Gabriela Bermudez
Diana Ghawi
Countries of the Middle
East
• Palestine (Palestinian
Territories)
• Lebanon
• Syria
• Jordan
• Saudia Arabia
• Iran
• Iraq
• Beirut
• Bahrain
• Oman
• Qatar
• Yemen
• The United Arab
Emirates
• Turkey
•
Israel
Physical Coordinates
• The Middle East is approximately:
• Between 42 degrees N and 17
degrees N
• Between 30 degrees E and 72
degrees E
Location In Comparison To . . .
• Tropic of Cancer: passes
through the Middle East
• Tropic of Capricorn:
approximately 47 degrees
N
• Equator: approximately 17
degrees N
• South Pole: approximately
113.5 degrees N
• North Pole: approximately
66.5 degrees S
• The Middle East
Days and Nights
• The days and the nights of the Middle East are
relatively the same length.
• The nights are only slightly longer, in the winter.
• The days are only slightly longer in the summer.
• The nights are much colder then the days no matter
what the season is.
Time Zones
•The entire Middle
East spans over
three time zones.
•The westernmost of
which is only two
time zones away
from the Prime
Meridian.
•The easternmost of
which is eight time
Rocks and Minerals
• Sandstone
• Sedimentary Rocks
• Metamorphic Rocks
• Ore Minerals, such as gold and silver
Plate
Tectonics
• Three major tectonic plates converge on the Middle East; the
African, Eurasian, and Arabian plates.
• The boundaries between the tectonic plates make up the AzoreGibaltrar Ridge, extending across North Africa, the Red Sea, and
into Iran.
• The Arabian Plate is moving northward into the Anatolian plate
(Turkey) at the East Anatolian Fault, and the boundary between
the Aegean and Anatolian plate in eastern Turkey is also seismically
active.
Mountain Ranges
Elburz (Alborz, Alburz) Mountains
Kopet-Dag Range
Zagros Mountains
Hejaz Asir
Taurus Mountains
Caucasus Mountains
Pontic Mountains (Dogukaradeniz Daglari)
Libanus Mountain Range
Wind Patterns
• Northeast Trade
Winds
• Horse Latitudes
(Subtropical
High)
Humidity
• For the most part,
the Middle East has a
dry, arid
environment, so
there are very low
levels of humidity for
the majority of the
region.
• For the areas that are
closer to bodies of
water, the humidity
levels are somewhat
higher, although they
are still very low.
Climate
• Continental climate is marked by dry, sunny
weather with low humidity. Have large annual
temperature range (hot summer and cold
winter). The Sahara Desert has the highest
recorded temperature in a continental climate
zone at 58°C.
Most of the Middle East has a continental climate.
• Marine climates have larger amounts of moisture
and smaller temperature changes from summer to
winter than continental climates. Seen in Middle
Eastern countries bordering the Mediterranean sea
and the Arabian Sea.
Carbon Dioxide Levels
• The carbon dioxide levels of the major
cities are much higher than the carbon
emissions of the small towns and villages.
• The Middle East has much lower Carbon
Dioxide emissions than most other
developed countries in the world, due to
the fact that they do not use “modern”
technology.
The Climate
Mostly temperate but
tropical in southern Saudi
Arabia.
The Middle East is mostly
arid with hot, dry summers
and cool winters.
Climate is Affected by Several Factors
• Proximity to bodies of water
Places that are closer to the sea experience
moderate winter temperatures. Proximity to
water affects precipitation also.
• Altitude
It strongly affects the temperature of an area.
Microclimates:
Urban Microclimate in the Middle East
• Cities tend to be warmer than
surrounding suburbs and
rural areas.
• Photochemical smog
increases temperature
• Greater presence of
condensation nuclei over
urban areas.
• Airflows are disturbed over
urban areas.
Oceans of the Middle East
Black Sea
Caspian Sea
Mediterranean
Sea
Red Sea
Arabian Sea
Middle Eastern Severe Weather
Disturbances
• Droughts: a period of dry
weather, which causes an
extended shortage of water.
• Sandstorms: a windstorm,
usually occurring in a
desert, that blows along
great clouds of sand.
• Earthquakes: a series of
vibrations induced in the
earth's crust by the abrupt
rupture and rebound of rocks
in which elastic strain has
been slowly accumulating.
Earthquakes in the Middle East
Middle East Biomes
Severe Weather Disturbances
• Mostly pre-reproductive
population.
• The largest percent of
the population are
younger than fifteen.
• Middle Eastern population
has been growing
exponentially after 1915.
• It will continue to grow
increasingly in the future
Grassland
Desert
Temperate Forest
Population
Distribution
Informative
Maps
Atmospheric Pressure
Dew Point
Wind Speeds
Humidity
Temperature
Heat Index
Wind Chill
Peak
Ground
Acceleration