Geography Notes: Chapter 21, Section I
Southwest Asia consists of a lot of strategic positions
Located on two peninsulas
Located on a tectonic plate
Why there is such diverse landforms in the area
Land bridge connecting Southwest Asia with Asia, Africa, Europe
Golan Heights
1967, war between Syria and Israel
Hilly, plateau overlooking the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee
Has been a sight of conflict for decades
Southwest Asia has an eclectic mixture of landforms
Coastal Plains
Mountains
Deserts
Peninsulas and Waterways
Arabian Peninsula
Separated from Africa by the Red Sea
Red Sea covers a rift valley (long thin valley created by separating plates) by the movement of the Arabian plate
Different Mountain ranges that separate it: Zagros, Elburz and Taurus
Persian Gulf is on the East
Anatolia Peninsula
Marks the beginning of the Asian continent
Both peninsulas are on strategic waterways
Arabian Peninsula: Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Suez Canal
Makes it easy to move goods to Europe and North Africa
Anatolia Peninsula: Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea
Two narrow waterways
Bosporous Strait
Dardenelles Strait
Make it good for trade and transport to Russia and inside Asia
Straits of Hormuz-VERY IMPORTANT
ONLY waterway to huge oil fields in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iraq
Plains and Highlands
Arabian Peninsula is basically one large plain
Dry, sandy and windy
Barren
Wadis: riverbeds that remain dry except during rainy season
Nomadic lives have been able to adapt to harsh conditions
Iran
Plateau surrounded by mountains
Isolated, very high
Strong, salty and sandy
Foothills able to produce some crops
Anatolia
Plateau
Productive for agriculture
Graze animals like sheep and goats
Northern Afghanistan
Well watered agricultural area
Mountains
Hindu Kush Mountains
Southern Afghanistan
"Frame" southern Asia
Landlocked and mountainous
Makes contact with outside world difficult
Zagros
Western Iran
Help isolate country
Elburz
South of Caspian Sea
Prevent easy access by Iran
Taurus
Separate Turkey from the rest of Southwest Asia
Water
ALMOST completely surrounded by water for vital trade
Tigris and Euphrates
Aka "Fertile Crescent"
Ancient civilizations such as the Sumerians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Chaldeans
Valleys fertile, well-watered, good for agriculture
Join at Shatt al Arab
Spreads out and eventually ends up in the Persian Gulf
Jordan River
Near Mount Hermon
Natural boundary between Israel and Jordan
Dead Sea (p.
489)
Landlocked salt lake
Only bacteria can live in the water
Lowest place on the exposed crust
Resources
OIL
Provides ONE-HALF of the worlds oil resources
Major oil fields on the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Iraq
Natural gas fields close by
Major portion of income comes from oil since the world is so oil reliant
Water=Hydroelectric Power
Turkey, Iran, Lebanon, Afghanistan
Other resources
Coal
Copper
Salts