PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SW ASIA

SW ASIA• Connects Asia,

Africa, & Europe-a busy trade route

throughout history

-site of many invasions

PENINSULAS• Arabian Peninsula

-most dominate landform

• Sinai Peninsula-connects SW Asia & Africa

• Anatolia Peninsula-connects SW Asia & Europe

ArabianAnatolia

Sinai

BODIES OF WATER• Allow travel/trade

• Red Sea-separates Arabian

Peninsula from Africa

-connected to

Mediterranean Sea

by Suez Canal

• Persian Gulf -world’s largest deposit

of oil Horn of Africa

Suez Canal

BODIES OF WATER, CON’T.• Dead Sea

-high salt content halts

plant/animal life

-lowest place on Earth’s

crust

BODIES OF WATER, CON’T.• Mediterranean Sea

-allows access to

Europe

BODIES OF WATER, CON’T.• Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

-form the “Fertile Crescent”

• Jordan River-border between Jordan & Israel

SUEZ CANAL

• CONNECTS THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA TO THE RED SEA

• BUILT IN 1869/10 YEARS

• 101 MILES IN LENGTH

PERSIAN GULF

• ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BODIES OF WATER IN THE WORLD

• 20-25% OF WORLDS OIL

• STARITS OF HORMUZ

• 17 BILLION BARRELS PER DAY

DESERTS• Limit movement and

life

• Sand, gravel, or salt

• Rub Al-Khali Desert -“the empty quarter”

-sandy & HOT (186* F)

• An-Nafud Desert-has oases

• Syrian Desert

MOUNTAINS & PLATEAUS

• Mountains form natural boundaries-slow travel/trade

• Plateaus form much of the northern region-Iran and Turkey

• Some have snow! -skiing in Iran

NATURAL RESOURCES• Fresh Water

-the MOST valuable!

• Oil & Natural Gas-the rest of the world

depends on it

-Arabian Peninsula, Iran,

& Iraq

-1/2 of world’s reserves

• Salt-used in manufacturing

and chemical processes

CLIMATE• Mainly arid (desert)

-Less than 10 inches of rain per year

-Hot days and cold nights

• Semiarid-avg. 16 inches of rain -allows some agriculture

• Mediterranean-hot summers and mild,

rainy winters-prefect for fruits/vegetables

WADIS

• MAINLY-DRY RIVER BEDS

• FOUND THROUGHOUT S.W ASIA

OIL & SW ASIA

Products Made From Oil• Clothing Ink, Heart Valves, Crayons, Parachutes, Telephones

Enamel, Transparent tape, Antiseptics, Vacuum bottles,Deodorant, Pantyhose, Rubbing Alcohol, Carpets, Epoxy paintOil filters, Upholstery, Hearing Aids, Car sound insulationCassettes, Motorcycle helmets, Pillows, Shower doors, Shoes,Refrigerator linings, Electrical tape, Safety glass, AwningsSalad bowl, Rubber cement, Nylon rope, Ice buckets, FertilizersHair coloring, Toilet seats, Denture adhesive, LoudspeakersMovie film, Fishing boots, Candles, Water pipes, Car enamel Shower curtains, Credit cards, Aspirin, Golf balls, DetergentsSunglasses, Glue, Fishing rods, Linoleum, Plastic wood, Soft contact lenses, Trash bags, Hand lotion, ShampooShaving cream, Footballs, Paint brushes, Balloons, Fan beltsUmbrellas, Paint Rollers, Luggage, Antifreeze Model carsFloor wax, Sports car bodies, Tires, Dishwashing liquids Unbreakable dishes, Toothbrushes, Toothpaste, CombsTents, Hair curlers, Lipstick, Ice cube trays, Electric blanketsTennis rackets, Drinking cups, House paint, Rollerskates wheels, Guitar strings, Ammonia, Eyeglasses, Ice chests, Life jackets, TV cabinets, Car battery cases, Insect repellent, Refrigerants, Typewriter ribbons, Cold cream, Glycerin, Plywood adhesive, Cameras, Anesthetics, Artificial turfArtificial Limbs, Bandages, Dentures, Mops, Beach UmbrellasBallpoint pens, Boats, Nail polish, Golf bags, Caulking, Tape recorders, Curtains, Vitamin capsules, Dashboards, Putty, Percolators, Skis, Insecticides, Fishing lures, Perfumes, Shoe polish, Petroleum jelly, Faucet washers, Food preservatives, Antihistamines, Cortisone, Dyes, LP recordsSolvents, Roofing

WHAT IS CRUDE OIL?

• CRUDE OIL OR PETROLEUM IS A FOSSIL FUEL (ALONG WITH COAL/NATURAL GAS)

• DECAYED PLANT AND ANIMAL MATTER-MILLIONS OF YEARS

• NONRENEWABLE RESOURCE

oil

• 1 barrel of oil=42 gallons

• 42 gallons of crude oil will become 19 gallons of fuel

• Crude oil-how it comes out of the ground

• Oil refinery-turns crude into products

Top oil producers

• The world produces 85 million barrels per day

• #1 Saudi Arabia• #2 Russia• #3 USA • #4 China• #5 Canada• #6 UAE

Top Consumers

• #1 USA 19 MILLION BARRELS PER DAY

• #2 CHINA 9 MILLION• #3 JAPAN• #4 INDIA

THE USA CONSUMED 6.8 BILLION BARRELS IN 2011

WHERE DO WE GET OUR OIL

• CANADA-

• MEXICO-

• SAUDI ARABIA-

• VENEZUELA-

• Columbia-

• Plus another 36 countries

SW ASIA BEFORE OIL

SW ASIA TODAY

DUBAI AFTER OIL

HOME TO THE “BIG 3”

• Where Judaism, Christianity, and Islam began