Chapter 21- Southwest Asia Notes (Middle East)

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Chapter 21- Southwest Asia Notes (Middle East)

• Harsh Arid Lands

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Section 1- Landforms Resources
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Sulemaniye Mosque
Turkey
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Syria
Damascus
Umayyad Mosque
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Beirut
Parliament Square in Beirut
Lebanon
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Tel Aviv
Dead Sea Salt Beds
Negev Desert
Dome of the Rock
Israel
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Jordan
Abdullah Mosque
Amman
One of the new 7 wonders of the world
King Abdullah II
Petra
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Iraq
Saddam Hussein
Bombing of Baghdad
Tigris River
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King Fahd
Empty Quarter
Saudi Arabia
Mecca
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Iran
Tehran
Shahid Motahari Mosque
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Sanaa
Yemen
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Mosque
Oman
Sultans Palace
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Abu Dhabi
United Arab Emirates
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Museum
Doha
Qatar
Desert
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Kuwait
Water Towers
Kuwait City
Oil wells on fire
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Section 1- Landforms Resources

• Peninsulas Waterways-
• Peninsula- area of land that is almost completely
  surrounded by water, except for a small portion
  connecting it to the mainland
• Strait- narrow body of water connecting 2 larger
  bodies of water

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Section 1- Landforms Resources

• Suez Canal- artificial waterway between the
  Mediterranean Sea the Red Sea

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Section 1- Landforms Resources

• Arabian Peninsula- very dry, sandy, windy
• Wadis- riverbeds that remain dry except for the
  rainy season.

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Section 1- Landforms Resources

• Water is the most important resource in this
  region
• Tigris Euphrates river valleys supported
  several ancient societies

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Section 1- Landforms Resources

• Jordan River- provides a natural boundary for
  Israel Jordan
• Flows into the Dead Sea

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Section 1- Landforms Resources

• Dead Sea- landlocked salt lake
• So salty that only bacteria lives in it
• Lowest place on the exposed surface of the earth.
  
• 1349 feet below sea level

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Section 1- Landforms Resources

• Oil-
• Largest reserves in the world (1/2 of all known
  reserves)
• Most prominent resource
• Water is still most valuable resource in SW Asia

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Section 2- Climate Vegetation

• Rub Al-Khali (the empty quarter)-
• Size of Texas
• One of largest sandy deserts in world
• Surface temps, can reach 150
• 10 years may pass w/out rain

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Section 2- Climate Vegetation

• Salt Flat- flat land made of chemical salts that
  remain after winds evaporate the moisture in the
  soil
• Common in Iran
• Usually uninhabited

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Pamukkale is one of the extraordinary natural
wonders of Turkey.
The great attraction is the white immensity of
the cliffs with sculptured basins full of water
and congealed waterfalls they seem done of
snow, cloud, or cotton.
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The scientific explanation is the hot thermal
places that lie under the mount provoke the
calcium carbonate spill, that makes the forms as
solid as travertino marble.
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One can bathe there the Turks call this place
PAMUKKALE, which means "Castle of Cotton".
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It is a protecting landscape that fascinates, as
the action of the mineral waters that contains
calcium oxides left fantastic marks in the
structures.
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The resultant effect is spectacular the waters
spill on a series of steps, forming solid
cascades and pools.
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The cascades of calcium carbonate as well as the
water itself changes colors in accordance with
changes of the solar light that illuminates them,
and the effect is breathtaking.
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At times white, others blue, or green or other
colors. The spectacle is amazing.
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The continuous dynamics of the erosion and the
transformation of the natural landscape result in
an unusual environment.
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PAMUKKALE is one of the most unique phenomena in
nature.
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Section 3- Human-Environment Interaction

• Fresh water supplies are available only in small
  amounts
• Dams are very controversial in this region as
  they affect multiple countries at once.

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Section 3- Human-Environment Interaction

• Water Conservation is a major priority in SW Asia
• Drip Irrigation- practice of using small pipes
  that slowly drip water just above ground

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Section 3- Human-Environment Interaction

• Desalinization- removal of salt from ocean water
• Very expensive
• Cant meet all needs

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Section 3- Human-Environment Interaction

• Fossil Water- water pumped from underground
  aquifers
• Little chance of being refilled in this area
  because of little rainfall

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Section 3- Human-Environment Interaction

• Petroleum- remains of plants animals, formed
  from pressure heat over millions of years.
• Oil is not in big pools under the ground, it is
  trapped in the pores of rocks.
• Taken out of ground by pressure

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Section 3- Human-Environment Interaction

• Crude Oil- petroleum that has not been processed
• Refinery- converts crude oil into useful products
  like gasoline kerosene

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Section 3- Human-Environment Interaction

• Oil Spills are a risk when transporting oil in
  narrow straits or around reefs
• Largest in U.S. History is the Exxon Valdez spill
  in 1989