Ch. 21-1: North Africa and Southwest Asia Objective: Identify important physical features of North Africa and SW Asia

Fresh Water A Scarce Resource The scarcity of fresh water in North Africa and Southwest Asia had led most of the people to settle along the fertile river valleys and coastal areas. In central and southern Algeria, only the occasional oasis is capable of supporting life. Many of Algeria’s population lives on these few oasis where underground springs provide water for date and citrus fruit crops as well as some grass and shrubs for grazing this inhospitable region

Oasis in Algeria

Peninsulas and Seas The largest peninsula is the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia. The Persian Gulf borders the peninsula on the east The Red Sea borders the peninsula on the west. The Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea are the southern borders

The Arabian Peninsula- Oil Supplies the world with 1/4th to 1/3rd of all of the oil that is produced.

The Sinai Peninsula The smaller of the peninsulas in Southwest Asia, connects Africa and Asia Mediterranean Sea Aegean Sea Red Sea

The Dead Sea salt water lake, located at the mouth of the Jordan River Its shores lie about 1,300 feet below sea level. lowest point on the earth’s surface. 9 times saltier than the ocean

The Dead Sea                                                    

Coasts, Mountains and Plateaus Mountain Ranges: Southwest Asia Arabian Peninsula Hejaz Mountain Asir Mountains

The Central Plateau very little annual rainfall, located in Saudi Arabia

Anatolian Peninsula Pontic Mountains                                                               Zagros Mountains Taurus Mountains

The Pontic Mountains-Turkey Located on the Black Sea Coast, south of Black Sea

The Taurus Mountains- Turkey lie along the Mediterranean Sea on Turkey’s southern coast.

Zagros Mountains- Turkey and Iran Form the western border of Iran. It is an area of frequent seismic activity.

Mountains in North Africa The Atlas Mountains are found in Morocco and Algeria

The Atlas Mountains of Morocco and Algeria -longest range in Africa. -cause a great amount of rainfall on the northern coast . -Most of the population of North Africa is on the northern coast

Rivers of North Africa and Southwest Asia The Nile River- Egypt -longest river in the world (4,145 miles long) -floods annually creating a very fertile strip of land along its banks and in its flood plain. -90% of Egypt’s population lives along the Nile

The Nile River - Egypt

Satellite Images of Nile River Delta

When the Egyptians constructed the Aswan High Dam, they also built the largest human-made lake in the world-Lake Nasser. Lake Nasser is over 300 miles long!

Which direction does the water flow? Nile River Which direction does the water flow? Dam Aswan

Rivers of Southwest Asia The Tigris and Euphrates -These rivers were the site of the worlds 1st civilizations. -Frequent flooding provided a very rich, fertile region between these two rivers. -Source: mountains of Anatolia -Flow to the Persian Gulf

Tigris and Euphrates Tigris River Euphrates River Shatt al Arab River

Tigris and Euphrates Rivers Tigris River Euphrates River