Chapter 21, Section

World GeographyWorld Geography

Chapter 21

Regional Atlas:Introduction to Central

and Southwest Asia

Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.

Chapter 21, Section

World GeographyWorld Geography

Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.

Section 1: Historical Overview

Section 2: Physical Characteristics

Section 3: Climates

Section 4: Ecosystems

Chapter 21: Regional Atlas: Introduction toCentral and Southwest Asia

Section 5: People and Cultures

Section 6: Economics, Technology and Environment

Section 7: Database

Chapter 21, Section

The agricultural revolution began in the Fertile Crescent around 8000 B.C.

Historical OverviewHistorical Overview

• The Sumerians developed a complex civilization, and later Judaism and Christianity emerged as religions based on monotheism.

• The Arabic-speaking peoples of the Arabian peninsula, inspired by Islam, conquered most of the region and founded an Islamic empire.

• European powers divided Ottoman lands into a number of nations and protectorates after World War I.

• The formation of the Jewish state of Israel was at the center of a number of clashes between Jews and Palestinian Arabs.

• Muslim countries of the region are divided between supporters of Western-style democracy and supporters of Islamic rule.

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Chapter 21, Section 2

Physical CharacteristicsPhysical Characteristics

Chapter 21, Section

Towering mountains and vast, arid plains dominate Central and Southwest Asia.

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Physical CharacteristicsPhysical Characteristics

• Mountains that experience frequent earthquakes ring the plateaus of Turkey and Iran.

• The plains of Southwest Asia are covered with deserts, except where rivers provide water for irrigation.

• In Central Asia, deserts cover the plains in the southwest, and rolling grasslands cover the plains in the north.

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ClimatesClimates

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Most of this region has arid and semiarid climates, with little precipitation.

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ClimatesClimates

• Arid stretches across the Arabian Peninsula, much of Central Asia, and central Iran.

• Semiarid covers most of Turkey and Iran, and rings the deserts of Central Asia.

• Mediterranean lies along the coasts of the Mediterranean, Black, and Caspian seas.

• Several other climate zones lie at the edges of the region.

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EcosystemsEcosystems

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Desert, grassland, and chaparral ecosystems cover parts of the region.

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EcosystemsEcosystems

• Deserts cover the Arabian Peninsula, much of Central Asia, and central Iran.

• Chaparral stretches along the coasts of the Mediterranean and Black seas.

• Temperate grasslands cover much of northern Southwest Asia and the edges of Central Asia.

• Forest ecosystems cover much of the highland areas.

Chapter 21, Section

Water is a scarce resource across much of the region, and the population is concentrated in river valleys and coastal areas.

People and CulturesPeople and Cultures

• The region’s nomadic livestock herders, who have for centuries lived in moveable tents called yurts, earn additional money by making fine rugs and carpets.

• Mosques are the region’s most visible signs of Islamic heritage, where five times a day the muezzin, or crier, climbs the minaret to call the people to prayer.

• Jerusalem is a city sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims, and a site of conflict for centuries as each group has fought for control of the region.

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Chapter 21, Section 6

Economics, Technology, and EnvironmentEconomics, Technology, and Environment

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Most of the people in the region live in cities, where services and industry are the main economic activities.

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Economics, Technology, and EnvironmentEconomics, Technology, and Environment

• Commercial and subsistence farming are the main activities in areas with fertile soils and water.

• Livestock raising and nomadic herding are practiced in most of the region.

• Oil and natural gas extraction provide most of the region’s wealth.

• Hydroelectric dams provide water and electricity, but also cause disputes with countries downstream.

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DatabaseDatabase

• Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic, has a trade deficit, exports mostly oil and machinery, and could reduce the trade imbalance by expanding oil production.

• Kazakhstan, another former Soviet republic, has a trade surplus, exporting mostly oil and metals and importing manufactured goods.

• Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest exporter of petroleum products, and despite the nation’s need to import food and manufactured goods, petroleum exports give it an immense trade surplus.

• Israel has an advanced technological economy, but has a trade deficit because it imports raw materials and military equipment.

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