The Middle East Today: Political Map

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17 18 11--> 7 6 1 13 8--> 9 <--10 2 12 5 16 20 14

21 Middle East? OR Near East? OR Southwest Asia? OR….? Bodies of Water

Black Sea Dardanelles Strait→

Atlantic Tigris Ocean EuphratesRiver Jordan River→ River→ Suez Canal→ Strait of Hormuz Gulf River→ of Oman

Arabian Sea Gulf of Aden

Indian Ocean The Mighty Nile River: “Longest River in the World” : The “Gift of the Nile”

Nile Delta

Annual Nile Flooding

95% of the Egyptian people live on 5% of the land! Aswan High Dam, Egypt

Hydroelectric Power Plant Suez Canal

https://www.youtub e.com/watch?v=- jl5y-1ewW8

The Suez Canal Connects the to the Mediterranean Sea!!

Completed by the British in 1869 The Tigris & Euphrates River System

Mesopotamia: ”Land Between the Two Rivers”

Marsh Arabs, So. Iraq Dust Storms Along the Tigris-Euphrates Flood Plains The Jordan River System:

Israel & Jordan--A Fight Over Water Rights? Dead Sea: Lowest Point on Earth 2,300’ below sea level https://www.youtube.com/watch ?v=UFE4_hCe0OU

https://www.youtube.com/watch ?v=VhkijfRtMOo

Highest Salt Content (33%) Wadis – Instant Springs Mountains & Plateaus

Caucasus Mts. Anatolian Plateau

Iranian Atlas Mts. Zagros Plateau Mts. Mountain Ranges in Mid-East

Elburz Mts., Iran Zagros Mts., Iran

Lebanese Mts. Taurus Mts., Turkey

SinaiNegev DesertDesert Libyan Rub al-Khali

Sahara Desert Desert Bedouins Breeding Areas of Desert Locusts Swarms of Desert

Locusts! Israel Hit By Worst Locust Plague Since the 1950s! https://www.youtube.com/watch ?v=6bx5JUGVahk

https://www.youtube.com/watch ?v=PItM0BqLnv4

Locusts Swarm the Pyramids Complex at Giza! Rub al-Khali: “The Empty Quarter” Desert Oases: Water at a Premium! Fresh Groundwater Sources Desalinization:

• Desalination is a process that takes away mineral components from saline water. More generally,desalination refers to the removal of salts and minerals from a target substance, Desalinization Plants Fertile Crescent The Fertile Crescent Completed Map

Caucasus Mts. Black Sea Dardanelles Strait→Anatolian Plateau Atlantic Tigris Ocean Euphrates Iranian Jordan River→River Atlas Mts. Zagros Plateau River→ Mts. Suez Canal→Sinai DesertDesert Strait of Arabian Hormuz Libyan Desert Nile Desert Gulf River→ Rub of al-Khali Oman

Sahara Desert Arabian Sea Gulf of Aden

Indian Ocean 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! 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 Leading U. S. Oil Suppliers

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