Southwest Asia

Chapters 21-23

Landforms and Resources

• Not just sand dunes– Ranges from green coastal plains to snow peaked

mountains• Serves as a land bridge connecting Asia, Africa,

and Europe• Arabian Peninsula– Separated by the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf

• Anatolia Peninsula– Begins the Asian continent

Landforms

• Arabian Peninsula– Mostly covered by dry, sandy, and windy conditions– Low hills, ridges and wadis- dry river beds until the

rainy season– People mostly live nomadic lifestyle due to harsh

climate conditions• Mountains– Hindu Kush Mountains in Afghanistan– Zagros Mountains in Iran

Bodies of Water

• Dead Sea– 9 times saltier than the oceans– Cannot sink and nothing lives there

• Tigris and Euphrates rivers– Supported several ancient river valley civilizations– Called the Fertile Crescent– Agriculture is still good here

Resources

• Oil – 1/2 of the world’s oil reserves are found in

Southwest Asia• Most valuable resource is water– Some countries have an abundance (Afghanistan,

Turkey, Iran, and Lebanon)– Some countries have to guard and ration their water

• Other minerals are present but not in large quantities

Climate

• SW Asia is very arid– Most areas receive less than 18 inches of precipitation a

year– Rivers do not flow year round

• Deserts– Rub-al-Kali- known as the empty quarter

• About the size of Texas

– Salt deserts• High mountains block rain and dry winds evaporate rain• Chemicals stay in the soil as water leaves• Two of these exist in Iran

Climate

• Well-Watered Coast Lands– Along the Mediterranean coast • Hot summers and rainy winters• Like Southern California

• Semiarid Lands– These surround the deserts – Can produce wheat and cotton– Found mainly in Turkey

Human-Environment Interaction

• Water– Most important resource– Includes dams and irrigation systems– If you dam one part of the river, will less come

down to other countries?– Types of Irrigation:• Drip: places water just at the root zone, reduces

evaporation• Qanat: Underground brick-lined tunnels and collect

runoff

Oil

• Oil and natural gas deposits were formed millions of years ago– Microscopic plants and animals lived and then

died in waters, they mingled with sand and mud – Over time, heat and pressure transformed them

into hydrocarbons– Oil is trapped in rocks and you cannot tell if you

have a rock filled with oil without breaking it open

Oil

• Petroleum not processed is called crude oil– Must be sent to a refinery either by shipment or

by pipeline• Always a risk for oil spills caused by accidents– Exxon Valdez in 1989 in Alaska– Worst was in 1991 during Persian Gulf War– Underwater pipelines can crack– Ships can run aground in the narrow straight of

Hormuz or the Persian Gulf

The Arabian Peninsula

• Area includes: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen– Many opportunities for trade– The crossroads of 3 continents

• Islam– Monotheistic– Based on the teachings of Muhammad – Sunni and Shia are the two main groups

Islam

• Five Pillars of Islam– Faith: All believers must testify to the following statement: “There

is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”– Prayer: Five times a day, Muslims face toward the holy city of

Mecca to pray. They can do it at a mosque or wherever they may be.

– Charity: Muslims believe they have a responsibility to support the less fortunate

– Fasting: During Ramadan, Muslims do not eat or drink anything between sunrise and sunset

– Pilgrimage: All Muslims are expected to make a hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca once during their lifetime.

Islam

• Theocratic governments– Religious control of the government– Use religious laws– Consult religious leaders about the issues

• Spread Islam through conquering territory from the sixth century

• Law of the land is known as Shari’ah

Eastern Mediterranean

• Holy place– 3 religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam– City of Jerusalem is holy place for all three

• Jerusalem for Jews:– The Capital of Israel– Temple Mount– Western Wall

• Jerusalem for Christians – Mount of Olives (Jesus’ crucifixion)

• Jerusalem for Islam– Dome of the Rock

A History of Unrest

• Ruled by the Ottoman Empire from 1520-1922– Unable to grant freedom to countries and solve issues

• Colonized after WWI by France and Britain– France= Lebanon and Syria– Britain= Israel and Jordan

• Zionism- the movement of Jewish people back to the Holy Land

• At the end of WWII, Holocaust survivors started to immigrate to Israel.– Was formally created in 1947

A History of Unrest

• Many Palestinians were forced out or moved due to the Jewish population rising.

• Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)– Formed in 1964 to make Palestine a country– Has political and military agenda

• PLO and Hezbollah attack Jews of Israel and Israel retaliates.– Many refugees result from these wars, beginning

in 1948

Eastern Mediterranean

• Many ethnicities in this regions– Lebanon hosts Christians and Shi’ite Muslims.– Also include Orthodox and Druze faith.• Druze= section of Shia Islam but includes Judaism and

Gnosticism.

The Northeast

• Blend of many cultures– Turkish, Farsi, and Arabic languages– Sunni (4/5) and Shi’ite Muslims

• Early civilizations known as Mesopotamia• Fights for land increased after WWI– The Kurds have been a stateless nation since WWI.– Iraq and Iran have prevented the Kurds from

becoming a nation-state

The Northeast

• Taliban-– Islamic fundamentalist political group in control of

Afghanistan• Working toward modernization– Turkey is developing its water supply and

hydroelectric power– Iran trying to get rid of harsh government– Modernization slow because of wars and oil

disputes

Southwest Asia Issues

• Population Relocation– Life in 1900 was not much different than life in 1100– Guest Workers- immigrants doing jobs that the local

population finds unacceptable– Stateless Nations

• Kurds

– Refugees• Palestine (West Bank and Gaza Strip)

• How can governments work together to create peace in the region?

• Is this issue able to be resolved only through diplomacy?

Southwest Asia Issues

• Oil Wealth and Fuels Change– Strategic commodity- a resource so important that

nations will go to war over it– 64% of oil reserves and 34% of natural gas deposits

found here– Drive to modernize their infrastructures– Where does agriculture fit into the equation?– What could a new role for women do for the

economy?– Can countries share wealth and resources?