Climate Regions, Water & Oil Study Guide
Vocabulary:
Name _________________________
Date __________________ Per ___
1. aquifer __________________________________________________________________
2. oasis ____________________________________________________________________
3. steppe __________________________________________________________________
4. nomad __________________________________________________________________
5. drought ________________________________________________________________
6. dry farming _____________________________________________________________
7. rationing ________________________________________________________________
8. irrigation ________________________________________________________________
9. desalination _____________________________________________________________
10. petrochemicals _________________________________________________________
11. List and describe the 3 major climate regions in the SW Asia.
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12. List 4 way countries in SW Asia are dealing with water shortages.
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13. Why does this region contain a number of large deserts?
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14. Describe the relationship between the region’s climate and its agriculture.
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15. Why is desalination not an option for many countries in the region?
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16. How does oil originate?
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17. Where and when was oil first discovered in this region?
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18. What caused oil to become a high demand resource?
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19. What is OPEC and list the 4 purposes of this organization.
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20. What improvements have oil revenues brought to the region and who has
benefited most from the wealth oil has created?
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21. Which countries in the region contain petroleum?
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22. Which countries in the region do not contain petroleum?
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23. In your opinion, who should control the waters of the Jordan River?
______________________________________________________________________________
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24. In your opinion, who should control the waters of the Euphrates River?
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Climate Regions, Water & Oil Study Guide
Vocabulary:
Name _________________________
Date __________________ Per ___
1. aquifer- underground layer of rock through which water flows.
2. oasis –fertile area that rises in a desert wherever water is regularly available.
3. steppe – partly dry grassland found on the edge of deserts.
4. nomad – a person who lives by moving from place to place to lead herds of
grazing animals [goats and sheep] to fresh pastures of grass.
5. drought –long period of time without rainfall, often causing crops to die.
6. dry farming – agriculture [farming] that conserves water and uses crops and
growing methods suited to semiarid environments.
7. rationing –making a resource, like oil or water, available in limited amounts.
8. irrigation – process of collecting water and distributing it to crops.
9. desalination – process of treating seawater to remove salts and other
minerals and make it drinkable.
10. petrochemicals – a product made from oil such as fertilizers, plastics,
medicines, carpets, and thousands of other goods.
11. List and describe the 3 major climate regions in the SW Asia.
 Dry Climate: people live near desert oases or as nomads.
 Coastal Climate: people farm in these areas.
 Highland Climates: people herd animals in these areas.
12. List 4 way countries in SW Asia are dealing with water shortages.
 Tapping aquifers, building dams, rationing water, and building
desalination plants
13. Why does this region contain a number of large deserts?
 Dry continental air masses warmed by the sun blow over much of the
region, making much of the land desert.
14. Describe the relationship between the region’s climate and its agriculture.
 Agriculture is limited in the region because of the generally hot, dry
climate and rainfall. Some places receive enough rainfall to support
farming. Where less rain falls, people practice dry farming, leaving the
land unplanted every few years so that it can store moisture.
15. Why is desalination not an option for many countries in the region?
 Poor countries cannot afford it while oil rich countries can.
16. How does oil originate?
 It comes from dead plants and animals settling to the ocean floor building
up layers that were covered by silt which over time caused intense heat
and pressure from rock layers above forming oil and natural gas in deep
caverns underneath what were once oceans.
17. Where and when was oil first discovered in this region?
 It was first found in Persia, modern day Iran, in the early part of the 20 th
Century [1908].
18. What caused oil to become a high demand resource?
 Demand for oil to power ships and industry at the time of World War I
[1914-1918] and increased auto production with Henry Ford’s Model A.
19. What is OPEC and list the 4 purposes of this organization.
 Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
 It seeks to control the production, cost, quantity, and distribution of
petroleum.
20. What improvements have oil revenues brought to the region and who has
benefited most from the wealth oil has created?
 Oil money has improved new industries, infrastructure [roads, buildings,
and communication]. Improved healthcare, and agriculture.
 The leaders and dictators of oil rich nations have used money to create
conflicts, terrorism, and pollution.
21. Which countries in the region contain petroleum?
 Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates.
22. Which countries in the region do not contain petroleum?
 Afghanistan, Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, and Jordan.
23. In your opinion, who should control the waters of the Jordan River?
24. In your opinion, who should control the waters of the Euphrates River?