World Geography

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World Geography
Chapter 21
Regional Atlas Introduction to Central and
Southwest Asia
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World Geography
Chapter 21 Regional Atlas Introduction
to Central and Southwest Asia
Section 1 Historical Overview
Section 2 Physical Characteristics
Section 3 Climates
Section 4 Ecosystems
Section 5 People and Cultures
Section 6 Economics, Technology and
Environment
Section 7 Database
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Historical Overview
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The agricultural revolution began in the Fertile
Crescent around 8000 B.C.

• 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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Physical Characteristics
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Physical Characteristics
2
Towering mountains and vast, arid plains dominate
Central and Southwest Asia.

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

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

• 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.

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

• The regions 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 regions 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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Economics, Technology, and Environment
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Economics, 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.

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

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Database
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• 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 worlds largest exporter of
  petroleum products, and despite the nations 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.