAE is to the East. Reference Statement – A strait that connects the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz. Gulf of Aden – Located in the Arabian Sea between Yemen on the South coast of the Arabian Peninsula and Somalia in the Horn of Africa. Reference Statement – Connects the Red Sea through Bab-El-Mandeb Strait. Important part of Suez Canal shipping route between Med. Sea & Arabian Sea. Known as “Pirate Alley”. Ships Persian Gulf Oil. An integral waterway in our world economy. Red Sea – Bordered by Saudi Arabia to the east and Egypt to the West. Reference Statement – Saltwater inlet of Indian Ocean. Heavy shipping traffic; Piracy; 18 desalination plants along coast of Saudi Arabia.

Caspian Sea – Iran is to the South and Russia is to the North. Reference Statement – Largest enclosed body of water on earth. Became landlocked as of 5.5 million years ago due to plate tectonics. Arabian Sea – India is to the East and North of Pakistan and Iran and West by Arabian Peninsula. Reference Statement – Indus River flows into Arabian Sea. Trade Route. Mediterranean Sea – Connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Strait of Gibraltar. North by Europe and Southern Africa. This sea is technically a part of the Atlantic Ocean. Reference Statement- Almost completely enclosed by land

Suez Canal – Man made canal at the tip of the Red Sea. Reference Statement – Allows ships to enter and get to the Mediterranean Sea without having to sail around the continent of Africa. Rub’ Al Khali – Encompasses the southern third of the Arabian peninsula including Saudi Arabia, areas of Oman, UAE, and Yemen. Reference Statement – Known as “The Empty Quarter” One of the world’s largest sand deserts. Temperatures reach 131 degrees at noon. Dunes taller than 1,100 feet. 2nd most oil rich place in the world.

Rub’ Al Khali Desert

ME Political Map