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
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

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






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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?



Surrounded by Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and Arabian Sea
Suez Canal

Opens to Mediterranean Sea



Opportunities for trade and exchange of
culture and religion.
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




Semiarid
What type of vegetation do these regions have?


Rub al-Khali
An-Nafud
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?
B
C
A
B
D
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
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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?


What countries make up the Northeast?


Hindu Kush, Zagros, Elburz, Pontiac, Hejaz,
Taurus, etc.
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?


What types of water systems have been used
throughout history to provide water?





Water! Why?
 Because it is scarce
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.
What Are We Doing?


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
Solutions
What are some other solutions?
1.
2.
Using drip irrigation
Using ocean water. What has to be
done to it first?

3.
4.
Desalinization
Treating wastewater
Pumping water from underground
aquifers. What is this water called?

Fossil water
Striking it Rich!
How was oil formed? Page 497
What 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