7

8

910

11

12

1 2

436

5

131415

16

Israel Jordan

LebanonSyria

Turkey

Iraq

Saudi Arabia

Yemen

Oman

UAEQatar

KuwaitIran

Afghanistan

Cyprus

Bahrain

Arabian Peninsula

Anatolian Peninsula

Sinai Peninsula

Plateau of

Persian GulfGulf of Oman

RedSea

Dead Sea

Arabian Sea

CaspianSea

Black Sea

Tigris & Euphrates Rivers

Major Landforms of the region

• This region forms a land bridge connecting Asia, Africa, and Europe.

• The Middle East is situated on a huge tectonic plate causing it to pull away from Africa

• Occupied by Turkey, the Anatolian Peninsula marks the beginning of the Asian continent

Not occupied by a bunch of these… …The

country of Turkey!!!

Arabian Peninsula

Most distinctive landform is the Arabian Peninsula.Separated from Africa by the Red Sea and the rest of Asia by the Persian Gulf

• Canal = man-made waterway connecting 2 bodies of water

• Strait= naturally occurring waterway connecting 2 bodies of water

Suez Canal• Links Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea

• Completed by the British in 1869

Bosphorus Strait

Why are these waterways so important?

Europe

Russia

Bosphorus Strait

Suez Canal

Strait of Hormuz

What is unique about this waterway?

Strait of Hormuz

I’ll give you a hint…

There is an abundance of a certain natural resource located right here

• Much of the Arabian Peninsula is covered by barren plains.

• For centuries, people living on the Arabian Peninsula had to adapt to the harsh conditions by living nomadic lives in search of water

“Even I’m thirsty.”

• The heart of Iran is a plateau bordered by the Zagros Mountains.

Which country is completely land-locked?

What issues might this cause?

• How can mountains and deserts be useful to people???– A natural barrier to protect from foreign invaders

This is tough…

I’m thirsty.

A Versatile Land• People picture Southwest Asia as a region of

rippling sand dunes and parched land occasionally interrupted with an oasis.

• Southwest Asia actually has a range of physical geography from green-coastal plains, to snow-peaked mountains. Golan Heights

Golan Heights- Hilly plateau looking over the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee. This landforms strategic location has made it the site of conflict in Southwest Asia for decades.

Plains and Highlands• Much of the Arabian

Peninsula is covered by plains. – Because of the dry, sandy

and windy conditions, few activities using the land take place here.

• Most of the land is barren with some low hills, ridges, and wadis (riverbeds that remain dry except during the rainy seasons).

Rub al-Khali:“The Empty Quarter”

The most famous desert…

AKA…the place where no one comes out.

* The size of Texas on the Arabian Peninsula

Water in the Middle East

• Almost completely surrounded by water but because much of the region is arid, there are few rivers that flow the entire year.

The Tigris & Euphrates

River System

Mesopotamia: ”Land Between the

Two Rivers”aka the Fertile

Crescent

Mesopotamia: ”Land Between the

Two Rivers”aka the Fertile

Crescent

The two most important rivers are the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

Tigris and Euphrates• Flow through parts of Turkey, Syria, and Iraq• Makes land very fertile and good for

agriculture.

• Flow almost parallel for hundreds of miles before joining at a place called Shat al Arab.

Jordan River

• The Jordan River empties into the Dead Sea

• Natural boundary between Jordan and Israel

Dead Sea: Lowest Point on Earth

HighestSalt

Content(33%)

*9x saltier than

ocean

HighestSalt

Content(33%)

*9x saltier than

ocean

2,300 feet below sea level

2,300 feet below sea level

Climate of the Middle East• Extremely arid

• Most areas receive less than 18 inches of rain a year!

• Mediterranean climate (along the coasts) are in other parts of the region making the land green and lush for parts of the year.

Irrigation Systems

• Water is the most precious resource so water usage is one of the many international conflicts in the region.

• Irrigation/dam systems are controversial because countries downstream will lose use of the water for irrigation and hydroelectric power.

Oil• Oil fields in Middle

East hold ½ of all petroleum reserves in the world!

• Oil is transported mostly by carefully monitored above and underground pipelines

Something to think about?• Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest producer of oil.

Oil revenues make up 90-95% of the export earnings and around 35-40% of the country’s GDP. In the first 8 months of 2000, Saudi Arabia provided the U.S. with 1.5 million barrels of oil per day.

• Do you think the United States should protect Saudi Arabia in a time of war to protect U.S. oil interests?