Transcript The Persian Gulf and Interior

The Middle East
The Region
The Persian Gulf and
Interior Region includes
Saudi Arabia and the
smaller countries of the
Arabian Peninsula
(Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman,
Qatar, the United Arab
Emirates and Yemen.)
• This region is also referred to as the Middle
East.
• It lies between the Red Sea and the Persian
Gulf.
• To the south are the Gulf of Aden and the
Arabian Sea (and further beyond, the Indian
Ocean.)
• Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan lie to the north and
east and are also considered part of the
Middle East.
Place
• The region has been shaped by tectonic forces
which have resulted in rugged mountains, upland
plateaus, and valleys.
• The Red Sea is still becoming wider as the African
and Arabian plates
continue to move apart.
• There is frequent
earthquake activity in the
region.
Landforms and Rivers
• Mountains stretch along the Arabian Peninsula’s
western edge.
• Wide, dry plains slope down toward the Persian
Gulf in the east.
• The ancient region of Mesopotamia (mostly in
Iraq) is to the north and east – home of the Tigris
and Euphrates rivers.
• The Zagros Mountains and Hindu Kush mountain
range are also in this region.
Climate
• Hot and dry climates dominate the region.
• Rains come mostly in the winter.
• The southern interior is a mostly uninhabited
desert called the Rub al-Khali (“Empty Quarter).
• The lowlands of the Persian Gulf are among the
hottest in the world.
Natural Resources
• Two of the regions most important resources are
oil and water. Oil is plentiful, but water isn’t.
• The Tigris and Euphrates are still the most
important water sources of the area, especially in
Iraq.
• Surface water is rare in the desert, and can mainly
be found at an oasis, an area where springs
bubble to the surface.
• Desalinization of seawater provides another
source of fresh water but is very expensive.
• Oil is the region’s
most valuable
natural resource.
• The oil reserves
along the Persian
Gulf are the largest
in the world.
• The region’s
countries have few
other resources for
developing industry.
Religion
• Historically, the region began as polytheistic.
• Judaism, the first monotheistic religion begin
in this area.
• In the mid-500s BC, the prophet Muhammad
established Islam, now one of the world’s
most practiced religions.
• Islam (Muslims) now dominate most of the
Middle East. Religion is the unifying cultural
feature of the region.
People and Language
• Most people in the Persian Gulf and Interior (as well
as the rest of the Middle East) are Arabs and the
dominant language is Arabic.
• There are also non-Arab ethnic groups in the region
such as the Kurds (who have never had their own
land) and the Pashtun (largest ethnic group in
Afghanistan).