Unit #7: Southwest Asia
The Middle East
Take Five…
What is the largest country in Southwest
Asia?
Chp 21: Physical Geography
 The
Land bridge to the world
 Peninsulas

Arabian Peninsula
• Bordered by the Red Sea & Persian Gulf

Anatolian Peninsula
• Bordered by the Black Sea & Mediterranean Sea
Wally Points…
Why is the Suez canal so important? What
other waterways are highly sought after in
the Middle East?
Trade and Transportation
 The
Suez Canal
 The Bosporus Strait
 The Dardanelles Strait
 Straits of Hormuz

Only waterway access to oilfields of Kuwait
Plains and Highlands

Arabian peninsula covered in barren plains




Wadis=wet weather riverbeds
Hejaz Mountains
Nomadic lifestyles in search of water
Iran = plateau surrounded by mountains

Dry desert conditions

Anatolian peninsula = plateau
 Northern plain of Afghanistan


Adequate water resources and rainfall
Surrounded by high mountains
Mountains
 Afghanistan
isolated by mountain ranges
of Hindu Kush
 Zagros Mountains isolate Iran from rest of
Southwest Asia
 Elburz Mountains cut off the Caspian Sea
from Iran
 Taurus Mountains isolate Turkey
 Importance of water routes
Take Five
 Why
do you think Afghanistan makes a
good training center for terrorists? Why is
it difficult for U.S. troops to locate them?
Afghanistan
Afghanistan Terrorists
 Osama
Laden
Bin
Rivers and Other Bodies of Water
Bodies of Water in the Middle East
 Tigris

and Euphrates Rivers
Fertile Crescent
 Jordan


Provides water for region
Provides a boundary between Israel & Jordan
 Dead


River
Sea
High salt concentration
Only bacteria lives here
Fertile Crescent
Dead Sea
The “Bus”…only ours was red!
In Class Assignment

Work in assigned groups to create an
informational report (2-5 minutes) which you will
report to the class.
 Your report will be based upon a specific country
in Southwest Asia and will discuss the specific
needs of your country in terms of its landforms,
climate and natural resources. What advantages
does your country have and what disadvantages
does your country have.
 Everyone needs a copy to place in your
portfolios
Take Five…
 What
Asia?
is the #1 resource in Southwest
Natural Resources of Southwest
Asia
 The
region’s most abundant resource = oil
& natural gas fields
½ the world’s oil reserves are located in
Southwest Asia
Water is a very valuable resource
Hydroelectric power
Conservation in some arid regions
Other resources: coal, metallic minerals, salt
Chp 2: Climate and Vegetation
 Arid



lands
Most of SW Asia receives less than 18 inches
of water a year
Dry terrain
Plant and animal life that can exist on limited
water resources
Take Five…
 How
do conditions in the desert restrict
movement?
Deserts Limit Movement

2 Types of Deserts: Sand and Salt
 Rub al-Khali, An-Nafud, Syrian & Negev (Sand
deserts)




Temperatures reaching 150 degrees in the summer
Can go 10 years without rain
Some scattered oasis
Dasht-e-Kavir & Dasht-e-Lut (Salt deserts)

High mountains block rain and dry winds increase
evaporation
Bedouins
Bedouins
Semiarid Lands
 Regions
that have enough rainfall to
support the growing of grass and other
vegetation

Cotton, wheat & grazing pasture lands
Coastal Lands
 Areas
along the Mediterranean Coast
have a climate that is hot in the summer
and rainy in the winter

Citrus fruits, olives and vegetables
Olive Farm
Take Five…
 Complete
494.
the map skills questions on pg.
Sec 3: Human Environment
Interaction
 The



Importance of Water
Not enough fresh water supplies
Not enough consistent rainfall
Problem with finding and storing water
• Dams and irrigation systems for large farms
• Provide water and hydroelectricity
• Collecting water from the mountain run off
So…why not import fresh water?
Prince Muhammad
ibn Faisal
Wally Points…
 So…if
you build a dam to create
hydroelectricity and provide water what’s
wrong with this idea? Problems?
National Water Carrier Project
 Potential
political disputes because the
rivers flow through numerous countries
 Project first began in 1964


80% irrigation & 20% drinking water
Now 20% irrigation & 80% drinking water
• Population growth, domestic use
 Israel-Jordan
Treaty of Peace
(1994)=Israel agreed to provide 50 million
cubic meters of water to Jordan each year
National Water Carrier Project
Take Five…
 Make
a chart comparing the different types
of water resources on pg 496
Modern Water Technology
 Drip
irrigation
 Desalinization
 Treatment of wastewater
 Fossil water
Take Five…
 Complete
498
the Skill Builder questions on pg
Oil from the Sand
 SW Asia
has ½ of the world’s production
of petroleum
 Over time, pressure builds and heat
transforms decayed plant and animal life
into hydrocarbons
 Oil & natural gas are trapped inside of
rocks beneath the earth’s surface

The more porous the rock, the more deposits
Exploration of Natural Resources
 1908
in Persia (Iran)
 1938 more oil discovered in Arabian
Peninsula and Persian Gulf
 1948-al-Ghawar—world’s largest oil fields
 ¼ of all of Saudi Arabia’s oil
Risks of Transporting Oil
 Crude
oil—not processed petroleum
 Must be transported to a refinery



Pipelines
Ports for transport
Oil spills
• 1991 Persian Gulf—oil storage supplies were
destroyed during the Persian Gulf War
• Exxon Valdes in Alaska