Physical Geography of Southwest Asia

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Physical Geography of Southwest Asia
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Arabian Peninsula

• Separated from Africa by the Red Sea and the rest
  of Asia by the Persian Gulf

The colored areas make up the Arabian Peninsula
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Suez Canal

• Goods from Asia flow from this canal to ports in
  Europe and North Africa

Suez Canal website
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Plains and Highlands

• Much of the Arabian Peninsula is covered by
  plains and highlands
• Causes dry, sandy and windy conditions
• Wadis- riverbeds that remain dry for most of the
  year except during rainy season

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Climate

• Southwest Asia is extremely arid
• Most areas receive less than 18 inches of rain
  per year
• Covered with rough, dry terrain that varies from
  huge tracts of sand dunes to great salt flats

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Deserts

• The most famous desert in this region is the Rub
  al-Khali
• Know as the Empty Quarter
• The size of Texas and located on the Arabian
  Peninsula

• Locally called place where no one comes out

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Scarcity

• Water is the most scarce resource in the region.
• Its availability determines where people live,
  their economic activities, even their diet and
  health.

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2 Most Important Rivers

• Tigris and Euphrates
• Supported several ancient river valley
  civilizations in an area called the fertile
  crescent
• Flow parallel to each other for hundreds of miles
  before joining at Shatt al Arab

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Why would people rather live here?
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Abundant Resources

• Oil
• One-half of the worlds oil reserves are found in
  Southwest Asia, along the coast of the Persian
  Gulf