Cheri LaPorte Riverheads High School The Geography of the Middle East Cheri LaPorte Riverheads High School

Middle East? OR Near East? OR Southwest Asia? OR….?

Physical Geography Have Oil Deserts Shipping Locations Have Not Water Fertile Land Variety of Resources

Bodies of Water Caspian Sea Black Sea Dardanelles Strait Atlantic Ocean Tigris River Mediterranean Sea Euphrates River Jordan River Suez Canal Strait of Hormuz Persian Gulf Nile River Gulf of Oman Red Sea Arabian Sea Gulf of Aden Indian Ocean

The Mighty Nile River: “Longest River in the World”

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

Hydroelectric Power Plant Aswan High Dam, Egypt Hydroelectric Power Plant

Completed by the British in 1869 Suez Canal Completed by the British in 1869

Mesopotamia: ”Land Between the Two Rivers” The Tigris & Euphrates River System Mesopotamia: ”Land Between the Two Rivers” Marsh Arabs, So. Iraq

Dust Storms Along the Tigris-Euphrates Flood Plains

The Jordan River System: Israel & Jordan--A Fight Over Water Rights?

Dead Sea: Lowest Point on Earth Highest Salt Content (33%) 2,300’ below sea level Highest Salt Content (33%)

Wadis – Instant Springs

Mountains & Plateaus Caucasus Mts. Elburz Mts. Anatolian Plateau Iranian Plateau Taurus Mts. Zagros Mts. Atlas Mts. Hejaz Mts.

Mountain Ranges in Mid-East Elburz Mts., Iran Zagros Mts., Iran Lebanese Mts. Taurus Mts., Turkey

Deserts Negev Desert Sinai Desert Libyan Desert Arabian Desert Rub al-Khali Sahara Desert

Rub al-Khali: “The Empty Quarter”

Desert Oases: Water at a Premium!

Fresh Groundwater Sources

Desalinization Plants

Heavy reliance on primary activities: Economy Heavy reliance on primary activities:

Reliance on OIL

Persian Gulf Oil Exports (2003)

Leading U. S. Oil Suppliers The U. S. imports 30% of its oil needs from the Middle East.

Countries in this region have undertaken efforts to diversify their economies in recent years.

The Natural Resources of the Middle East

Agriculture Mediterranean climates grow citrus fruits, olives, and grapes Semiarid climates grow cereals like barley, oats, and wheat Desert climates permit only pastoralism from oasis to oasis Despite the fact that this is the most water-scarce and dry region in the world, many countries especially those around the Mediterranean Sea, are highly dependent on agriculture.  Contribution of agriculture to the GDP varies significantly from location to location.

Middle East: Climate Regions

The Middle East: Natural Vegetation

Middle East: Population Density

Pastoralism … is the herding of domesticated animals as the primary economic activity of a society.  

Desert Bedouins

Economy of the Middle East Regional conflicts and political unrest affect tourism Trade important to region from earliest time Wide range of per capita income and levels of development. Rich countries such as Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia dominate the oil industry around the globe; poor countries such as Gaza and Yemen rely on subsidies and aids. OPEC controls distribution of oil in the world

Birthplace of 3 major religions Middle East Culture Birthplace of 3 major religions

Art in the Middle East reflects the diversity of religions Persian (prayer) rugs, stained glass, geometric tiles, calligraphy

Arabic Calligraphy

Ka’aba; Mecca, Saudi Arabia Landmarks Ka’aba; Mecca, Saudi Arabia

Dome of the Rock; Jerusalem, Israel

Western Wall; Jerusalem, Israel

Hagia Sophia: Istanbul, Turkey

Rapid Urbanization

Cairo, Egypt: Most Populated City in the Middle East 17,000,000+ People!

Kuwait: An Island Floating on a Sea of Oil Kuwait City

United Arab Emirates: Dubai

However… Traditional Life continues in Rural Areas