The Middle East
Physical Geography and Climate
Peninsulas and Waterways
The most distinctive landform in the Middle East is the
Arabian Peninsula. Separated by Red Sea on one side
and Persian Gulf on the other.
Another important landform in the region is the Anatolian
Peninsula, which is occupied by country of Turkey.
Beginning of Asian continent.
On SW side of Arabian Penins. is the Red Sea with
opening to the Mediterranen via the Suez Canal.
The Anatolian is located between Black Sea and the
Mediterranean. Two narrow waterways allow ships to
pass through, the Bosphorus Strait and the Dardenelles
Strait.
South is the narrow passageway between Arabian Sea
and Persian Gulf called the Strait of Hormuz. Only way to
and from huge oilfields in the region.
Plains and Highlands
Most of Arabian Penin. is plains. Barren land
with some low hills, ridges and wadis.
Wadis are riverbeds that remain dry except
when it’s rainy season.
The heart of Iran is a plateau surrounded with
mountains; the Zagros. The land is a stony,
salty and sandy desert.
The Plain of Afghanistan is a well watered
agricultural area surrounded by mountains that
protect from dry, harsh weather of most of
Afghanistan.
Mountains
The Hindu Kush Mountains which border
Afghanistan and Pakistan help to make
the area very isolated.
The Elburz Mountains cut off Iran from
easy access to the Caspian Sea.
The Taurus Mountains cut off Turkey
from the rest of the Middle East.
More Bodies of Water
Much of the region is surrounded by water, but
because of the arid climate few rivers flow year
round.
The Tigris and Euphrates are by far the most
important rivers that form the Fertile Crescent. They
flow through parts of Turkey, Syria and Iraq.
They flow almost parallel before meeting at a place
called the Shatt-Al-Arab.
Coming from the mountains in Lebanon is the Jordan
River: a major source of water in the region.
The Jordan River flows into the extremely salty Dead
Sea. Because there is so much salt, nothing but
bacteria can live. It is 1,300 feet below sea level. One
of the lowest points on Earth.
Natural Resources: Oil and
Water
It is impossible to think of the region without thinking
about oil.
Major oil fields are found in the Arabian Peninsula, Iran
and Iraq. Natural gas fields are close by.
Oil provides much of these countries’ incomes.
Today, about ½ of the world’s oil is found here. Mostly
along and in the Persian Gulf.
Another very valuable resource is water.
Mountainous areas of Turkey, Iran, Lebanon and
Afghanistan have abundant water as compared to other
countries in this region.
Efforts to conserve water in this region has led to conflict
in some cases.
Climate and
Vegetation
491-493
Arid Lands and Deserts
Much of the region is extremely arid. Rivers often don’t
flow year round and extensive irrigation is the only way
to have productive farmland.
There are small portions of land with a Mediterranean
and highland climate.
Spread across the region, deserts reduce travel and
human environment interaction.
The most famous desert in the region is the Rub al-
Khali or Empty Quarter. The size of Texas with about
250,000 square miles of sand that can reach up to 800
feet. Temperature can reach 150 degrees and rain
might not fall for 10 years.
Next to the Rub is the An-Nafud Desert and extending
north from this is the Syrian Desert. Finally part of
Israel is occupied by the Negev Desert. (where crops
can be grown through extensive irrigation)
Salt Deserts and Less Arid
Lands
Lands in the rain shadow of a mountain are usually
arid or semiarid. Lands in Iran are a good example.
When winds evaporate the moisture in the soil,
chemical salts remain creating a salt flat.
In Iran there are two salt flat deserts: the Dasht-e
Kavir and the Dasht-e Lut. These harsh areas are
almost uninhabited.
On the fringes of the deserts are semiarid regions
where cotton and wheat can be grown and animals
often graze.
In some areas there is a Mediterranean climate, like
in Turkey, where through mild winters and extensive
irrigation citrus fruits, olives and vegetables can be
grown.
Oil From the Sand
497-499
Forming Petroleum
Having huge oil resources makes the Middle East a very
important region economically.
Oil and natural gas deposits were formed millions of years
ago when an ancient sea covered the region.
Small plants and animals died in the water. Their remains
sank and mingled with the sand and mud on the bottom.
Over time pressure and heat transformed this material into
hydrocarbons, which are the base of oil and natural gas.
These substances are trapped in rocks.
The more porous the rock the more oil it can store. An area
of nonporous rock keeps the oil and gas from escaping.
Engineers use sophisticated techniques and advanced
technology to find and extract. Some oil was not discovered
here until the 1920’s and 30’s.
Exploration and Transportation
Beginning in the late 1800’s oil companies
searched all over the world for oil.
The first Middle East discovery was in 1908 in
Persia, which is Iran today.
In 1948 oil companies discovered portions of what
would be the largest single oil field in the world, al-
Ghawar.
This field contains more than ¼ of all Saudi
Arabian oil.
Petroleum that has not been processed is called
crude oil. Crude oil is then taken to a refinery to
convert it into useful products.
Pipelines transport the crude oil to refineries or to
ports where oil is picked up by tankers.
Much of this oil leaves major sea ports in the
Persian Gulf, Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea.
The Coming Chapters
In the coming lessons we will be
discussing the various specific regions
within the Middle East. We will revisit the
topic of human-environment interaction
and the industry of oil.
The regions will include:
The Arabian Peninsula
The Eastern Mediterranean
The Northeast