Physical Geography of SW & Central Asia, and N. Africa

Physical Geography of SW & Central Asia, and N. Africa Ch. 17

Seas & Peninsulas • Arabian Peninsula • Separated from Africa by Gulf of Aden & Red Sea • Sinai Pen. & Suez Canal separate the land to the north/west • Persian Gulf is on the east side Gulf of Aden

Seas & Peninsulas • Anatolia Pen. • Black Sea to N • Aegean Sea to W • Mediterranean Sea to S • Many straits connecting seas ($$) Bosporus Strait Aegean Sea ANATOLIA

Seas & Peninsulas • Strait of Gibraltar • Separates Africa from Iberian Pen. • Only a dozen miles or so wide • ‘gateway to Africa’

Seas & Peninsulas • Dead Sea • On Jordan River (border w/ Israel) • 8X saltier than any ocean- How come? • In the 50s • L= 262 m, W= 57 m • Today • L= 42 m, W= 11 m

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

Seas & Peninsulas • Caspian Sea • Largest inland/landlocked body of water (lake) • But it is salt water!! (remnants of larger sea) • Facing evaporation increases, decrease in flow from feeder rivers, and increase in irrigation/industry uses

Seas & Peninsulas • Aral Sea • Use to be lg & have productive fishing • Shrunk drastically due to USSR draining it for irrigation • Ppl build sm. dams to create basins of freshwater from rivers

Rivers • Nile River • Longest in world • Flows NORTH to Med. Sea • 90% of Egyptians live in delta or along river (= 3% of land) • Faces great flood seasons  built Aswan High Dam for control Aswan High Dam

Egypt: The “Gift of the Nile” Nile Delta Annual Nile Flooding 90% of the Egyptian people live on 3% of the land!

Rivers • Tigris & Euphrates • Mesopotamia or ‘land b/w two rivers’; aka Fertile Crescent • Join to form Shatt al Arab • Border of Iraq & Iran • Wars & treaties over it

Rivers • Wadis- dry streambeds that will fill with heavy rain  flash floods (seasonal) • Since they are typically arid, creates mud quickly dangerous mud flows Wadi in Oman

Plains, Plateaus, & Mtns. • Since most is desert/steppe agricultural base = coastal areas of Med. Sea, Caspian Sea, & Persian Gulf • Atlas Mtns • Longest mtn range • Stretches from Morocco to Algeria • Northern side of Atlas allows for lots of agric. (farms, fishing, livestock) • Rainy side, Med. climate

Plains, Plateaus, & Mtns. • Hejaz & Asir • West coast of Arabian Pen. • Rainshadow effect to Central Plateau • Caucasus Mtns • b/w Black & Caspian Sea • Seen as border b/w European Russia & Asia

Plains, Plateaus, & Mtns. • Garagum (Karakum)- • Black sand desert, covers 70% of Turkmenistan • Qizilqum (Kyzyl Kum)- • Red sand desert in Uzbekistan & Kazakhstan Use wide spaces for livestock

Tectonic Activity • Meeting point of the African, Arabian, & Eurasian plates • Reason for mountainous terrain • Many earthquakes • Turkey 1999 • Iran has 90% of land on faults • Landforms still Δing • Red Sea

Natural Resources • Oil (petroleum) & nat. gas are region’s most abundant resources • 70% of world’s oil • 33% of world’s nat. gas • Reserves are still being discovered! • WWII sparked production as we moved to modern industry/reliance

World Oil Reserves

Persian Gulf Oil Exports (2003)

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

Natural Resources Completed Dubai Tower, Monday night • Why might such heavy dependence on oil be risky? • Many countries are now diversifying • UAE  banking, info. tech, tourism • Libya  infrastructure, fisheries

Homework • Complete the Guided Reading for Ch. 17 Sec. 2

Physical Geography of SW & Central Asia, and N. Africa