Physical Geography of Southwest Asia

Chapter 21

Peninsulas– The most distinctive landform in Southwest Asia is

the Arabian Peninsula.– Another important landform in the region is the

Anatolian Peninsula, which is occupied by the country of Turkey.

Mountains•Hindu Kush

–Makes contact with the outside world difficult for Afghanistan

•Zagros–Isolates western Iran from the rest of SW Asia

Bodies of Water• Tigris and

Euphrates Rivers– Supported

several ancient river valley civilizations in an area called the Fertile Crescent

Bodies of Water cont…

•Jordan River–A natural boundary between Israel and Jordan

•Dead Sea–A landlocked salt lake

Deserts•Rub al-Khali

–Aka the Empty Quarter and the “place where no one comes out”

–About the size of Texas–On the Arabian Peninsula

Human Environment Interaction

• Water is the most important resource in SW Asia

• Turkey is building a series of dams and a man-made lake on the upper Euphrates River

• National Water Carrier project– Carries water in Israel

– Source of international conflict

Modern Water Technology

• Drip Irrigation

–Using small pipes that slowly drip water just above ground to conserve water used for crops

• Desalinization

–Removal of salt from ocean water

–Used in treatment plants

Oil Supply•Fields contain 50% of the world’s petroleum reserves

•First petroleum discovery was in 1908 in Iran

Dangers of Oil• Oil Spills

–Largest spill = 1991 during Persian Gulf War•>240 million gallons of crude oil spilled into the water and on land