1. Middle East

2. Physical Geography 1. Landforms and Resources 2
Physical Geography 1. Landforms and Resources 2. Climate and Vegetation 3. Human-Environment Interaction

4. Sulemaniye Mosque
Turkey

5. Syria
Damascus
Umayyad Mosque

6. Parliament Square in Beirut Beirut
Lebanon

7. Tel Aviv
Dead Sea Salt Beds
Negev Desert
Israel
Dome of the Rock

8. Jordan
Abdullah Mosque
Amman
King Abdullah II
Petra

9. Iraq
Saddam Hussein
Bombing of Baghdad
Tigris River

10. King Fahd
Empty Quarter
Saudi Arabia
Mecca

11. Shahid Motahari Mosque
Iran
Tehran
                                                          
Shahid Motahari Mosque

12. Sanaa
Yemen

13. Mosque
Oman
Sultan’s Palace

14. Abu Dhabi
United Arab Emirates

15. Museum
Doha
Qatar
Desert

16. Kuwait
Water Towers
Kuwait City
Oil wells on fire

17. Landforms and Resources
Overview
Landforms in the Middle East have had a significant impact on movement in the region.
Oil and water are the most valuable resources in the Middle East.

18. Landforms and Resources
Landforms Divide the Region
Golan Heights
A hilly plateau overlooking the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee
Strategic location for conflict throughout history
Controlled by Israel since 1967 (Syria lost)

20. Golan Heights

21. Landforms and Resources
Landforms Divide the Region
Arabian Peninsula - very dry, sandy, & windy peninsula
Rub Al-Khali –
“Empty Quarter” is the size of Texas; largest continuous sand desert in the world
Surface temps, can reach 150°F
10 years may pass w/out rain
Wadis - riverbeds that remain dry except for the rainy season; common throughout Middle East (and Arabian Peninsula).

25. Landforms and Resources
Landforms Divide the Region
Suez Canal
Artificial waterway in Egypt connecting the Mediterranean Sea & the Red Sea
It may be used "in time of war as in time of peace, by every vessel of commerce or of war, without distinction of flag.

27. Landforms and Resources
Landforms Divide the Region
Anatolian Peninsula
Present-day Turkey

28. Landforms and Resources
Landforms Divide the Region
Straits of Hormuz
Remember: strait  narrow passage of water connecting to seas or large bodies of water
35% of the world's seaborne oil shipments and 20% of oil traded worldwide.

29. Landforms and Resources
Landforms Divide the Region
Salt Flat - flat land made of chemical salts that remain after winds evaporate the moisture in the soil
Common in Iran
Usually uninhabited

30. Landforms and Resources
Landforms Divide the Region
Hindu Kush Mountains
Zagros Mountains
Elburz Mountains
Taurus Mountains

32. Landforms and Resources
Landforms Divide the Region
Tigris & Euphrates
Tigris & Euphrates river valleys supported several ancient societies
Jordan River & Dead Sea
Jordan River  Provides a natural boundary for Israel & Jordan
Flows into the Dead Sea
Dead Sea  Landlocked salt lake
So salty that only bacteria lives in it
Lowest place on the exposed surface of the earth.
1349 feet below sea level

34. Landforms and Resources
Landforms Divide the Region
Tigris & Euphrates
Tigris & Euphrates river valleys supported several ancient societies
Jordan River & Dead Sea
Jordan River  Provides a natural boundary for Israel & Jordan
Flows into the Dead Sea
Dead Sea  Landlocked salt lake
So salty that only bacteria lives in it
Lowest place on the exposed surface of the earth.
1349 feet below sea level

35. Landforms and Resources
Landforms Divide the Region
Tigris & Euphrates
Tigris & Euphrates river valleys supported several ancient societies
Jordan River & Dead Sea
Jordan River  Provides a natural boundary for Israel & Jordan
Flows into the Dead Sea
Dead Sea  Landlocked salt lake
So salty that only bacteria lives in it
Lowest place on the exposed surface of the earth.
1349 feet below sea level

37. Landforms and Resources
Resources for a Modern World
An Oil-Rich Region
Most prominent resource; Largest reserves in the world (2/3 of all known reserves)

40. Landforms and Resources
Resources for a Modern World
An Oil-Rich Region
Most prominent resource; Largest reserves in the world (2/3 of all known reserves)

41. Climate & Vegetation Overview
Most of the region has a very arid climate.
Irrigation is therefore critical to any agricultural production.

42. Climate & Vegetation Variety in Arid Lands Deserts Limit Movement
Sandy Deserts
Salt Deserts
Semiarid Lands
Well-Watered Coast Lands