1.geographyof north africa and middle east

GEOGRAPHY OF NORTH AFRICA, SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL ASIA

By Jack Garrity

The majority of the world’s oil comes from Southwest Asia. We use much more oil than we produce in the USA.

The climate and physical geography are similar to ours in Las Vegas.

Pages 424-427

The Land A study of the physical geography of

North Africa, Southwest Asia, and Central Asia reveals the relationship between humans and the physical environment, where seas and rivers help sustain life amid rugged mountain ranges, dry plateaus, and some of the Earth’s greatest deserts.

The Land The vast region covers parts of Africa and

Asia.

The Land

4300 miles

The Land Fertile river valleys , like the Nile, remain

vital today, as they had been to early civilizations.

The Land The region is mostly arid land.

Landforms The region has dramatic landforms,

mostly deserts and mountains.

Earthquakes 4 plates move in the area causing

earthquakes.

Earthquakes As the plates move, they build mountains and

cause earthquakes.

Earthquakes In 2005 Afghanistan had an earthquake

that measured 6.4 on the Richter scale.

Mountains The Atlas MountainsAre Africans longest Mountain range

The North side gets enough rain for good farming.

Mountains

Mountains The Hejaz and Asir Mountains stretch along the Arabian Peninsula.

The Asir Mountain get 19 inches of rain a year, the most of any part of the Arabian Peninsular.

Mountains

Mountains The Pontic and Taurus Mountains surround Turkey.

The Pontic Mountains still growing.Mountains

The Pontic Mountains still growing.Mountains

Mountains Between the two is the Anatolian Plateau 2000-5000 feet above sea level.

Mountains Mount Ararat is almost 17,000 feet high.

Mountains The Tiean Shan range highest peak is 24,000 Feet.

Victory Peak 24,000 feet

Mountains The Turan Lowlands has some water and farmland.

To the South dune covered kums begin and stretch to the Sahara.

Kum: term for desert in Central Asia

The Kara Kum (black sand) covers most of Turkmenistan.

The Kyzl Kum (red sand) covers half of Uzbekistan.

The Arabian Desert covers more than half of the Arabian Peninsular.

The Sahara Desert is larger than the USA.

The Sahara Desert is larger than the USA.

Coastal Plains, Seas, and Peninsulas

Most farmland is along the coast lines of the 4 major Seas.

Coastal Plains, Seas, and Peninsulas

The Mediterranean Sea

Coastal Plains, Seas, and Peninsulas The Persian Gulf

Coastal Plains, Seas, and Peninsulas The Caspian Sea

Coastal Plains, Seas, and Peninsulas

The Caspian Sea

The Caspian Sea is the largest inland body of water on the planet.

Coastal Plains, Seas, and Peninsulas The Red Sea is desert on both sides

Coastal Plains, Seas, and Peninsulas

The Black Sea marks the boarder of Asia and Europe.

Coastal Plains, Seas, and Peninsulas Four important peninsulas.

Coastal Plains, Seas, and Peninsulas The Arabian Peninsula.

Coastal Plains, Seas, and Peninsulas The Sinai Peninsula.

Coastal Plains, Seas, and Peninsulas The Horn of Africa Peninsula.

Coastal Plains, Seas, and Peninsulas The Anatolian Peninsula.

Coastal Plains, Seas, and Peninsulas The Dardanelles on the Anatolian

Peninsula marks the boarder between Europe and Asia.

Coastal Plains, Seas, and Peninsulas 2 more small inland seas.

Coastal Plains, Seas, and Peninsulas The Dead Sea.

The River Jordan flows into the salt rich Dead Sea.

Coastal Plains, Seas, and Peninsulas The Aral Sea.

The Aral Sea has been shrinking, since Russia diverted rivers from the sea irrigate farmland in the 1960’s.

Water Systems For thousands of years, people have depended

on the regions rivers and fertile river valleys, where early civilizations grew.

Major Rivers: Cradles of Civilizations

Egypt's Nile River is the world’s longest river at 4,160 miles (it would go to Florida and back to Vegas).

Major Rivers: Cradles of Civilizations

Egypt's Nile River is the world’s longest river at 4,160 miles (90 percent of the Egyptian population live along it).

The Nile gave rise to one of the world’s earliest civilizations.

Major Rivers: Cradles of Civilizations

The Aswan High Dam controls the river, reducing both flooding and alluvial soil, which used to fertilize the land.

Alluvial soil: rich soil made up of sand and mud

Major Rivers: Cradles of Civilizations

The Aswan High Dam provides water for agriculture and hydroelectric power.

Major Rivers: Cradles of Civilizations

Lake Nasser is a human made reservoir like Lake Meade.

Major Rivers: Cradles of Civilizations

The Euphrates and Tigirs Rivers run from the mountains into the Persian Gulf.

Major Rivers: Cradles of Civilizations

Early Civilizations grew between the to rivers, a land called Mesopotamia by the Classical Greeks.

Major Rivers: Cradles of Civilizations

Farm irrigation systems has watered the land for 7,000 years.

Major Rivers: Cradles of Civilizations

Farm irrigation systems has watered the land for 7,000 years.

Major Rivers: Cradles of Civilizations

Today, dams control the water and generate electricity with hydro electric power.

Major Rivers: Cradles of Civilizations

Today, dams control the water and generate electricity with hydro electric power.

Steambeds Like flash floods in Las Vegas, streams of

water can suddenly appear called wadis.

Wadis (in certain Arabic-speaking countries) a valley, ravine, or channel that is dry except in the rainy season.

Steambeds Like flash floods in Las Vegas, streams of

water can suddenly appear called wadis.

Natural Resources The region contains natural gas and

petroleum.

Oil and Natural Gas Over 60 percent of the world’s known oil is

under the region.

Oil and Natural Gas About 50 percent of the world’s natural gas is in

the region.

Oil and Natural Gas Petroleum exports have made the region rich,

depending on the price of oil.

Minerals Iron, gold, copper are important resources as

well, along with phosphate and sulfur.

Building Diverse Economies

Most countries in the region relay on only petroleum and gas, which account for 95% of their exports like Libya.

Building Diverse Economies However, some countries are trying to

build other businesses.