PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SOUTHWEST ASIA
Landforms Divide the Region
Southwest Asia forms a land bridge that
connects Asia, Africa, and Europe. The region
sits on a huge, shifting tectonic plate.
The most distinctive landform of Southwest
Asia is the Arabian Peninsula. This peninsula is
separated from the continent of Africa by the
Red Sea on the southwest and the Persian Gulf
on the east. Another important landform in the
region is the Anatolian Peninsula. The country
of Turkey occupies this peninsula. It marks the
beginning of the Asian continent.
Both of these peninsulas border on strategic
waterways. The Red Sea, on the southwest side
of the Arabian Peninsula, has a strategic
opening to the Mediterranean Sea. This is the
Suez Canal. Goods from southern and eastern
Asia flow through this canal to ports in Europe
and North Africa.
The Anatolian Peninsula is located between
the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Two
narrow waterways, or straits, are situated at the
west end of the peninsula. These are the
Bosporus Strait and the Dardenelles Strait.
Controlling the straits means controlling trade
and transportation to Russia and the interior of
Asia.
Plains cover much of the Arabian Peninsula.
The area is dry, sandy, and windy. Most of the
land is barren, so little use is made of it. The
plains are broken in places by low hills, ridges,
and wadis. A wadi is a riverbed that remains
dry except during the rainy season.
On the southwestern corner of the
peninsula, a range of mountains pokes out of
the land. These are the Hejaz Mountains. There
is a small plateau in southwestern Syria called
the Golan Heights. Also called Al Jawlan, this
hilly plateau overlooks the Jordan River and the
Sea of Galilee. This landform’s strategic location
has made it the site of conflict in Southwest Asia
for decades.
The heart of Iran is a plateau surrounded by
mountains. Isolated and high, the land is a
stony, salty, and sandy desert. The foothills
surrounding the plateau are able to produce
some crops. Much of the Anatolian Peninsula is
also a plateau.
Some areas are productive for agriculture.
Other areas support flocks of sheep and goats.
The Northern Plain of Afghanistan is a wellwatered agricultural area. High mountains
surround and isolate it from other parts of the
region .
The Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan are
linked with other ranges of mountains. These
mountains frame southern Asia. Afghanistan is
landlocked and mountainous, so contact with the
outside world is difficult.
Southwest Asia is almost completely
surrounded by bodies of water. This water provides
avenues for trade. It also offers access to other parts
of the region and to the rest of the world. However,
the climate is arid. Because of this, few rivers flow
the entire year.
Two of the region’s most important rivers—the
Tigris and Euphrates—supported several ancient
river valley civilizations. Today, the Tigris and
Euphrates flow through parts of Turkey, Syria, and
Iraq. The valleys of these rivers are fertile and good
for agriculture.
The Jordan River tumbles down from the
mountains of Lebanon near Mount Hermon. Farther
south, the river serves as a natural boundary
between Israel and Jordan. The Jordan River flows
into the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is a landlocked salt
lake. It is so salty that almost nothing can live in its
waters. The Dead Sea is 1,349 feet below sea level—
the lowest place on the exposed crust of the earth.
1. Name the 2 peninsulas that make up
Southwest Asia.
2. Name at least 2 ways landforms divide this
region.
3. Why are the Tigris and the Euphrates
considered the two most important rivers?
Resources for a Modern World
Oil is the region’s most abundant resource.
Major oil fields are located in the Arabian Peninsula,
Iran, and Iraq. Natural gas fields are also in the area.
These fossil fuels run cars, trucks, factories, and
power plants all over the world. Because of that,
they provide a major portion of income for nations
with petroleum reserves.
Today, about two-thirds of the world’s oil
reserves are found in Southwest Asia. It is found
along the Persian Gulf and at offshore drilling sites.
These reserves make the region important. Many
countries, including the United States, depend on
the region’s oil.
Water is the most valuable resource in parts of
Southwest Asia. In mountainous lands, such as
Turkey, Iran, Lebanon, and Afghanistan, water is
plentiful compared with the rest of the region.
The water here can be used for hydroelectric
power.
Elsewhere, water is a scarce resource. It
must constantly be guarded and careful used.
Efforts to conserve water are important. These
efforts have been part of the culture of the
people in this region for thousands of years.
Southwest Asia has other resources. There
are deposits of coal, copper, potash, and
phosphates. The deposits are scattered and not
large. However, Iran and Turkey have goodsized deposits of coal.
4. What is Southwest Asia’s most abundant
resource?
5. What is Southwest Asia’s most valuable
resource?
6. Why do you think this region also has a lot
of mineral resources like coal?
Variety in Arid Lands
Southwest Asia is extremely arid. Most
areas receive less than 18 inches of
precipitation a year. A huge portion of the
region’s land area is covered by rough, dry
terrain. It varies from huge tracts of sand dunes
to great salt flats.
Because the region is so dry, the region’s
rivers do not flow year round. The vegetation
and animals can survive on little water and in
extreme temperatures. In many areas of
Southwest Asia, irrigation has transformed the
deserts into productive farmland. In other parts
of the region, a Mediterranean climate prevails.
This makes the land green and lush for at least
part of each year.
7. After reading this section, write your own
definition for the word “arid.”
Deserts Limit Movement
Deserts spread across the region. They
reduce travel and limit most humanenvironment interaction.
The most famous desert in the region is the
Rub al-Khali. It is also known as the Empty
Quarter. A local name for the desert is the “place
where no one comes out.” It is a vast desert and
is approximately the size of Texas. It is located
on the Arabian Peninsula and covers about
250,000 square miles. The dunes reach as high
as 800 feet. It is the one of the largest sandy deserts
in the world. During the summer, the temperature
on the surface of the sand often exceeds 186˚F.
Throughout history, as many as 25 years have
passed without rainfall in this area.
Next to the Rub al-Khali is the An-Nafud Desert.
An occasional oasis interrupts the reddish dunes of
this desert. An oasis is an area in the desert where
vegetation is found because water is available. The
water usually comes from underground springs.
Severe sandstorms and brutal heat make this desert
a barrier to travel across the Arabian Peninsula.
Extending north from the An-Nafud is the
Syrian Desert. It separates the coastal regions of
Lebanon, Israel, and Syria from the Tigris and
Euphrates valleys.
The desert area that occupies parts of Israel is
the Negev Desert. Unlike some deserts, this one
produces crops through extensive irrigation.
In Iran, high mountains block rain, and dry
winds increase evaporation. Winds evaporate the
moisture in the salty soil. As a result, chemical salts
remain, creating a salt flat. In Iran, there are two
salt flat deserts. These are the Dasht-e Kavir in
central Iran and the Dasht-e Lut in eastern Iran. The
lands are salt crusted, surrounded by quicksandlike salt marshes. These rugged lands are almost
uninhabited. They are barriers to movement across
Iran.
8. Name the 5 major deserts of SW Asia.
9. What is the local name for Rub al-Khali?
10. What is special about the Negev Desert?
11. What is the difference between a desert and
a salt flat?
12. Why do deserts limit travel?
Semiarid Lands
On the fringes of the deserts are regions with a
semiarid climate. Such lands are sometimes called
steppes. These semiarid areas have warm to hot
summers. There is enough rainfall to support grass
and some low-growing shrubs. Both cotton and
wheat can be grown in this climate. The lands have
good pastures for grazing animals.
13. What is the difference between arid and
semiarid?
Well-Watered Coast Lands
Some areas of Southwest Asia have adequate
rainfall. There are hot summers and rainy winters
along the Mediterranean coast and across most
of Turkey. The weather is like that of southern
California. This is a good climate for growing
citrus fruits, olives, and vegetables.
Mild temperatures in the winter and
irrigation in the dry summer make it possible to
grow crops year round. The Mediterranean
climate is a comfortable one in which to live. So
these areas are heavily populated.
For thousands of years, the valleys of the
Tigris and Euphrates rivers have been
intensively farmed. Both Turkey and Iraq have
constructed dams on the rivers to provide
water all year long.
14. What foods are grown in this region?
15. Why is this area densely populated?
Providing Precious Water
Water is the most critical resource in this
dry region. Fresh water supplies are available in
small amounts and not always consistently. To
meet the needs of large farms and large
populations, countries must construct dams and
irrigation systems as well as learning to
conserve water.
Turkey is building a series of dams and a
man-made lake on the upper Euphrates River.
These will provide water and hydroelectricity.
But the project is controversial. Countries
downstream from the dam will lose the use of
the water.
Israel has created the National Water
Carrier project. This project uses a pipeline to
carry water from the north of the country to
sites in the center and south of the nation.
However, this project is a source of
international conflict. The water sources flow
through several countries, but access to the
water is restricted.
To help conserve water, several countries in
the region use drip irrigation. This is the
practice of using small pipes that slowly drip
water just above ground. The water drips just at
the root zone. Evaporation is reduced, and
water is conserved.
Other nations are developing ways to use
ocean water. Desalinization is the removal of
salt from ocean water. However, the water is
too salty to use for irrigation. It is only used in
sewage systems. Also, they cannot provide
enough water to meet all the needs of the people.
16. Why is Turkey’s dam controversial?
17. Why is Israel’s pipeline controversial?
18. What two ways are people trying to conserve
water?
Oil From the Sand
The oil fields in Southwest Asia contain about
two thirds of the world’s petroleum reserves.
Petroleum is the source of gasoline and heating oil.
It is also used to make everything from fertilizers to
plastics.
Industrialization and automobiles made
petroleum a valuable resource. Beginning in the late
1800s, oil companies searched the world for oil
resources.
Having huge oil resources makes Southwest
Asia is an economically important region. The first
Southwest Asian oil discovery was in 1908, in
Persia (now known as Iran). In 1938, oil companies
found more oil fields in the Arabian Peninsula and
Persian Gulf.
Petroleum that has not been processed is called
crude oil. Crude oil pumped from the ground must
be moved to a refinery. A refinery converts the
crude oil into useful products.
Moving oil from one place to another involves
the risk of oil spills. The largest oil spill ever
recorded was in January 1991, during the Persian
Gulf War. Several tankers and oil storage terminals
in Kuwait were blown up by Iraq. More than 240
million gallons of crude oil were spilled.
Buried pipelines help reduce the danger of
aboveground accidents. However, oil spills on land
do happen. Because oil is such a valuable
commodity, the pipelines are carefully monitored. A
drop in pressure might signal a leak. Leaks are
quickly repaired.
Ocean-going tankers transporting oil are at a
higher risk for causing pollution. Most modern
tankers have double hulls, so that minor accidents
will not result in oil spills.
19. What products can be made from
petroleum?
20. What risks could be involved in transporting
oil?