physical middle east
TRANSCRIPT
The Middle EastThe Middle East
Physical Landscape and The People
Physical Middle EastPhysical Middle East
• Also known as “Southwest Asia”
• Sometimes also includes North Africa• Islam• Arabic language• Oil
Physical Middle EastPhysical Middle East
• A crossroads of civilization– Africa, Asia, and Europe are connected
through trade routes• Migrating people spread ideas, inventions, etc.
• Culture originating in the Middle East• Iron making• Alphabet• Judaism, Christianity, Islam
Physical Middle EastPhysical Middle East
Physical Middle EastPhysical Middle East
• The Middle East is also important to the world for economic reasons
• Control of important sea routes• Control of large oil reserves
Physical Middle EastPhysical Middle East
• Five major regions1. Northern Tier
2. Arabian Peninsula
3. Fertile Crescent
4. Nile Valley
5. The Maghreb
Major RegionsMajor Regions
1. Northern Tier– Turkey to Iran (pg.
552)– Mountains and
plateaus– Diverse:
• Anatolian Plateau in Turkey: fertile soil, large population
• Iranian Plateau: dry, small population
Major RegionsMajor Regions
2. Arabian Peninsula– Large plateau– Largest country: Saudi
Arabia– Small population:
– Lack of water– Oasis: fertile desert area
that has enough water to support life
– Large amounts of oil– Birthplace of Islam
Major RegionsMajor Regions
3. Fertile Crescent– Eastern Mediterranean
to the Persian Gulf– Rich soil, abundant
water– Major population
center– Hotspot for early
civilizations– Tigris and Euphrates
Rivers
Major RegionsMajor Regions
4. Nile Valley– Important historical
connections between the people of Egypt and the people of the Fertile Crescent
• Judaism
Major RegionsMajor Regions
5. The Maghreb– North Africa: Algeria,
Tunisia, Morocco– Arab armies carried Isl
am to North Africa in the 600s AD
– Sahara Desert, Atlas Mountains
– Most people live along the coast, where there is more rain
Major RegionsMajor Regions
Climate and Resources
• Nearly all of the region is desert
• Lack of water caused some adaptations• Building of irrigation systems• Desalination: taking the salt out of sea water to
make it drinkable
Climate and Resources
• Oil– Most valuable resource in the Middle East– Problem: unevenly distributed
The People• Ethnic diversity
– Arab: anyone whose native language is Arabic
• Majority of people in Middle East are Arab
– Turks, Iranians, Kurds
The People• Religious Diversity
– Islam is the majority religion– Most Arabs are Muslim– Christianity, Judaism
• Judaism is the most ancient of the three religions from the region
Review
• The Middle East is a crossroads
• Five Major Regions: – Northern Tier, Arabian Peninsula, Fertile
Crescent, Nile Valley, The Maghreb
• Resources: Oil
• Vocabulary:– Southwest Asia, oasis, desalination, Arab,
Early Civilizations
• You will be assigned a section of the text to read.
• Your objective is to fill in the chart on the board with information from your section of the textbook.