Physical features and Countries to know …
People & Places
Euphrates River
Tigris River
Jordan River
Suez Canal
Persian Gulf
Strait of Hormuz
Definition
 Begins in Turkey
 runs through Syria and Iraq
 empties into the Persian Gulf
 Begins in Turkey
 runs through just the very tip of Syria
 runs through Iraq, and empties into the Persian Gulf
 Begins in highlands of Syria
 runs south dividing Israel and Jordan
 empties into the Dead Sea
 Manmade canal in Egypt
 connects the Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea
Body of water that lies between Saudi Arabia and Iran
Arabian Sea
Narrow body of water that connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of
Oman (Arabian Sea)
Body of water that lies south of the Arabian Peninsula
Red Sea
Manmade body of water located between Egypt and Saudi Arabia
Gaza Strip
Palestinian territory located in Israel (borders Egypt)
Afghanistan
Country located east of Iran and north of Pakistan
Iran
country located east of Iraq and west of Afghanistan
Iraq
Country located west of Iran and north of Kuwait and the Persian Gulf
Israel
Saudi Arabia
 Country located east of the Mediterranean Sea
 created for Jews after WWII
 gained independence in 1948
Country located west of the Persian Gulf and east of the Red Sea
Turkey
Country located north of Syria and Iraq
Ganges River
 River found in India
 begins in the Himalayas
 empties into the Bay of Bengal
 is holy to the Hindus
 River located in Pakistan
 begins in the Himalayas
 empties into the Arabian Sea
River found in northern China – flows into the Yellow Sea
Indus River
Huang He (Yellow River)
Mekong River
Yangtze River (Chang Jiang)
River that runs south through China – empties into the South China
Sea
River that runs through China – empties into the East China Sea
Bay of Bengal
Body of water located east of India
Indian Ocean
Body of water located south of India
Sea of Japan
Body of water located east of the Korean Peninsula and west of Japan
South China Sea
Body of water located south of China and east of Vietnam
Yellow Sea
Body of water located east of China and west of Korean Peninsula
Gobi Desert
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Northern desert of China
Largest desert in China
Taklimakan Desert
Desert located in west China
Himalayan Mountains
Korean Peninsula
 Mountain range found in northern India
 location of some of the tallest mountains in the world
 Mt. Everest located here
Peninsula located west of the Yellow Sea and east of the Sea of Japan
China
Largest country of Asia
India
Country located in southern Asia – world’s largest democracy
Indonesia
 Island country found in the Indian Ocean
 made up of hundreds of islands
 Island country found in the Pacific Ocean
 made up of 4 main islands and thousands of smaller islands
Communist country located on the northern half of the Korean
Peninsula
Japan
North Korea
South Korea
Democratic country located on southern half of the the Korean
Peninsula
Vietnam
Communist country located in Asia – east of the South China Sea
Sahara
 desert that runs across the entire northern portion of Africa
 largest desert in the world
Transition zone between the dry Sahara Desert to the north and the
green, grasslands to the south.
A flat grassland with scattered trees and shrubs located in a tropical or
subtropical region
 example – across the mid-continent of Africa – bordering north
and south of Africa’s rainforest region
a tropical forest, usually of tall, densely growing, broad-leaved
evergreen trees in an area of high annual rainfall.
 Found in mid-Africa
Sahel
Savanna
Tropical rainforest
Congo River
Niger River
Nile River
Lake Tanganyika
Lake Victoria
Atlas Mountains
Kalahari Desert
Democratic Republic of the
Congo (Zaire)
Egypt
Kenya
Nigeria
South Africa
Sudan
South Sudan
 begins at Lake Victoria
 runs west through central Africa
 empties into Atlantic Ocean
 begins in central Africa
 runs west
 empties into Atlantic Ocean
 begins at Lake Victoria
 runs north through Sudan and Egypt
 empties into Mediterranean Sea
 one of the Great Lakes of Africa
 2nd largest lake in Africa
 LONGEST lake in the world
 One of the Great Lakes of Africa
 Largest lake in Africa
 2nd largest lake in the world
Mountain range found in the north-west portion of Africa (in countries
of Morocco and Western Sahara)
 Desert found in south Africa
Country found in central Africa
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Northern country in Africa
Mediterranean Sea to the north / Red Sea to the East
Sudan to the south
Country located on the eastern side of Africa
Borders the Indian Ocean
Country located on the western side of Africa
Borders the Atlantic Ocean
Country located in the southern portion of Africa
Only country to border both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans
Apartheid – till 1989
o Nelson Mandela led struggle against apartheid
o Ended with president Willem de Klerk
 Known for the gold and diamonds that are mined here
o World’s largest deposit of gold
o World’s largest deposit of quality diamonds
Country located in Africa south of Egypt
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Newest country of Africa
Gained independence from Sudan in 2011
o Mismanagement of diversity … Sudan very diverse in
culture, religion, economic income (farming v. raising
cattle) … Sudan did not offer equality to diverse people –
therefore, led to 2, very long-lasting civil wars! ….
Eventually, led to South Sudan splitting from the large
country of Sudan.