1. Physical Geography of North Africa, Southwest Asia, and Central Asia
Chapter 16 – Section 1
Physical Geography of North Africa, Southwest Asia, and Central Asia

2. Seas and Waterways
The bodies of water in this region have helped people trade more easily for centuries.

3. 4 Waterways control access to the Seas
Strait of Gibraltar – separates Europe and Africa – links the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
Dardanelles Strait –
Sea of Marmara –
Bosporus – all of these link the Mediterranean and Black Seas and they separate Europe and Asia

4. Other Waterways
Suez Canal – a human-made waterway that allows ships to pass from the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea
Strait of Hormuz – allows oil tankers to enter and leave the Persian Gulf

5. Mountains in the Region
Zagros Mountains stretch from Turkey through Iran
Hindu Kush Mountains cross Afghanistan
Khyber Pass – a narrow gap, sometimes barely 50 feet wide in the Hindu Kush mountains – used as a trade route.

6. Nile River – found in Egypt
Rivers in the Region
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers found in Iraq – used to be ancient Mesopotamia
Nile River – found in Egypt

7. Nile River Delta
The Nile River floods every year led to the building of civilizations along the river
Silt is small particles of rich soil
The silt makes the soil fertile for growing crops.

8. Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Mesopotamia was an early civilization based on farming.
It was located on the alluvial plain, an area of fertile soil left by river floods.

9. Natural Resources – Petroleum and Natural Gas
The largest reserves of oil and natural gas can be found in the Persian Gulf.

10. Oil exploration and discovery has allowed some countries to become wealthy and grow industry. Other countries have remained very poor.

11. Lebanon - Timber
Along the Mediterranean Sea, Lebanon is known for their Cedar forests. There is so much timber there, they can export the timber to other countries.

12. The Aral Sea The Aral Sea is located between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
The Aral Sea has been greatly damaged by the cotton industry and by low levels of rainfall
The photo on the left shows the Aral Sea in 1998 and then 2008

13. More photos of the Aral Sea

14. Aswan High Dam
In 1968, the Egyptian government built the Aswan High Dam so that the flood waters of the Nile River could be controlled and crops could be grown throughout the year. This has been helpful in some ways.

15. The Aswan High Dam as also caused problems for the farmers along the Nile River. The dam has not allowed mineral rich silt to come down the Nile River and fertilize the farm ground.

16. Oil Refineries are where oil is turned into gasoline and the refineries, many cars and older cars are contributing to the air pollution problems of the region.

17. Climate Regions in North Africa, Southwest Asia and Central Asia
Chapter 16 – Section 2
Climate Regions in North Africa, Southwest Asia and Central Asia

18. The Sahara Desert World’s Largest Desert – covers much of North Africa
Hottest temperature on Earth recorded there at 136 degrees F
Winter temperature averages 55 degrees
Only gets about 3 inches of rain per year
Claire Bassett says, “home to the World’s Cutest Fox.”

19. Wadis – dry riverbed that fills with water during rainstorms
The Sahara Desert
Wadis – dry riverbed that fills with water during rainstorms
Oasis – land that is fertile because water is present in wells or springs

20. Other Desert Areas
Arabian Peninsula – home to the Empty Quarter – Rub’ al Khali
Central Asia – Kara Kum and the Kyzyl Kum

21. Steppe Areas Steppe – dry, treeless grassy plain
Most steppe areas receive 4-16 inches of rain per year
Nomad – people who move across the steppe area to find food and water for their herds
Dry Farming – farming land is left to rest for a few years so moisture can build up

22. Water and Desalinization in the Middle East
Water is very sparse in areas of the region
Aquifer – underground rock layer through which water flows
Rationing – limiting the amount of a resource
Desalinization – process of removing salt and minerals from seawater and then it can be used for drinking and other uses