Cheri LaPorteRiverheads High School

Cheri LaPorteRiverheads High School

Middle East? OR Near East?OR Southwest Asia? OR….?

Physical Geography

HaveOil

Deserts Shipping Locations

Have NotWater

Fertile LandVariety of Resources

Bodies of Water

TigrisRiver

Nile River

EuphratesRiverJordan

River Persian Gulf

ArabianSea

Mediterranean Sea

IndianOcean

Red Sea

Black Sea

Gulf of Aden

Strait ofHormuz

Suez Canal

Dardanelles Strait

AtlanticOcean

Gulf ofOman

Caspian Sea

The Mighty Nile River:

“Longest River in the World”

Egypt: The “Gift of the Nile”

Annual Nile Flooding

Annual Nile Flooding

Nile DeltaNile

Delta

95% of the Egyptian people live on 5% of the

land!

95% of the Egyptian people live on 5% of the

land!

Aswan High Dam, Egypt

Hydroelectric

Power Plant

Hydroelectric

Power Plant

Suez Canal

Completed by the British in 1869

Completed by the British in 1869

The Tigris & Euphrates

River System

Mesopotamia: ”Land Between the

Two Rivers”

Mesopotamia: ”Land Between the

Two Rivers”

Marsh Arabs, So. Iraq

Marsh Arabs, So. Iraq

Dust Storms Along the Tigris-Euphrates Flood Plains

TheJordan River

System:

Israel & Jordan--A Fight Over

Water Rights?

Dead Sea: Lowest Point on Earth

HighestSalt

Content(33%)

HighestSalt

Content(33%)

2,300’ below sea level

2,300’ below sea level

Wadis – Instant Springs

Mountains & Plateaus

Atlas Mts.

Elb

urz M

ts.

Taurus Mts.

Zagros Mts.

Iranian Plateau

AnatolianPlateau

Caucasus Mts.

Hejaz M

ts.

Mountain Ranges in Mid-East

Elburz Mts., IranElburz Mts., Iran Zagros Mts., IranZagros Mts., Iran

Lebanese Mts.Lebanese Mts. Taurus Mts., TurkeyTaurus Mts., Turkey

Deserts

Sahara Desert

ArabianDesert

NegevDesert

SinaiDesertLibyan Desert

Rubal-Khali

Rub al-Khali:“The Empty Quarter”

Desert Oases: Water at a Premium!

Fresh Groundwater Sources

Desalinization

Plants

EconomyHeavy reliance on primary activities:

Reliance on OIL

Persian Gulf Oil Exports (2003)

Leading U. S. Oil Suppliers

The U. S. imports 30% of its oil needs from the Middle East.

The U. S. imports 30% of its oil needs from the Middle East.

Countries in this region have undertaken efforts to diversify their economies in recent

years.

The Natural Resources of the

Middle East

Agriculture• Mediterranean climates grow citrus fruits, olives, and

grapes

• Semiarid climates grow cereals like barley, oats, and wheat

• Desert climates permit only pastoralism from oasis to oasis• Despite the fact that this is the most water-scarce and dry

region in the world, many countries especially those around the Mediterranean Sea, are highly dependent on agriculture. 

• Contribution of agriculture to the GDP varies significantly from location to location.

Middle East: Climate Regions

The Middle East:Natural Vegetation

Middle East: Population Density

Pastoralism… is the herding of domesticated animals as the

primary economic activity of a society.

 

Desert Bedouins

Economy of the Middle East

• Regional conflicts and political unrest affect tourism

• Trade important to region from earliest time• Wide range of per capita income and levels of

development. Rich countries such as Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia dominate the oil industry around the globe; poor countries such as Gaza and Yemen rely on subsidies and aids.

• OPEC controls distribution of oil in the world

Middle East Culture

Birthplace of 3 major religions

Art in the Middle East reflects the diversity of

religions

Persian (prayer) rugs, stained glass, geometric tiles, calligraphy

Arabic Calligraphy

Landmarks

Ka’aba; Mecca, Saudi Arabia

Dome of the Rock; Jerusalem, Israel

Western Wall; Jerusalem, Israel

Hagia Sophia: Istanbul, Turkey

Rapid Urbanization

Cairo, Egypt: Most Populated City in the Middle East

17,000,000+

People!

17,000,000+

People!

Kuwait: An Island Floating on a Sea of Oil

Kuwait

City

Kuwait

City

United Arab Emirates: Dubai

However…Traditional Life continues

in Rural Areas