Chapter 16 – Section 1

Physical Geography of North Africa, Southwest Asia, and Central Asia

Seas and Waterways

The bodies of water in this region have

helped people trade more easily for

centuries.

4 Waterways control access to the Seas

• Strait of Gibraltar – separates Europe and

Africa – links the Mediterranean Sea and

the Atlantic Ocean.

• Dardanelles Strait –

• Sea of Marmara –

• Bosporus – all of these link the Mediterranean

and Black Seas and they separate Europe

and Asia

Other WaterwaysSuez Canal – a human-

made waterway that allows ships to pass

from the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea

Strait of Hormuz – allows oil tankers to enter and leave the

Persian Gulf

Mountains in the Region• Zagros Mountains

stretch from Turkey through Iran

• Hindu Kush Mountains cross Afghanistan

• Khyber Pass – a narrow gap, sometimes barely 50 feet wide in the Hindu Kush mountains – used as a trade route.

Rivers in the Region

Nile River – found in Egypt

Tigris and Euphrates Rivers found in Iraq – used to be

ancient Mesopotamia

Nile River Delta

• The Nile River floods every year led to the

building of civilizations along the river

• Silt is small particles of rich soil

• The silt makes the soil fertile for growing

crops.

Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

• Mesopotamia was an early

civilization based on farming.

• It was located on the alluvial plain, an area of fertile soil left by river

floods.

Natural Resources – Petroleum and

Natural Gas

• The largest reserves of oil

and natural gas can be found in the Persian Gulf.

Oil exploration and discovery has allowed some countries to become wealthy and grow

industry. Other countries have remained very poor.

Lebanon - Timber

Along the Mediterranean Sea,

Lebanon is known for their Cedar forests.

There is so much timber there, they can export

the timber to other countries.

The Aral Sea

• The Aral Sea is located between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan

• The Aral Sea has been greatly damaged by the cotton industry and by low levels of rainfall

• The photo on the left shows the Aral Sea in 1998 and then 2008

More photos of the Aral Sea

Aswan High Dam

In 1968, the Egyptian government built the Aswan High Dam so that the flood waters

of the Nile River could be controlled and

crops could be grown throughout the year. This has been helpful

in some ways.

The Aswan High Dam as also caused problems for the farmers along the Nile River. The dam has not allowed mineral rich silt to come down

the Nile River and fertilize the farm ground.

Oil Refineries are where oil is turned into gasoline and the refineries, many cars and older cars are contributing to the

air pollution problems of the region.

Chapter 16 – Section 2

Climate Regions in North Africa, Southwest Asia and Central Asia

The Sahara Desert

• World’s Largest Desert – covers much of North Africa

• Hottest temperature on Earth recorded there at 136 degrees F

• Winter temperature averages 55 degrees

• Only gets about 3 inches of rain per year

• Claire Bassett says, “home to the World’s Cutest Fox.”

The Sahara DesertWadis – dry riverbed that

fills with water during rainstorms

Oasis – land that is fertile because water is present

in wells or springs

Other Desert Areas

• Arabian Peninsula – home to the Empty Quarter – Rub’ al Khali

• Central Asia – Kara Kum and the Kyzyl Kum

Steppe Areas

• Steppe – dry, treeless grassy plain

• Most steppe areas receive 4-16 inches of rain per year

• Nomad – people who move across the steppe area to find food and water for their herds

• Dry Farming – farming land is left to rest for a few years so moisture can build up

Water and Desalinization in the Middle East• Water is very sparse in areas of

the region

• Aquifer – underground rock layer through which water flows

• Rationing – limiting the amount of a resource

• Desalinization – process of removing salt and minerals from seawater and then it can be used for drinking and other uses