The Middle East Today: Political Map 19 13 2 18 12 17 11--> 8--> 9 5 7 16 6 <--10 20 14 1 21
Middle East? OR Near East? OR Southwest Asia? OR.?
Bodies of Water Dardanelles Strait Black Sea Atlantic Ocean Tigris Euphrates River Jordan River River Suez Canal Nile River Strait of Hormuz Gulf of Oman Arabian Sea Gulf of Aden Indian Ocean
The Mighty Nile River: Longest River in the World
Egypt: The Gift of the Nile Nile Delta Annual Nile Flooding 95% of the Egyptian people live on 5% of the land!
Aswan High Dam, Egypt Hydroelectric Power Plant
Suez Canal Completed by the British in 1869
Population Patterns Migrations, claims to ancestral homes, and boundary disputes have influenced population in the eastern Mediterranean. The people: About 7.1 million people in this region are Israelis living in Israel.
Population Patterns (cont.) The majority of people live along Density coastal and plains distribution: This area has some of the highest population densities in Southwest Asia. This subregion is predominantly urban more than 75% of the people in Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon live in cities. Just over 50% in Syria and Palestine live in cities.
History and Government The eastern Mediterranean is home to three of the world s major religions that have shaped politics and culture there for centuries. What Are they? Christian Islam Judaism
Population Patterns (cont.) Tensions between Arabs and Jews resulted in six wars over the past 70 years. 80% of the Israelis are Jewish. ars.
Population Patterns for this region of Ancient Persia Ethnic diversity and the Muslim religion have profoundly shaped the population of the Northeast subregion. The people: Turks Iranians Arabs Kurds (Not a country-->)
Population Patterns (cont.) Density and distribution: The most populous countries are Turkey and Iran. More than half of these people live in cities.
History and Government Ancient empires and thriving civilizations influenced the early history of the Northeast, which today is being shaped by the oil industry and relations with the outside world.
History and Government (cont.) Mesopotamia the Sumerian civilization lived in this Civilizations and empires: area. The Phoenician civilization began along the eastern Mediterranean. The Persian Empire extended across the region. The Ottoman Empire was centered in present-day Turkey.
History and Government (cont.) The modern era: Iraq has experienced periods of turmoil since it gained independence in 1932. Turkey was established as a country in 1923. Iranians have experienced political and social upheavals over the years.
History and Government (cont.) The era of oil: Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela formed the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in order to regulate oil prices.
Culture Religion and language shape everyday life in the Northeast subregion. Language mostly Arabic; Turkish in Turkey and Persian in Persia Religion mostly Shia Muslims in Iraq and Iran; Sunni Muslims in Turkey
Culture (cont.) Education required through grade 6 in Iraq and grade 8 in Turkey; literacy rates are fairly high. Health care this varies, but is struggling in most areas. The arts early civilizations created sculptures, fine metalwork, and large buildings; literature is based on strong oral traditions, epics, and poetry.
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 Anatolian Plateau Caucasus Mts. Atlas Mts. Zagros Mts. Iranian Plateau
Mountain Ranges in Mid-East Elburz Mts., Iran Zagros Mts., Iran Lebanese Mts. Taurus Mts., Turkey
Deserts Libyan Desert Sinai Negev Desert Desert Arabian Desert Rub al-khali Sahara Desert
Desert Bedouins
Breeding Areas of Desert Locusts
Swarms of Desert Locusts! Israel Hit By Worst Locust Plague Since the 1950s! 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 Atlantic Ocean Atlas Mts. Caucasus Mts. Black Sea Dardanelles Strait Anatolian Plateau Euphrates Tigris Jordan River River River Suez Canal Sinai Negev Desert Desert Arabian Libyan Desert Nile Desert River Zagros Mts. Rub al-khali Iranian Plateau Strait of Hormuz Gulf of Oman 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 17,000,000+ 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.