1. Southwest Asia
Chapters 21-23

3. Landforms and Resources
Not just sand dunes
Ranges from green coastal plains to snow peaked mountains
Serves as a land bridge connecting Asia, Africa, and Europe
Arabian Peninsula
Separated by the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf
Anatolia Peninsula
Begins the Asian continent

5. Landforms Arabian Peninsula Mountains
Mostly covered by dry, sandy, and windy conditions
Low hills, ridges and wadis- dry river beds until the rainy season
People mostly live nomadic lifestyle due to harsh climate conditions
Mountains
Hindu Kush Mountains in Afghanistan
Zagros Mountains in Iran

7. Bodies of Water Dead Sea Tigris and Euphrates rivers
9 times saltier than the oceans
Cannot sink and nothing lives there
Tigris and Euphrates rivers
Supported several ancient river valley civilizations
Called the Fertile Crescent
Agriculture is still good here

9. Resources Oil Most valuable resource is water
1/2 of the world’s oil reserves are found in Southwest Asia
Most valuable resource is water
Some countries have an abundance (Afghanistan, Turkey, Iran, and Lebanon)
Some countries have to guard and ration their water
Other minerals are present but not in large quantities

10. Climate SW Asia is very arid Deserts
Most areas receive less than 18 inches of precipitation a year
Rivers do not flow year round
Deserts
Rub-al-Kali- known as the empty quarter
About the size of Texas
Salt deserts
High mountains block rain and dry winds evaporate rain
Chemicals stay in the soil as water leaves
Two of these exist in Iran

12. Climate Well-Watered Coast Lands Semiarid Lands
Along the Mediterranean coast
Hot summers and rainy winters
Like Southern California
Semiarid Lands
These surround the deserts
Can produce wheat and cotton
Found mainly in Turkey

13. Human-Environment Interaction
Water
Most important resource
Includes dams and irrigation systems
If you dam one part of the river, will less come down to other countries?
Types of Irrigation:
Drip: places water just at the root zone, reduces evaporation
Qanat: Underground brick-lined tunnels and collect runoff

15. Oil Oil and natural gas deposits were formed millions of years ago
Microscopic plants and animals lived and then died in waters, they mingled with sand and mud
Over time, heat and pressure transformed them into hydrocarbons
Oil is trapped in rocks and you cannot tell if you have a rock filled with oil without breaking it open

17. Oil Petroleum not processed is called crude oil
Must be sent to a refinery either by shipment or by pipeline
Always a risk for oil spills caused by accidents
Exxon Valdez in 1989 in Alaska
Worst was in 1991 during Persian Gulf War
Underwater pipelines can crack
Ships can run aground in the narrow straight of Hormuz or the Persian Gulf

18. The Arabian Peninsula
Area includes: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen
Many opportunities for trade
The crossroads of 3 continents
Islam
Monotheistic
Based on the teachings of Muhammad
Sunni and Shia are the two main groups

19. Islam Five Pillars of Islam
Faith: All believers must testify to the following statement: “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”
Prayer: Five times a day, Muslims face toward the holy city of Mecca to pray. They can do it at a mosque or wherever they may be.
Charity: Muslims believe they have a responsibility to support the less fortunate
Fasting: During Ramadan, Muslims do not eat or drink anything between sunrise and sunset
Pilgrimage: All Muslims are expected to make a hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca once during their lifetime.

21. Islam Theocratic governments
Religious control of the government
Use religious laws
Consult religious leaders about the issues
Spread Islam through conquering territory from the sixth century
Law of the land is known as Shari’ah

22. Eastern Mediterranean
Holy place
3 religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
City of Jerusalem is holy place for all three
Jerusalem for Jews:
The Capital of Israel
Temple Mount
Western Wall
Jerusalem for Christians
Mount of Olives (Jesus’ crucifixion)
Jerusalem for Islam
Dome of the Rock

24. A History of Unrest Ruled by the Ottoman Empire from 1520-1922
Unable to grant freedom to countries and solve issues
Colonized after WWI by France and Britain
France= Lebanon and Syria
Britain= Israel and Jordan
Zionism- the movement of Jewish people back to the Holy Land
At the end of WWII, Holocaust survivors started to immigrate to Israel.
Was formally created in 1947

25. A History of Unrest
Many Palestinians were forced out or moved due to the Jewish population rising.
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)
Formed in 1964 to make Palestine a country
Has political and military agenda
PLO and Hezbollah attack Jews of Israel and Israel retaliates.
Many refugees result from these wars, beginning in 1948

26. Eastern Mediterranean
Many ethnicities in this regions
Lebanon hosts Christians and Shi’ite Muslims.
Also include Orthodox and Druze faith.
Druze= section of Shia Islam but includes Judaism and Gnosticism.

28. The Northeast Blend of many cultures
Turkish, Farsi, and Arabic languages
Sunni (4/5) and Shi’ite Muslims
Early civilizations known as Mesopotamia
Fights for land increased after WWI
The Kurds have been a stateless nation since WWI.
Iraq and Iran have prevented the Kurds from becoming a nation-state

30. The Northeast Taliban- Working toward modernization
Islamic fundamentalist political group in control of Afghanistan
Working toward modernization
Turkey is developing its water supply and hydroelectric power
Iran trying to get rid of harsh government
Modernization slow because of wars and oil disputes

31. Southwest Asia Issues Population Relocation
Life in 1900 was not much different than life in 1100
Guest Workers- immigrants doing jobs that the local population finds unacceptable
Stateless Nations
Kurds
Refugees
Palestine (West Bank and Gaza Strip)
How can governments work together to create peace in the region?
Is this issue able to be resolved only through diplomacy?

32. Southwest Asia Issues Oil Wealth and Fuels Change
Strategic commodity- a resource so important that nations will go to war over it
64% of oil reserves and 34% of natural gas deposits found here
Drive to modernize their infrastructures
Where does agriculture fit into the equation?
What could a new role for women do for the economy?
Can countries share wealth and resources?