Physical Geography of the Southwest Asia

Chapter 21, Sections 1-2

Objectives

Identify and examine different features of the Southwest Asia’s and North Africa’s physical geography.

Explain the different types of climates and vegetations.

Describe the region’s key resources.

The Middle What?

Why do we refer to Southwest Asia as “The Middle East?”

Southwestern Asian Countries and Capitals

Afghanistan: Kabul Bahrain: Manama Cyprus: Nicosia Iran: Tehran Iraq: Baghdad Israel: Jerusalem Jordan: Amman Kuwait: Kuwait City Lebanon: Beirut Oman: Muscat Qatar: Doha Saudi Arabia: Riyadh Syria: Damascus Turkey: Ankara United Arab Emirates: Abu Dhabi Yemen: Sanaa

http://www.list.org/~mdoyle/Middle_East_pol97.jpg

Southwest Asia Subregions

How many cultural sub regions are there? Three

Arabian Peninsula Eastern Mediterranean Northeast

Cultural Subregions Overview

Arabian Peninsula Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates,

Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Yemen, Bahrain

Cultural Subregions Overview

Eastern Mediterranean Cyprus, Lebanon, Israel, Syria, Jordan

Cultural Subregions Overview

Northeast Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan

The Arabian Peninsula

The Arabian Peninsula

What three continents surround the Arabian Peninsula? Europe, Asia, and Africa How might this location be beneficial to the area?

Opportunities for trade and exchange of culture and religion.

Surrounded by Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and Arabian Sea Suez Canal

Opens to Mediterranean Sea Gulf of Suez Gulf of Aqaba

Strait of Hormuz Only way to oil fields in

Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq

http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/arabian.htm

Mountains

Hejaz and Asir Mountains Mainly in southwestern corner

With your one/two partner,

discuss the types of

vegetation that would be

found in each climate region of the Arabian

Peninsula.

You have 2 minutes.

The Arabian Peninsula

Climate Desert

Rub al-Khali An-Nafud

Semiarid What type of vegetation do these regions have?

Desert shrub, grasses Predominately covered by plains

Low ridges, hills, and wadis

The Eastern Mediterranean

MAKE SURE

THESE ARE ON

YOUR MAP!!

Physical Features:Plateau

Golan Heights (Al Jawlan): a hilly plateau over looking Jordan River and Sea of Galilee Strategic location has made it a site of

many conflicts

Physical Features: Bodies of Water Jordan River: Flows from the mountains of

Lebanon near Mt. Hermon to the Dead Sea Provides water

Why is this valuable? Water is scarce.

Dead Sea: Landlocked salt lake Located between Jordan and Israel Only bacteria can live in water So salty, one will float Lowest place of exposed crust on earth

1,349 below sea level Dead Sea Video

Quick Check

Which of these is Israel?

A

B

C

DB

With your one/two partner,

discuss the types of

vegetation that would be

found in each climate region of the Eastern Mediterranean.

You have 2 minutes.

Activity

Get out a sheet of paper. Write TRUE on one side of the paper, and write

FALSE on the other side. WRITE BIG!! The following slides will contain statements. If you think they are true, show the TRUE side of

your paper. If you think they false, show the false side. Do not look on anyone else's paper. If you do,

you will be asked to sit down. If you answer incorrectly, please sit down. The last person standing will receive a gold star.

#1

The West Bank and the Gaza Strip are located in Israel. True

#2

The three regions of Southwestern Asia are: the Northwest, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Western Mediterranean. False: Northeast, Arabian Peninsula,

Eastern Mediterranean

#3

Southwestern Asia is bordered by Asia, Africa, and Europe. True

#4

The Adriatic Sea is at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula. False – It is the Arabian Sea.

#5

The Strait of Hormuz leads to the Mediterranean Sea. False – The Suez Canal leads to the

Mediterranean Sea.

#6

The Red Sea has a very high Salt content. False: Dead Sea

#7

Asia is the largest continent. True

#8

The main climate region in Southwest Asia is semiarid. False – It is desert.

#9

Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Iran, Yemen are all located on the Arabian Peninsula. False: Oman is. Iran is not

#10

A wadis is a rapidly flowing river. False: It is a riverbed that remains dry

except during heavy raining seasons.

#11

The Jordan River is located in Jordan. True

#12

An oasis is an area in the desert where vegetation is found because water is available, usually from an underground spring. True

#13

The Rub al-Khali is the most famous desert on the Arabian Peninsula. True

#14

The Zagros Mountains are located in Iran. True

#15

Ukraine is in Southwestern Asia. False: It is a part of Russia and the

Republics.

#16

The capital of Saudi Arabia is Baghdad. False: It is Riyadh.

#17

Syria is an island. False: Cyprus is an island.

#18

The Hindu Kush Mountains are located in Afghanistan. True

#19

The capital of the United Arab Emirates is Abu Dhabi. True

#20

Turkey is located on the Arabian Peninsula. False: It is located on the Anatolian

Peninsula.

#21

There are 16 countries in Southwestern Asia. True

#22

The Dead Sea is located between Jordan and Israel. True

#23

The largest climate region in Southwest Asia is desert. True

#24

The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers are in the Northeast region. True: They also run through the

Eastern Mediterranean.

#25

Saudi Arabia is in the Northeast region. False – It is on the Arabian Peninsula.

The Northeast

Physical Features

Mountains Zagros: Southwestern Iran

Isolate from the rest of Southwest Asia Elburz: Northwestern Iran

Cut off Iran’s access to the Caspian Sea Hindu Kush: Northeastern Afghanistan

Afghanistan is basically landlocked by mountains Plains, plateaus, and foothills

Heart of Iran is a plateau surrounded by mountains (desert)

Foothills around plateau produce crops Northern Plain of Afghanistan is also a fertile

agriculture area

Physical Features:Mountains

Taurus Mountains: located in southern Turkey Cut off from the rest of Southwest Asia

Pontiac Mountains: located in northern Turkey

Water is more plentiful in mountainous regions of Southwest Asia.

Physical Features

Rivers Tigris River and Euphrates River: flow

through Turkey, Syria, and Iraq Support Fertile Crescent: Fertile, well

watered, and good for agriculture Home of many ancient river valley

civilizations (Mesopotamia) Run parallel to each other, eventually

emptying into Persian Gulf

Physical Features:Peninsulas

Anatolian Peninsula: occupies Turkey and marks where the Asian continent begins Between the Black Sea and the

Mediterranean Sea Bosporus Strait and Dardanelles Strait

West of the peninsula Desirable for trade to Russia and interior

of Asia

Resources

Natural gas Crude Oil Water

With your one/two partners,

discuss the types of

vegetation that would be

found in each climate region

of the Northeast.

You have 2 minutes.

Physical Geography of North Africa

Chapter 18, Sections 1 and 2

North Africa Countries and Capitals

Western Sahara (Morocco) Morocco: Rabat Algeria: Algiers Tunisia: Tunis Libya: Tripoli Egypt: Cairo

Nile River

World’s longest river Flows more than 4,000 miles from Uganda to Sudan and

into Egypt Nile Delta=VERY fertile!

Home to one of the world’s earliest civilizations More than 95% of Egyptians depend on it for water

90% live on 3% of land Average population density: 3,320 people per square mile

Average population density for Egypt is 177 people per square mile

Aswan High Dam Help reduce flooding Create alluvial soil: rich soil made up of sand and mud

deposited by moving water.

Climate Map

Look at the climate map on page 421 in your book.

With your one/two partners, discuss the types of vegetation that would be found in each climate region of North Africa. You have 2 minutes.

Quick Checks

What are two mountain ranges discussed in class? Hindu Kush, Zagros, Elburz, Pontiac, Hejaz,

Taurus, etc. What countries make up the Northeast?

Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan What is the Fertile Crescent?

Land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

Southwest Asia

Chapter 21, Section 3

Map Activity

Identify the main geographic features that might affect population density and settlement patterns..

Examine the shared climates and vegetation and the impact they might have on settlement patterns and population density.

Objectives

Examine how water resources are used in Southwest Asia.

Describe the formation, production, and movement of oil in Southwest Asia.

Water – A Critical Resource Besides oil, what is the critical resource in

Southwest Asia? Water! Why?

Because it is scarce What types of water systems have been used

throughout history to provide water? Drip Irrigation – placing water just at the root Qanat System – collects water from the mountains Irrigation Canals Noria – waterwheel run by the flow of water or by

animal power Do these work everywhere?

Nope.

Turkey Series of dams & a man-made lake on the upper

Euphrates Why is this project controversial?

People below dam aren’t getting water Israel

National Water Carrier project Carries water from northern Israel to the

center and south Why is there conflict about it?

Taking away water from some and giving to others

What Are We Doing?

Solutions

What are some other solutions?1. Using drip irrigation2. Using ocean water. What has to be done

to it first? Desalinization

3. Treating wastewater4. Pumping water from underground

aquifers. What is this water called? Fossil water

Striking it Rich!How was oil formed? Page 497What is seismology?

Seismology is the study of earthquakes and seismic waves that move through and around the earth.

Seismic waves are the waves of energy caused by the sudden breaking of rock within the earth or an explosion. They are the energy that travels through the earth and is recorded on seismographs.

A seismologist is a scientist who studies earthquakes and seismic waves.

Knowing the information above, how would seismology be useful in finding oil?

Seismology (continued)

“In a seismological survey a shock wave is aimed at the surface of the water or land and the length of time it takes for the waves to reflect back to the sensor is recorded. The speed of the shock wave depends on the type of rock it travels through, and by comparing the travel times to known densities of rock, seismologists can determine what rocks are underground and predict if they might contain oil. Although this technology is superior to other oil detection methods based solely on examining surface rock features, it has only a 10% success rate of finding new oil sites.”

Everyone needs oil!

Why does everyone need oil? Petroleum that has not been

processed is called… Crude oil: It must be sent to a refinery.

What is crude oil converted to at a refinery?

How Stuff Works

Transporting Oil

Crude oil is pumped from the ground and sent to a refinery to be processed.

Why is it dangerous to transport oil? Oil spills

Largest: January 1991 during the Persian Gulf War

Oil Reserves in the World