Leading countries according to GDP  Kuwait  United Arab Emirates  Qatar  Israel

Leading countries according to Land size  Algeria  Saudi Arabia  Libya

Leading countries according to population  Iran  Turkey  Egypt

Physical Characteristics  Area is the crossroads of Europe, Africa, and Asia  It has a primarily desert or semi-arid climate  Sahara, Sahel, and steppes are the primary vegetation region

 Sahara--world’s largest desert, it stretches over most of North Africa and is growing  Sahel--area separating the Sahara from the tropical rainforest of Africa.

 The Sahel is an area of temperate grassland (steppe) moving into sparse desert scrub-like vegetation

 Three main mountain ranges  1. Atlas Mountains in northern Algeria and Morocco  2. Taurus Mountains in southern Turkey  3. Zagros Mountains in western Iran

 Even though this is a dry area, water plays a very large role  There are several large bodies of water which play a major role in world politics

 Examples :  Persian Gulf/Arabian Gulf  Strait of Hormuz  Arabian Sea  Red Sea

 Other important bodies of water  Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Bosporus Strait, Dardanelles Strait, Nile River (longest in the world), Tigris and Euphrates (home to the world’s first civilization) and the Jordan River

 The area is also subject to seasonal flooding, alluvial soils, delta regions, oases, and wadis

 Seasonal flooding--several of the rivers flood regularly (Nile) which deposit rich alluvial soil for farming

 The desert regions are home to many oases (a place where fresh water makes it possible for life to exist in a dry area) and wadi (a gully or usually dry river bed cut by running water after a downpour)

Economic Characteristics  The area has a heavy reliance on primary economic activities such as oil drilling, agriculture and herding/grazing

 The area is the home of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries  Many countries in the area still belong today  Major producers of the world’s oil  Provide large oil revenues

 Positive effects--jobs, revenue, position of power  Negative effects--reliance on one industry, pollution, unequal distribution of wealth

 Water is the region’s MOST PRECIOUS resource  Aswan High Dam has had positive and negative effects on the region.  Suez Canal enhanced shipping routes in the region

 Positive effects of the Aswan High dam  Controls flooding, recreation areas, power  Negative effects of the Aswan high Dam  land losing fertility, lost homes when dam built,

 There is a great variation in the standard of living in the region.  It ranges from the relatively high to the poverty stricken.  There is also a wide range of per capita income and differing levels of development

 Trade has been important to the region from the earliest time.  Today regional conflicts and political unrest have affected trade and tourism  The area today has contemporary trade routes (sea lanes)

Cultural Characteristics  The area has experienced rapid urbanization  Most modernization has centered around urban areas and more traditional life has continued in the rural areas

 Large percentage of the population is under the age of 15 due to conflict, disease and the hardships associated with the region.  The population is generally unevenly distributed due to the environment and resources

 All but three of the countries are Arab nations and they use the Arabic language.  Turkey, Iran and Israel are the non-Arab countries

 North Africa and Southwest Asia are the birthplace to three major monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  All three claim similar holy places and the dominant group has changed over the years.

 Since 1949, the region has been in conflict over the area known as PALESTINE. This area is present day Israel.

 Much of the region has a nomadic lifestyle  NOMADIC-to wander from place to place behind a food source or for other reasons

 The art of the region reflects the diversity of the religions;  stained glass, geometric tiles, calligraphy, mosaics, and prayer rugs

Cities as centers of trade and culture  Baghdad, Iraq  Cairo, Egypt  Istanbul, Turkey  Jerusalem, Israel  Mecca, Saudi Arabia  Tehran, Iran

Cultural Landscape  Mosques, minarets  Church of the Holy Sepulcher  Hagia Sophia  bazaars, sugs  Western Wall (of Jerusalem)

 Dome of the Rock  Kaaba  Pyramids  Oil rigs  walled cities

Sahara desert

Oasis

Stained Glass/Mosaics

Prayer Rugs

Oil Rigs

Kaaba

Dome of the Rock

Hagia Sophia

Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Pyramids

Western Wall