1. Physical Geography of the Southwest Asia
Chapter 21, Sections 1-2

2. Objectives
Identify and examine different features of the Southwest Asia’s and North Africa’s physical geography.
Explain the different types of climates and vegetations.
Describe the region’s key resources.

3. Why do we refer to Southwest Asia as “The Middle East?”
The Middle What?
Why do we refer to Southwest Asia as “The Middle East?”

4. Southwestern Asian Countries and Capitals
Afghanistan: Kabul
Bahrain: Manama
Cyprus: Nicosia
Iran: Tehran
Iraq: Baghdad
Israel: Jerusalem
Jordan: Amman
Kuwait: Kuwait City
Lebanon: Beirut
Oman: Muscat
Qatar: Doha
Saudi Arabia: Riyadh
Syria: Damascus
Turkey: Ankara
United Arab Emirates: Abu Dhabi
Yemen: Sanaa

6. Southwest Asia Subregions
How many cultural sub regions are there?
Three
Arabian Peninsula
Eastern Mediterranean
Northeast

7. Cultural Subregions Overview
Arabian Peninsula
Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Yemen, Bahrain

8. Cultural Subregions Overview
Eastern Mediterranean
Cyprus, Lebanon, Israel, Syria, Jordan

9. Cultural Subregions Overview
Northeast
Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan

10. The Arabian Peninsula

12. The Arabian Peninsula
What three continents surround the Arabian Peninsula?
Europe, Asia, and Africa
How might this location be beneficial to the area?
Opportunities for trade and exchange of culture and religion.
Surrounded by Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and Arabian Sea
Suez Canal
Opens to Mediterranean Sea
Gulf of Suez
Gulf of Aqaba
Strait of Hormuz
Only way to oil fields in
Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq

13. Mountains
Hejaz and Asir Mountains
Mainly in southwestern corner

14. With your one/two partner, discuss the types of vegetation that would be found in each climate region of the Arabian Peninsula.
You have 2 minutes.

15. The Arabian Peninsula Climate
Desert
Rub al-Khali
An-Nafud
Semiarid
What type of vegetation do these regions have?
Desert shrub, grasses
Predominately covered by plains
Low ridges, hills, and wadis

16. The Eastern Mediterranean16

17. MAKE SURE THESE ARE ON YOUR MAP!!17

18. 18

19. Physical Features: Plateau
Golan Heights (Al Jawlan): a hilly plateau over looking Jordan River and Sea of Galilee
Strategic location has made it a site of many conflicts

20. Physical Features: Bodies of Water
Jordan River: Flows from the mountains of Lebanon near Mt. Hermon to the Dead Sea
Provides water
Why is this valuable?
Water is scarce.
Dead Sea: Landlocked salt lake
Located between Jordan and Israel
Only bacteria can live in water
So salty, one will float
Lowest place of exposed crust on earth
1,349 below sea level
Dead Sea Video

21. Which of these is Israel?
Quick Check C
Which of these is Israel? A B B D 21

22. With your one/two partner, discuss the types of vegetation that would be found in each climate region of the Eastern Mediterranean.
You have 2 minutes.

23. Activity Get out a sheet of paper.
Write TRUE on one side of the paper, and write FALSE on the other side. WRITE BIG!!
The following slides will contain statements.
If you think they are true, show the TRUE side of your paper.
If you think they false, show the false side.
Do not look on anyone else's paper. If you do, you will be asked to sit down.
If you answer incorrectly, please sit down.
The last person standing will receive a gold star.

24. #1
The West Bank and the Gaza Strip are located in Israel.
True

25. #2
The three regions of Southwestern Asia are: the Northwest, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Western Mediterranean.
False: Northeast, Arabian Peninsula, Eastern Mediterranean

26. #3
Southwestern Asia is bordered by Asia, Africa, and Europe.
True

27. #4 The Adriatic Sea is at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula.
False – It is the Arabian Sea.

28. #5 The Strait of Hormuz leads to the Mediterranean Sea.
False – The Suez Canal leads to the Mediterranean Sea.

29. #6
The Red Sea has a very high Salt content.
False: Dead Sea

30. #7
Asia is the largest continent.
True

31. #8 The main climate region in Southwest Asia is semiarid.
False – It is desert.

32. #9
Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Iran, Yemen are all located on the Arabian Peninsula.
False: Oman is. Iran is not

33. #10 A wadis is a rapidly flowing river.
False: It is a riverbed that remains dry except during heavy raining seasons.

34. #11
The Jordan River is located in Jordan.
True

35. #12
An oasis is an area in the desert where vegetation is found because water is available, usually from an underground spring.
True

36. #13
The Rub al-Khali is the most famous desert on the Arabian Peninsula.
True

37. #14
The Zagros Mountains are located in Iran.
True

38. #15 Ukraine is in Southwestern Asia.
False: It is a part of Russia and the Republics.

39. #16
The capital of Saudi Arabia is Baghdad.
False: It is Riyadh.

40. #17
Syria is an island.
False: Cyprus is an island.

41. #18
The Hindu Kush Mountains are located in Afghanistan.
True

42. #19
The capital of the United Arab Emirates is Abu Dhabi.
True

43. #20 Turkey is located on the Arabian Peninsula.
False: It is located on the Anatolian Peninsula.

44. #21
There are 16 countries in Southwestern Asia.
True

45. #22
The Dead Sea is located between Jordan and Israel.
True

46. #23
The largest climate region in Southwest Asia is desert.
True

47. #24 The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers are in the Northeast region.
True: They also run through the Eastern Mediterranean.

48. #25 Saudi Arabia is in the Northeast region.
False – It is on the Arabian Peninsula.

49. The Northeast 49

50. 50

51. Physical Features Mountains Plains, plateaus, and foothills
Zagros: Southwestern Iran
Isolate from the rest of Southwest Asia
Elburz: Northwestern Iran
Cut off Iran’s access to the Caspian Sea
Hindu Kush: Northeastern Afghanistan
Afghanistan is basically landlocked by mountains
Plains, plateaus, and foothills
Heart of Iran is a plateau surrounded by mountains (desert)
Foothills around plateau produce crops
Northern Plain of Afghanistan is also a fertile agriculture area 51

52. Physical Features: Mountains
Taurus Mountains: located in southern Turkey
Cut off from the rest of Southwest Asia
Pontiac Mountains: located in northern Turkey
Water is more plentiful in mountainous regions of Southwest Asia.

53. Physical Features Rivers
Tigris River and Euphrates River: flow through Turkey, Syria, and Iraq
Support Fertile Crescent: Fertile, well watered, and good for agriculture
Home of many ancient river valley civilizations (Mesopotamia)
Run parallel to each other, eventually emptying into Persian Gulf 53

54. Physical Features: Peninsulas
Anatolian Peninsula: occupies Turkey and marks where the Asian continent begins
Between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea
Bosporus Strait and Dardanelles Strait
West of the peninsula
Desirable for trade to Russia and interior of Asia

55. Resources
Natural gas
Crude Oil
Water 55

56. With your one/two partners, discuss the types of vegetation that would be found in each climate region of the Northeast.
You have 2 minutes. 56

57. Physical Geography of North Africa
Chapter 18, Sections 1 and 2

58. North Africa Countries and Capitals
Western Sahara (Morocco)
Morocco: Rabat
Algeria: Algiers
Tunisia: Tunis
Libya: Tripoli
Egypt: Cairo

59. Nile River World’s longest river
Flows more than 4,000 miles from Uganda to Sudan and into Egypt
Nile Delta=VERY fertile!
Home to one of the world’s earliest civilizations
More than 95% of Egyptians depend on it for water
90% live on 3% of land
Average population density: 3,320 people per square mile
Average population density for Egypt is 177 people per square mile
Aswan High Dam
Help reduce flooding
Create alluvial soil: rich soil made up of sand and mud deposited by moving water.

62. Climate Map Look at the climate map on page 421 in your book.
With your one/two partners, discuss the types of vegetation that would be found in each climate region of North Africa.
You have 2 minutes.

63. Quick Checks What are two mountain ranges discussed in class?
Hindu Kush, Zagros, Elburz, Pontiac, Hejaz, Taurus, etc.
What countries make up the Northeast?
Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan
What is the Fertile Crescent?
Land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers 63

64. Southwest Asia
Chapter 21, Section 3

65. Map Activity
Identify the main geographic features that might affect population density and settlement patterns..
Examine the shared climates and vegetation and the impact they might have on settlement patterns and population density.

66. Objectives Examine how water resources are used in Southwest Asia.
Describe the formation, production, and movement of oil in Southwest Asia.

67. Water – A Critical Resource
Besides oil, what is the critical resource in Southwest Asia?
Water! Why?
Because it is scarce
What types of water systems have been used throughout history to provide water?
Drip Irrigation – placing water just at the root
Qanat System – collects water from the mountains
Irrigation Canals
Noria – waterwheel run by the flow of water or by animal power
Do these work everywhere?
Nope.

68. What Are We Doing? Turkey
Series of dams & a man-made lake on the upper Euphrates
Why is this project controversial?
People below dam aren’t getting water
Israel
National Water Carrier project
Carries water from northern Israel to the center and south
Why is there conflict about it?
Taking away water from some and giving to others

69. Solutions What are some other solutions? Using drip irrigation
Using ocean water. What has to be done to it first?
Desalinization
Treating wastewater
Pumping water from underground aquifers. What is this water called?
Fossil water

70. Striking it Rich! How was oil formed? Page 497 What is seismology?
Seismology is the study of earthquakes and seismic waves that move through and around the earth.
Seismic waves are the waves of energy caused by the sudden breaking of rock within the earth or an explosion. They are the energy that travels through the earth and is recorded on seismographs.
A seismologist is a scientist who studies earthquakes and seismic waves.
Knowing the information above, how would seismology be useful in finding oil?

71. Seismology (continued)
“In a seismological survey a shock wave is aimed at the surface of the water or land and the length of time it takes for the waves to reflect back to the sensor is recorded. The speed of the shock wave depends on the type of rock it travels through, and by comparing the travel times to known densities of rock, seismologists can determine what rocks are underground and predict if they might contain oil. Although this technology is superior to other oil detection methods based solely on examining surface rock features, it has only a 10% success rate of finding new oil sites.”

72. Everyone needs oil! Why does everyone need oil?
Petroleum that has not been processed is called…
Crude oil: It must be sent to a refinery. What is crude oil converted to at a refinery?
How Stuff Works

73. Transporting Oil
Crude oil is pumped from the ground and sent to a refinery to be processed.
Why is it dangerous to transport oil?
Oil spills
Largest: January 1991 during the Persian Gulf War

74. Oil Reserves in the World