The Middle East Today:Political Map

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Middle East? OR Near East?OR Southwest Asia? OR….?

Bodies of Water

TigrisRiver

Nile River

EuphratesRiverJordan

River Persian Gulf

ArabianSea

Mediterranean Sea

IndianOcean

Red Sea

Black Sea

Gulf of Aden

Strait ofHormuz

Suez Canal

Dardanelles Strait

AtlanticOcean

Gulf of

Oman

Caspian Sea

The Mighty Nile River:

“Longest River in the World”

Egypt: The “Gift of the Nile”

Annual Nile Flooding

Annual Nile Flooding

Nile DeltaNile

Delta

95% of the Egyptian people live on 5% of the

land!

95% of the Egyptian people live on 5% of the

land!

Aswan High Dam, Egypt

Hydroelectric

Power Plant

Hydroelectric

Power Plant

Suez Canal

Completed by the British in 1869

Completed by the British in 1869

The Tigris & Euphrates

River System

Mesopotamia: ”Land Between the

Two Rivers”

Mesopotamia: ”Land Between the

Two Rivers”

Marsh Arabs, So. Iraq

Marsh Arabs, So. Iraq

Dust Storms Along the Tigris-Euphrates Flood Plains

TheJordan River

System:

Israel & Jordan--A Fight Over

Water Rights?

Dead Sea: Lowest Point on Earth

HighestSalt

Content(33%)

HighestSalt

Content(33%)

2,300’ below sea level

2,300’ below sea level

Wadis – Instant Springs

Mountains & Plateaus

Atlas Mts.

Elb

urz M

ts.

Taurus Mts.

Zagros Mts.

Iranian Plateau

AnatolianPlateau

Caucasus Mts.

Hejaz M

ts.

Mountain Ranges in Mid-East

Elburz Mts., IranElburz Mts., Iran Zagros Mts., IranZagros Mts., Iran

Lebanese Mts.Lebanese Mts. Taurus Mts., TurkeyTaurus Mts., Turkey

Deserts

Sahara Desert

ArabianDesert

NegevDesert

SinaiDesertLibyan Desert

Rubal-Khali

Desert Bedouins

Breeding Areas of Desert Locusts

Swarms of Desert Locusts!

Locusts Swarm the Pyramids Complex at

Giza!

Locusts Swarm the Pyramids Complex at

Giza!

Israel Hit By Worst Locust Plague

Since the 1950s!

Israel Hit By Worst Locust Plague

Since the 1950s!

Rub al-Khali:“The Empty Quarter”

Desert Oases: Water at a Premium!

Fresh Groundwater Sources

Desalinization

Plants

Fertile Crescent

The Fertile Crescent

Completed Map

TigrisRiver

Nile River

EuphratesRiverJordan

River Persian Gulf

ArabianSea

Mediterranean Sea

IndianOcean

Red Sea

Black Sea

Gulf of Aden

Strait ofHormuz

Suez Canal

Dardanelles Strait

AtlanticOcean

Gulf of

Oman

Caspian Sea

ArabianDesert

NegevDesert

SinaiDesert

Rubal-Khali

Atlas Mts.

Elb

urz M

ts.

Taurus Mts.

Zagros Mts.

Iranian Plateau

AnatolianPlateau

Caucasus Mts.

Hejaz M

ts.Sahara Desert

Libyan Desert

The Middle East vs. the U. S.

Latitude Lines

Middle East: Climate Regions

Middle East: Population Density

Cairo, Egypt: Most Populated City in the Middle East

17,000,000+

People!

17,000,000+

People!

The Middle East:Natural Vegetation

The Natural Resources of the

Middle East

World Oil Reserves

Persian Gulf Oil Exports (2003)

Saudi Oil Fields & Refineries

Kuwait: An Island Floating on a Sea of Oil

Kuwait

City

Kuwait

City

Leading U. S. Oil Suppliers

The U. S. imports 30% of its oil needs from the Middle East.

The U. S. imports 30% of its oil needs from the Middle East.