Unit 6.I, Lesson 1
Name: ______________________________________ Period: ______ Date: _______________
DO NOW
K – What do you KNOW about
the Middle East?
W – What do you WANT to
know about the Middle East?
L – What did you LEARN about
the Middle East?
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NOTES
Unit 6.I, Lesson 1
NOTES
The Middle East _______________________________________________________________
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Label the map with the following:
Turkey
Iran
Afghanistan
Iraq
Lebanon
Syria
Jordan
Israel
Egypt
Saudi Arabia
Yemen
Oman
Qatar
Bahrain
United Arab Emirates
Kuwait
Afghanistan
Morocco
Algeria
Libya
Tunisia
Mediterranean Sea
Red Sea
Black Sea
Persian Gulf
Caspian Sea
Indian Ocean
Unit 6.I, Lesson 1
Examples of
Physical
Geography
1. The largest sand sea in the world
is the Rub’ al-Khali, or Empty
Quarter, in the southern part of the
peninsula. The climate is so dray
that there are no permanent human
settlements.
2. The world’s largest known
deposits of petroleum are in
Southwest Asia. Most of them are
concentrated around and under the
Persian Gulf [and they] hold more
than half the world’s known oil.
These countries export most of their
oil to industrialized countries.
Petroleum revenues have brought
tremendous wealth.
3. Nomadic herding is still important
in this region. Nomadic herders
move around to find food and water
for their herds. Their camels, sheep,
and goats graze on the wild grasses
in one area. Then, when the grass is
gone, the herders move their
animals to fresh grazing area.
Desert scrub covers the deserts in
southern Israel and much of the
Arabian Peninsula. The more arid
parts of this peninsula are too dry to
support much plant life. Much of
the region is covered in desert
scrub. In the spring, the desert
grasses and shrubs bursts into
bloom. Later on, the heat of
summer dries them out.
Examples of
Human
Geography
How does the
physical geography
affect the human
geography?
Unit 6.I, Lesson 1
4. Despite the many seas in this
area, the Middle East is a region of
arid and semi-arid climate zones.
Areas with an arid climate zone
receive less than 10 inches of rain a
year. But that is an average. An arid
area may receive no rainfall for
several years. Then large amounts
of rain might fall in a few hours.
Areas with a semiarid climate have
some rain now and then. In some
very dry areas, farmers have
worked hard to make the most of
their scarce water. Israel, for
example, is more than half desert,
yet it produces 95% of the food its
people need. The farmers in this
region have adapted irrigation
techniques in order to make sure
their crops get enough water. In
addition, many of the crops they
grow are plant types that do not
need a lot of water, such as dates
and cotton.
5. For the following paragraph,
identify all of the human geography
you find. Then, identify which
aspects of physical geography from
your reading influences them.
Across the Middle East, daily life
varies greatly. Some people live in
cities, others in villages, and a few
as nomads. In the past, people
farmed, raised animals, and fished
for a living. Today, more people live
in urban areas and work in
manufacturing, food processing, oil
production, and construction.