2. Satellite Image of The Middle East

3. Political Map of The Middle East

4. Predicament: Traditional Middle East? OR Near East? OR Greater Middle East? OR….?

6. Large Bodies of Water

7. Arabian Peninsula Bodies of Water The Red Sea The Gulf of Aden The Persian Gulf The Gulf of Oman

8. The Tigris & Euphrates River System

9. The Jordan River  Connects the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea

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

11. Suez Canal  Completed by the British in 1869  120 miles long, 79 ft deep, & 673 ft wide  Connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea  120 miles long, 79 ft deep, & 673 ft wide  Connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea

12. Mountains & Peninsulas Elburz Mts. Taurus Mts. Zagros Mts. Caucasus Mts. Hejaz Mts. The Arabian Peninsula

13. Mountain Ranges in Mid-East Elburz Mts., Iran Zagros Mts., Iran Caucasus Mts., Turkey & Russia Taurus Mts., Turkey

14. The Arabian Peninsula “The Arabian Subcontinent”  1, 250,000 sq. miles  The world’s largest peninsula  1, 250,000 sq. miles  The world’s largest peninsula

15. Deserts Arabian Desert Negev Desert Sinai Desert Libyan Desert

16. The Arabian Desert  2,330,000 sq. miles  Covers 90% the Arabian Peninsula  2,330,000 sq. miles  Covers 90% the Arabian Peninsula

17. Rub al-Khali: “The Empty Quarter”  250,000 sq. miles  Covers southern third of the Arabian Peninsula  250,000 sq. miles  Covers southern third of the Arabian Peninsula

18. Desert Oases: Water at a Premium!

19. Fresh Groundwater Sources

20. Desalinization Plants

21. Fertile Crescent

22. The Fertile Crescent  Area of Moist & Fertile land  Nicknamed: “The Cradle of Civilization”  Birth of various early civilizations  Area of Moist & Fertile land  Nicknamed: “The Cradle of Civilization”  Birth of various early civilizations

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

25. Climate Regions

26. Natural Vegetation

28. Earthquakes

29. Sandstorms and Dust Storms

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

32. The Natural Resources of the Middle East

33. World Oil Reserves

34. Persian Gulf Oil Exports (2003)

35. Saudi Oil Fields & Refineries

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

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

39. Middle East: Population Density

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

41. Desert Bedouins