The Middle East Today Political Map Middle East

The Middle East Today: Political Map

Middle East? OR Near East? OR Southwest Asia? OR…. ?

HERE IS THE WORLD… …AND HERE IS NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA Due to the location, it’s called the Crossroads of Continents: Europe, Africa, and Asia

NORTH AFRICA SOUTHWEST ASIA IS MORE COMMONLY CALLED THE “MIDDLE EAST”

Some Physical Features you need to. Bosporus know Strait & are: Dardanelles Strait BLACK SEA (SPLITS TURKEY FROM THE REST OF EUROPE) TAURUS MTS MED ITER RAN AS PE RS GU IAN LF G A SE NILE RIVER R O S M STRAIT OF HORMUZ D SAHARA DESERT ZA RE L T A E SAN SEA T M TS ARABIAN SEA TIGRIS RIVER EUPHRATES RIVER • There is also a lot of seasonal flooding, alluvial soils (deposits from the river), and delta regions (like the Nile delta). • There also natural water reservoirs likes oases and wadis. • An oasis is fertile land in a desert, usually fed by an underground spring • A wadi is a temporary watering hole when a gully gets filled up during the rainy season.

Bodies of Water Ca iterr a a Se Med an Atlantic Ocean i sp Black Sea Dardanelles Strait Tigris Euphrates n Se River a Jordan River Pe Suez Canal nea rs d Re Nile River ian a Se Strait of Gu Hormuz lf Gulf of Oman Arabian Sea Gulf of Aden Indian Ocean

The Tigris & Euphrates River System Mesopotamia: ”Land Between the Two Rivers” Marsh Arabs, So. Iraq

Dust Storms Along the Tigris-Euphrates Flood Plains

The Jordan River System: Israel & Jordan--A Fight Over Water Rights?

Dead Sea: Lowest Point on Earth 2, 300’ below sea level Highest Salt Content (33%)

Wadis – Instant Springs

Mountains & Plateaus M ts . Caucasus Mts. Atlas Mts. El bu r z Anatolian Plateau s. t M us Iranian Zagros Plateau Mts. Ta ur ja He ts. z. M

Mountain Ranges in Mid-East Elburz Mts. , Iran Lebanese Mts. Zagros Mts. , Iran Taurus Mts. , Turkey

Deserts Libyan Desert Sahara Desert Negev Sinai Desert Arabian Desert Rub al-Khali

Desert Bedouins

Breeding Areas of Desert Locusts

Swarms of Desert Locusts! Israel Hit By Worst Locust Plague Since the 1950 s! Locusts Swarm the Pyramids Complex at Giza!

Rub al-Khali: “The Empty Quarter”

Desert Oases: Water at a Premium!

Fresh Groundwater Sources

Desalinization Plants

Fertile Crescent

The Fertile Crescent

Completed Map. Ca Caucasus Mts. bu r El a Se Atlantic Ocean z an M i sp ts Black Sea Dardanelles Strait Anatolian Plateau Med iterr ane s. Euphrates Tigris t an S Iranian M ea us Jordan River. Zagros Plateau r u Atlas Mts. River Negev Ta Sinai PMts. er Suez Canal Desert Strait of sia Desert n G Hormuz Arabian Libyan Desert Nile ulf Gulf Desert River Rub of al-Khali Oman Se M jaz He a d Re ts. Sahara Desert Arabian Sea Gulf of Aden Indian Ocean

The Middle East vs. the U. S. Latitude Lines

Middle East: Climate Regions

Middle East: Population Density

Cairo, Egypt: Most Populated City in the Middle East 17, 000+ People!

The Middle East: Natural Vegetation

The Natural Resources of the Middle East

World Oil Reserves

Persian Gulf Oil Exports (2003)

Saudi Oil Fields & Refineries

Kuwait: An Island Floating on a Sea of Oil Kuwait City

Leading U. S. Oil Suppliers The U. S. imports 30% of its oil needs from the Middle East.

Many Areas around the Middle East and North Africa are world famous. Follow these cultural landmarks. Do you recognize any?

MINARETS MOSQUe. S: places of worship for Muslims. Typical features are domes and minarets DOME

The Hagia Sofia in Istanbul, Turkey. Built between 532 and 537 by the Christian Emperor Justinian I as a Byzantine church, which it functioned as for the next 900 years. In 1453, the Islamic-faithed Ottomans took over Constantinople (now Istanbul). They wasted little time in converting the Hagia Sophia into a mosque. It served the Muslims for almost 500 years. The Ottomans painted over the Christian mosaics - and erected the four defining minarets we see today. In 1934, Turkey changed the Hagia Sofia's status from mosque to museum and uncovered the priceless Byzantine mosaics.

The Dome of the Rock http: //www. sacredsites. com/1 st 30/domeof. html Jerusalem: This Muslim holy site was built on the remains of the Temple of Solomon, a holy site for Jews

The Kaaba http: //ccat. sas. upenn. edu/~brvs/kaaba. html Located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the Kaaba is the most sacred site for Muslims. A Muslim must take the haj (pilgrimage) to Mecca at least once in his/her life.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher http: //www. israel-mfa. gov. il/mfa/go-visual. asp? MFAJ 01 wh 0 Jerusalem: This church was built on the site where Christians believe that Jesus Christ was crucified.

The Western Wall in Jerusalem: Also known as the Wailing Wall http: //www. sacredsites. com/1 st 30/domeof. html http: //www. igc. apc. org/ddickerson/western-wall. gif

Other notable cultural landmarks: A “Bazaar” is an open-air market, usually in the center of a Middle eastern town. This bazaar specializes in woven Arabian carpets- verrrrrrry popular!!!! Bazaars are also called “suqs”

Cultural Landscapes are old…. Like the many walled cities around the Arab World…

…and new Like the oil rigs around the Middle East