physical geography of southwest asia. most distinctive landform arabian peninsula – separated from...
TRANSCRIPT
Physical Geography
Of Southwest Asia
Most Distinctive landform
Arabian Peninsula
– separated from the continent of Africa by the red sea on the southwest and from the rest of Asia by the Persian Gulf on the east
Countries– Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, United Arab
Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain
Red SeaPersian Gulf
Anatolian Peninsula• Occupied by the
country of Turkey
• Marks the beginning of the Asian Continent
Significance?
• Both Peninsulas border strategic waterways
• Arabian Peninsula– Red Sea & Suez
Canal• Anatolian Peninsula
– Mediterranean & Black Sea
Significance?• Wadis – riverbeds which
remain dry except during raining seasons
• Mountains– Hejaz Mountains– Zagros Mountains (Iran)– Hindu Kush (Afghanistan)
Water resources are relatively limited in Southwest Asia
The two most important rivers in SW Asia are the Tigris
& Euphrates Rivers
The rivers supported several ancient river valley
civilizations in an area called the Fertile Crescent
(The Gates of Babylon)
The area between the rivers is known as Mesopotamia
Pictures of what the rivers look like today
The Jordan River is another important river located in the Eastern Mediterranean
The river provides one of the most precious resources in the entire region - freshwater
Christians believe Jesus was baptized on the Jordan River
The Jordan River flows into the salty waters of the Dead Sea
The Dead sea is so salty that only bacteria can live in its waters
The Dead Sea is 1,349 feet below sea level, the lowest
place on the exposed crust of the earth
Resources
• It is impossible to think of Southwest Asia without thinking about oil
• It is the regions most abundant Resource• Most valuable resource in the area is water
– hydroelectric power– Irrigation
Climate and Vegetation
The land of SW Asia is extremely arid
The most famous
desert in the region is the Rub al-Khali, which means
Empty Quarter
Empty Quarte
r
The local name for
the desert is “place where no one comes out”
There are several oasis’s in the Middle East that provide much needed water to the area
An oasis is an area in the desert where vegetation is found because of underground
springs
Salt flat deserts in Iran
In Iran, the high mountains block rain, and dry winds increase evaporation creating salt flat deserts
Human Environment Interaction
What are some modern methods for water development
& use in the Middle East?
Circle Irrigation
Desalinization, the removal of salt from ocean water
Drip irrigation, using small pipes that slowly drip water just above ground to conserve water used for crops
Oil from Sand
• Crude Oil – Oil pumped from the ground that is not processed
• Refinery – convert crude oil into useful products
• Pipelines – Transports crude oil either to refineries or to ports where oil is picked up by tankers
Risk of Transporting oil?
• Oil Spill• Largest oil spill
ever was in Jan. 1991 during the Persian Gulf War. More than 240 million gallons of oil were spilled into water and land