middle east, israel, iraq, iran,

1. Southwest Asia

2. Peninsulas Plains &
Highlands
Mountains Waterways Resources
Arabian Peninsula
- Most distinctive
landform in
Southwest Asia
- Separated from
Africa from Red Sea
and Asia by Persian
Gulf
- Mountains to the
North prevent rain
from reaching
Plains of Arabian
Peninsula
- Covers much of the
peninsula
- Hejaz mountains in
southwest corner
- Home to wadis, dry
river beds
Zagros
- Isolated Iran from
rest of SW Asia
- Southwestern part of
Iran
Tigris & Euphrates
- Fertile Crescent
- Flow through
Turkey, Syria and
Iraq
- Empties into Persian
Gulf
Oil
- Half of world’s oil
reserves found in
SW Asia
- US depends on
importation of oil
from region
Anatolian Peninsula
- Occupied by Turkey
- Marks start of Asian
continent
- Located between
Black Sea and
Mediterranean Sea
Plateau of Iran
- Iran is a plateau
surrounded by
mountains
- Good for farming
and grazing
Elburz
- South of Caspian sea
- Cuts off Iran from
access to the
Caspian
Jordan River
- Water provided for
entire region
- Natural boundary
between Israel and
Jordan
- Flows into Dead Sea
Water
- Most valuable
resources because of
its scarcity
- Turkey, Iran,
Lebanon &
Afghanistan has
abundance of water
- Used to generate
electricity
Taurus
- Separates Turkey
from rest of SW Asia
Dead Sea
- So salty that only
bacteria can live in
it
- Lowest place on
exposed crust on
Earth
Others
- coal, metallic
minerals, copper
- Much is spread out,
making it difficult to
mine
- Turkey and Iran

3. C
L
I
M
A
T
E

4. Finding Water
Dams
 Turkey building 22 dams for water and hydroelectrivity
Desalinization
 removing salt from ocean water
 not good for drinking or agriculture
 used for sewage
Fossil Water
 Pumping from underground aquifers
 25-30 years left
 Youtube desalination

5. Extracting Oil
 Large deposits in region
 Oil trapped in rock
 Oil discovered in early 20th century
 Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
 Must be refined
 Transportation problems (spills etc.)
 OPEC (youtube)

6. Islam
 Monotheistic
 Founder: Mohammad
 Holy sites in Saudi Arabia include Mecca &
Medina
Five Pillars
 Faith: “There is no God but God, and
Mohammad is his prophet.”
 Ritual prayer: 5 times a day, facing Mecca
 Alms Giving: Supporting the poor
 Fasting: During month of Ramadan,
between sunrise and sunset
 Hajj: Pilgrimage to Mecca once in a
lifetime

7. Shifting Governments in Southwest Asia
 Early Muslim countries were theocratic
 Today, modern gov’ts base laws on Shari’ah law
 1600s: European countries colonize much of SW
Asia
 Controlled by Britain & France through WW II
 Why was this region attractive to European
countries?
 Saud family takes control of Arabian peninsula by
1930s

8. Urbanization of SW Asia
 1960: 25% urban
 1990: 58%
 2015: 70%
 Riyadh: 4 million
people

9. Eastern Mediterranean
 Syria
 Lebanon
 Israel
 Jordan
 Cyprus

10. Religious Holy Places in Jerusalem
 Judaism, Christianity, Islam all have holy sites in the region
 All three claim Jerusalem as a holy city, with holy sites in the city

11. Jewish Holy Sites
 Solomon’s First Temple destroyed 586 BC
 Second Temple destroyed by Romans, 70 AD
 Western Wall all that remains
 Holiest Jewish site in Jerusalem

12. Christian Holy Sites
 Jerusalem site of Jesus’ crucifixion
 Mount of Olives; Church of the Holy
Sepulcher
 European Christians launched
crusades to recapture land from
Muslims

14. Islamic Holy Sites
Dome of the Rock
 Shrine at spot where Muhammed is believed to have
ascended into heaven
 Located on the Temple Mount, site of Jewish temples

15. History of Unrest
 1520-1922: Rule by Ottoman Empire
 Post WW I: Britain & France divide land

16. British Palestine
 Britain controls Palestine Mandate
 1800s: Zionism – reestablish Jewish state
 Britain allows Jewish and Arab settling
 1939: increasing tension; Britain stops Jewish
immigration
Theodor Herzl is considered the founder of the
Zionist movement. In his 1896 book Der
Judenstaat, he envisioned the founding of a
future independent Jewish state during the 20th
century.

17. The State of Israel
 1947: UN creates plan to
divide Palestine into a
Jewish and Arab state
 May 14, 1948: Modern
Israeli state established
 Egypt, Syria, Lebanon,
Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia
,Yemen invade
 Israel repels attacks and
thrives
 1964: Palestinian
Liberation Organization

19. Refugees in Eastern Mediterranean
 Palestinians lost land during 1948 war
 Many still live in UN-sponsored camps
 PLO & Hezbollah attacks & Israeli counterattacks have caused political
instability
 Today, Syrians fleeing their gov’t leading to another refugee crisis

21. Problems with Modernizing
 Israel has modern infrastructure necessary for economic growth
 War-torn areas lack infrastructure
 Potential exists in these areas for economic growth
 Variety of cultures has positive and negative consequences

22. The Northeast
 Turkey
 Iraq
 Iran

23. Ethnic Diversity
 Most people here are Muslim
 Turks, Kurds, Arab, & Persian ethnic groups
 Muslims split between Sunni & Shi’ite
 4 out of 5 are Sunni; most Iranians are Shi’ite

25. Kurds: A Stateless People
 Ethnic group living in Turkey, Iraq, Iran
 Promised homeland at end of WWI
 Iraqi forces gassed Kurds in late 80s & 90s

26. Wars in the Region
Iraq-Iran Wars 1980-1990
 Control of oil fields
 Why does US help Iraq?
Persian Gulf War 1991
 Iraq invades Kuwait (oil fields)
 US led coalition pushes back invasion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhrtL_XVv3s

27. United States Intervention in
the post-9/11 World
 By late 90s, Taliban ruling Afghanistan,
protecting Osama Bin Laden
 Sept 11, 2001: Terror attack on US,
sponsored by Bin Laden
 Oct. 2001: US invades Afghanistan
 March, 2002: Provisional gov’t in
Afghanistan established
 March, 2003: US invades Iraq & removes
Saddam Hussein
 May, 2011: Bin Laden found and killed in
Pakistan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icX6FjyV-p0