1. The
Geography
of the
Middle East

2. The Middle East Today: Political Map

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

4. …AND HERE IS NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA
HERE IS THE WORLD…
…AND HERE IS NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA
Due to the location, it’s called the Crossroads of Continents: Europe, Africa, and Asia

5. SOUTHWEST ASIA IS MORE COMMONLY CALLED THE “MIDDLE EAST”
NORTH AFRICA
SOUTHWEST ASIA
SOUTHWEST ASIA IS MORE COMMONLY CALLED THE “MIDDLE EAST”

6. Some Physical Features you need to know are:
BLACK SEA
Bosporus Strait & Dardanelles Strait
(SPLITS TURKEY FROM THE REST OF EUROPE)
TAURUS MTS
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
ATLAS MTS
PERSIAN GULF
ZAGROS MTS
SAHARA DESERT
RED SEA
STRAIT OF HORMUZ
ARABIAN SEA
NILE RIVER
TIGRIS RIVER
EUPHRATES RIVER
There is also a lot of seasonal flooding, alluvial soils (deposits from the river), and delta regions (like the Nile delta).
There are also natural water reservoirs likes oases and wadis.
An oasis is fertile land in a desert, usually fed by an underground spring
A wadi is a temporary watering hole when a gully gets filled up during the rainy season.

7. 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

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

9. Dust Storms Along the Tigris-Euphrates Flood Plains

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

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

12. Wadis – Instant Springs

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

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

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

16. Desert Bedouins

17. Breeding Areas of Desert Locusts

18. Swarms of Desert Locusts!
Israel Hit By Worst Locust Plague Since the 1950s!
Locusts Swarm the Pyramids Complex at Giza!

19. Rub al-Khali: “The Empty Quarter”

20. Desert Oases: Water at a Premium!

21. Fresh Groundwater Sources

22. Desalinization Plants

23. Fertile Crescent

24. The Fertile Crescent

25. Completed Map Caucasus Mts. Black Sea Caspian Sea Dardanelles Strait
Anatolian Plateau
Elburz Mts.
Atlantic Ocean
Mediterranean Sea
Tigris River
Euphrates River
Iranian Plateau
Taurus Mts.
Jordan River
Zagros Mts.
Atlas Mts.
Negev Desert
Sinai Desert
Suez Canal
Strait of Hormuz
Arabian Desert
Persian Gulf
Libyan Desert
Nile River
Gulf of Oman
Rub al-Khali
Red Sea
Hejaz Mts.
Sahara Desert
Arabian Sea
Gulf of Aden
Indian Ocean

26. The Middle East vs. the U. S. Latitude Lines

27. Middle East: Climate Regions

28. Middle East: Population Density

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

30. The Middle East: Natural Vegetation

31. The Natural Resources of the Middle East

32. World Oil Reserves

33. Persian Gulf Oil Exports (2003)

34. Saudi Oil Fields & Refineries

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

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

37. Many Areas around the Middle East and North Africa are world famous.
Follow these cultural landmarks. Do you recognize any?

38. MINARETS
MOSQUES: places of worship for Muslims. Typical features are domes and minarets
DOME

39. The Hagia Sofia in Istanbul, Turkey
The Hagia Sofia in Istanbul, Turkey. Built between 532 and 537 by the Christian Emperor Justinian I as a Byzantine church, which it functioned as for the next 900 years. In 1453, the Islamic-faithed Ottomans took over Constantinople (now Istanbul). They wasted little time in converting the Hagia Sophia into a mosque. It served the Muslims for almost 500 years. The Ottomans painted over the Christian mosaics - and erected the four defining minarets we see today. In 1934, Turkey changed the Hagia Sofia's status from mosque to museum and uncovered the priceless Byzantine mosaics.

40. The Dome of the Rock
Jerusalem: This Muslim holy site was built on the remains of the Temple of Solomon, a holy site for Jews

41. The Kaaba
Located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the Kaaba is the most sacred site for Muslims. A Muslim must take the haj (pilgrimage) to Mecca at least once in his/her life.

42. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher
Jerusalem: This church was built on the site where Christians believe that Jesus Christ was crucified.

43. The Western Wall in Jerusalem: Also known as the Wailing Wall

44. Other notable cultural landmarks:
A “Bazaar” is an open-air market, usually in the center of a Middle eastern town. This bazaar specializes in woven Arabian carpets- verrrrrrry popular!!!!
Bazaars are also called “suqs”

45. Cultural Landscapes are old….
Like the many walled cities around the Arab World…

46. Like the oil rigs around the Middle East
…and new
Like the oil rigs around the Middle East