1. Crossroads of the World
The Middle East
Crossroads of the World

2. What is the Middle East? Region in Southwest Asia
Crossroads of continents:
Europe
Asia
Africa
Extends from
Morocco to Iran

3. Climate Short period of rainfall Rains wash away topsoil
Temperature extremes
Hot and dry
Deserts and green coastal lands

4. Natural Resources
Oil is the Middle East’s most important natural resource
70% of the world’s known oil reserves are located in the Middle East
Middle Eastern countries produce 2/3 of the world’s oil

5. Natural Resources
Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest oil producer

6. Natural Resources Other natural resources include:
gold, iron, and copper
Water is scarce and difficult to harness
Fertile river valleys and coastal lands
Aswan High Dam in Egypt

7. Geographic Features
Desert – an area that has less than 10 inches of annual rainfall
Arabian Desert
Syrian Desert
Oasis – fertile place in a desert where water is available through an underground spring

8. Breeding Areas of Desert Locusts

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

10. Desert Oases: Water at a Premium!

11. Fresh Groundwater Sources

12. Countries in Crisis Yemen Saudi Arabia Iraq Syria Jordan
What does it Cause:

13. Water Scarcity and Conflicts: Syria
March 2011: Anti-Assad Revolution erupts
1,5 million people internally displaced because of the drought
Water shortages have contributed to conflict, for example in Syria. A severe drought from 2006 to 2011 led to the ruin of hundreds of thousands of small scale farmers who emigrated to the outskirts of major cities, contributing to the pressure leading to revolution and continuing civil conflict.

14. Yemen- People are moving to cities due to aquifers depleting.

15. Syria and Iraq blame Turkey's huge network of dams on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers for reducing water supplies by 50 percent

16. Two people, one land, one aquifer:
Water and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Access to scarce water resources is one of the issues at stake in the In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The common aquifer which is in the underground of the West Bank is exploited by the Israelis, who are using four fifths or it, whereas Palestinians are only using one fifth.

17. Desalinization Plants

18. Problems with de-Salinization
Health issues due to high amounts of boron and bromide and lacks calcium
Desalination plants harm wildlife and cause pollution
Uses high amounts of energy
Expensive

19. Other Solutions Conservation Treated Wastewater Importing water
Some treat wastewater multiple times
Used for crops
People fear contamination
Importing water
Pipelines built for water distribution
Countries must work together to maintain pipelines
Conservation
Limit use
Use drought tolerant crops
Change agricultural practices.

20. War over Water?

21. Five Physical Regions Northern Tier Arabian Peninsula Fertile Crescent
Nile River Valley
Maghreb
Beach in Lebanon

22. 1. The Northern Tier Stretches across present-day Turkey and Iran
Anatolian Peninsula
* fertile soil and moisture available for farming to support a large population
Iranian Plateau
* Elburz and Zagros Mountain ranges
* dry region with a small population
A bazaar in Turkey

23. 2. Arabian Peninsula
A plateau that borders the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and the Persian Gulf
Mostly barren desert
Beneath the desert is a huge amount of oil, which supports the country
Small population because of lack of water
Most of the population lives around the oases

24. 2. Arabian Peninsula
Birthplace of Islam

25. 3. Fertile Crescent
Arc-shaped region that stretches from the eastern Mediterranean along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers to the Persian Gulf
Rich soil and abundant water have led to a large population

26. 3. Fertile Crescent

27. Mesopotamia “land between two rivers” Part of the Fertile Crescent
Between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Located in modern-day Iraq
Land is very fertile
Some of the earliest civilizations began here
Ancient Babylon

28. 4. Nile River Valley Located in northeastern Africa
Nile River supports the population of this region

29. 5. Maghreb North African nations of Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco
Lies west of the Arabian Peninsula
Isolated land surrounded by water, mountains, and deserts

30. 5. Maghreb Sahara Desert and Atlas Mountains
Few people live here because of scarcity of water
Major crossroad of the southern rim of Mediterranean
Gateway to the Atlantic Ocean
Mosque in Morocco