Southwest Asia and North Africa
Physical Geography
Location
 Southwest Asia is also
called the Middle East
 It is called the
crossroads of Europe,
Africa, and Asia
People call Southwest
Asia different names
depending on who you
talk to!
Climate
 Most of the area is
desert or semiarid
climate
 Sahara Desert in North
Africa is the largest
desert in the world
 Sahel is a region south
of the Sahara (dry but
not entirely desert)
Take it from me. The
Sahara Desert is hot!
Sahara Desert
Hazards
 Desertification is when
the desert expands due
to human and natural
conditions
 A drought is a long
period of time without
rain
Droughts
Mountains
 Atlas – located in
northwest Africa
 Taurus – located in
southern Turkey
 Zagros – located in
Iran
 Find them on your
map!
Dudes, I didn’t make
it across the
mountains!
Water Features
 Mediterranean Sea
 Bosporus Strait
 Red Sea
 Dardanelles Strait
 Black Sea
 Nile River (located in
Egypt)
 Arabian Sea
 Persian/Arabian Gulf
 Tigris River (located in
Iraq)
 Strait of Hormuz
(connects Persian Gulf
and Arabian Sea)
 Euphrates River (located
in Iraq)
 Jordan River (located in
Israel)
Suez Canal
 Human made
waterway connects the
Mediterranean Sea to
the Red Sea
 Owned by Egypt
Suez Canal
Bosporus/Dardanelles
 These are narrow
straits that connect the
Black Sea with the
Mediterranean Sea
 Istanbul is located on
the Dardanelles
Soil
 Areas near the rivers
will flood during the
wet season
 Some areas of alluvial
soils
 Deltas near the Nile
and Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers
Tigris and Euphrates Delta
Oasis/Wadi
 An Oasis is an area in
the desert that has
water and vegetation
can grow
 A wadi is a dry
riverbed in the desert
that will fill with water
when it rains
An oasis can save
your life in the
desert!
Oasis/Wadi