Transcript The Middle East -Crossroads of the World

The Middle East
Crossroads of the World
What is the Middle East?
• Region in Southwest Asia
• Crossroads of 3
continents:
Europe
Asia
Africa
• Extends from
Morocco to Iran
What is the Middle East?
• Its people share common traits:
language
history
religion
• Access to many
major waterways
The Tigris River
Climate
• Short period
of rainfall
• Rains wash
away topsoil
• Temperature
extremes
• Hot and dry
• Deserts and
green coastal lands
Natural Resources
• Oil is the Middle
East’s most
important
natural resource
• 70% of the
world’s known
oil reserves are
located in the
Middle East
•Middle Eastern countries
produce 2/3 of the world’s oil
Natural Resources
• Saudi
Arabia is
the world’s
largest oil
producer
Natural Resources
• Other natural
resources include:
gold, iron, and
copper
• Water is scarce and
difficult to harness
• Fertile river valleys
and coastal lands
Aswan High Dam in Egypt
Geographic Features
• Desert – an area that
has less than 10
inches of annual
rainfall
Arabian Desert
Syrian Desert
• Oasis – fertile place
in a desert where
water is available
through an
underground spring
Five Physical Regions
1) Northern Tier
2) Arabian
Peninsula
3) Fertile
Crescent
4) Nile River
Valley
5) Maghreb
Beach in Lebanon
1. The Northern Tier
• Stretches across present-day Turkey and Iran
• Anatolian Peninsula
* fertile soil and
moisture available
for farming to
support a large
population
• Iranian Plateau
* Elburz and Zagros
Mountain ranges
* dry region with a
small population
A bazaar in Turkey
2. Arabian Peninsula
• A plateau that borders the
Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and
the Persian Gulf
• Mostly barren desert
• Beneath the desert is a
huge amount of oil, which
supports the country
• Small population because
of lack of water
• Most of the population
lives around the oases
2. Arabian Peninsula
• Birthplace of Islam
3. Fertile Crescent
• Arc-shaped region that stretches from the
eastern Mediterranean along the Tigris
and Euphrates Rivers to the Persian Gulf
• Rich soil and abundant water have led to a
large population
3. Fertile Crescent
Mesopotamia
• “land between two
rivers”
• Part of the Fertile
Crescent
• Between the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers
• Located in modern-day
Iraq
• Land is very fertile
• Some of the earliest
civilizations began here
Ancient Babylon
4. Nile River Valley
• Located in northeastern Africa
• Nile River supports the population of this
region
5. Maghreb
• North African nations of Algeria, Tunisia,
and Morocco
• Lies west of the Arabian Peninsula
• Isolated land surrounded by water,
mountains, and deserts
5. Maghreb
• Sahara Desert and Atlas
Mountains
• Few people live here
because of scarcity of
water
• Major crossroad of the
southern rim of
Mediterranean
• Gateway to the Atlantic
Ocean
Mosque in Morocco
Review Questions
1) The Middle East is at the crossroads of
which 3 continents?
2) Describe the climate of the Middle East.
3) What country produces the most oil?
4) Define oasis.
5) Which 2 rivers make up the region called
Mesopotamia?