Southwest Asia The Middle East Strategic location Geographic

Southwest Asia

The Middle East?

Strategic location

Geographic Features: Landforms �Tectonic activity (continent building)

Geographic Features: Landforms �General pattern of landforms

Geographic Features: Landforms �Arabian Peninsula

Geographic Features: Landforms �Anatolian and Iranian Plateaus

Geographic Features: Landforms �Exotic Rivers Jordan River Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

Geographic Features: Landforms �Surrounding bodies of water

Patterns of climate

Population Densities

Economy and jobs �Oil in the Persian Gulf

Economy and jobs �Some commercial agriculture

Economy and jobs �Pastoral nomadism Iran Jordan

Economy and jobs �Subsistence agriculture

Culture �Source area for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam Jerusalem is sacred to all three religions.

Culture �The Islamic World?

Culture �The Arab World?

History �A major culture hearth

History �Persian Empire

History �Macedonian Empire

History �Roman Empire

History �Ottoman Empire

History �European involvement after WWI

Conflict �Over Israel

Conflict �Over water

Conflict �Over oil

Conflict �Sunni vs. Shi’ite

Conflict �Clash between fundamentalism and secularism

U. S. Involvement �Need to protect oil resources

U. S. Involvement �Need to protect choke points �Strait of Hormuz �Suez Canal �Bosporus and Dardanelles

U. S. Involvement �Support for Israel

U. S. Involvement �Concern over a nuclear Iran

U. S. Involvement �Gulf War

U. S. Involvement �War in Iraq

U. S. Involvement �War in Afghanistan