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