NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA

• Geography 200
• Dr. Stavros Constantinou

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA

• This region is often referred to as the Middle
  East, a term that is an inaccurate reflection of
  colonial chauvinism and a reflection of the
  eurocentric view of the world. The Middle East
  is about halfway along the route to the "Far
  East" from Britain or France. Applying the same
  logic, to the inhabitant of Pakistan, this region
  would have been described as "Midwest."
• The geographically correct term Southwest Asia,
  will be used here despite the fact that it
  creates problems because we often tend to include
  China, India, and Japan.
• Also, there is a problem regarding the
  incorporation of Saudi Arabia or Israel. Egypt
  is clearly more related to Syria or Iraq than
  those nations are to Korea or Vietnam.
  Geographically Egypt belongs to Africa. The
  nations north of the Sahara Desert share many
  similarities with the "Middle East" but
  relatively few with their neighbors in
  Sub-Saharan Africa.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA

• From the political geographer's point of view,
  this region constitutes a shatter belt, that is,
  a fragmented region, coveted by outside powers,
  where the dangers of confrontation are great, the
  stakes are high, and the dangers of escalating
  conflict all too real. Conflict has been more or
  less endemic to this region throughout recorded
  history. Several flash points continue to persist
  down to the present time.
• Despite its diversity, this region constitutes a
  unit because of
• a. the dominance of dry climates and
• b. the Islamic (Moslem or Muslim) religion.
  Islam is the principal religion in all countries
  except
• Israel, where Judaism prevails
• Lebanon, where ancient forms of Christianity are
  of major importance.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA MAJOR FEATURES

• Dry climates and the Muslim faith dominate in
  this region.
• More than sixty percent of the world's oil
  reserves are found here.
• The Fertile Crescent was one the major
  domestication hearths extending from the Levant
  to the Persian Gulf. Crops originating here
  include figs, grapes, dates, and olives.
• Home to three of the world's major religions
  Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
• Water is the most important resource in the area
  and population is concentrated where water is
  found. Water is not only the basis for life, but
  for the social organization of the village.
• The Middle East is one of the world's
  shatterbelts and a focal point of conflict.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA LOCATION AND SIZE

• The realm of North Africa and Southwest Asia
  forms an elongated region stretching for 9,660
  km. (6,000 mi.) across northern Africa and
  southwestern Asia, from the Atlantic Ocean to the
  borders of India, China and Central Asia.
• This realm covers an area of 16,886,155 square
  kilometers (6,519,752 square miles) or 11.3 of
  the total land area of the planet.
• The Tropic of Cancer crosses the central section
  of this region. Turkey is the only country of
  this region that reaches along the 42nd parallel.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA LOCATION AND SIZE

• Twelve countries in this region have populations
  of 10,000,000 people or more.
• Iran, Turkey, and Egypt have more than
  60,000,000
• Iraq, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Morocco, Saudi
  Arabia and Algeria have populations that range
  between 24,000,000 and 32,000,000.
• These countries have populations that range
  between 10 and 20 million Syria, Yemen,
  Kazakhstan, and Saudi Arabia.
• Western Sahara, Qatar and Bahrain are the
  smallest countries in population with 300,000,
  600,000 and 700,000 people, respectively.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA LOCATION AND SIZE

• The importance of countries, however, is not
  necessarily a function of size. For example, the
  small state of Israel has carved out a niche for
  itself despite the opposition of larger
  neighbors.
• The rich petroleum deposits of Kuwait and other
  minor territories of the Persian Gulf have
  magnified the importance of these small political
  units.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA LANDFORMS

• The margins of North Africa and Southwest Asia
  are mainly occupied by oceans, seas, high
  mountains, and deserts
• to the west, the Atlantic Ocean
• to the south, the Sahara Desert, the highlands
  of East Africa, and the Indian Ocean
• to the north, the Mediterranean, Black, and
  Caspian Seas together with mountains and deserts
  in Central Asia.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA LANDFORMS

• Alpine System
• A chain of mountains extends across Southwest
  Asia from the Toros (Taurus) ranges of Turkey to
  Zagros, Elburz, and Hindu Kush.
• The Atlas Mountains of North Africa, the
  physiographic base of the settled Maghreb
  (Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia), are also a part
  of the Alpine System. The Atlas Mountains
  receive an average rainfall of 750 mm (30
  inches), something unusual for this region. The
  role of altitude is clear. Even 240 km (150
  miles) into the interior, the slopes of the Atlas
  receive more than 250 mm (10 inches) of rainfall.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA LANDFORMS

• In Iran, qanat (kanat) furnishes the water
  supply for a large share of the country's
  irrigated acreage. Qanat is an underground
  channel which carries irrigation water from the
  mountains, where rainfall is relatively
  plentiful, to the drier areas below. A qanats
  course may be clearly recognized from the air,
  for at intervals it has circular openings
  resembling miniature craters. It corresponds to
  the foggara of North Africa. The length of a
  qanat ranges from a few hundred meters to tens of
  kilometers.
• Another important physiographic feature of this
  region is the elevated plain (plateau) of
  interior Iran, and the Anatolian Plateau of
  interior Turkey.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA LANDFORMS

• Sedimentary Covers
• This is a broad area extending from the Atlantic
  Ocean to the Delta of the Nile.
• It also occupies major sections of the Arabian
  Peninsula, Syria, and Iraq.
• Specifically, it includes the Sahara, Libyan, An
  Nafud, and Rub al Khali.
• The Sahara forms the world's largest desert
  (9,065,000 sq. km. or 3,500,000 sq. mi.). It
  continues to move southward into Africa at a rate
  of about 8 km (5 mi.) per year. Such a spread of
  desert landscapes constitutes what is often
  referred to as desertification.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA LANDFORMS

• Rifted Shield Areas.
• This is an elongated area that extends from the
  foothills of the Toros (Taurus) Mountains in
  Turkey, to the Jordan River Valley, and the Red
  Sea.
• The best-known example of a rift valley is the
  one that extends from Syria, Israel, Jordan, and
  East Africa for more than 4,800 km (3,000 mi.) in
  length.
• This rift valley includes the Sea of Galilee, the
  valley of the Jordan River, the Dead Sea, the
  Gulf of Aqaba, the Red Sea, and runs through Lake
  Rudolph and several smaller lakes to Lake Malawi
  with a branch through Lakes Tanganyika, Edward,
  and Albert.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA CLIMATE

• Because of the Arabian peninsula's location
  between 15 degrees and 30 degrees N lat., it is
  dominated by the subtropical high (STH) pressure
  throughout much of the year resulting in
  conditions of heat and especially drought.
• Summer temperatures in this region often exceed
  48º Celsius (120º Fahrenheit), while high
  humidity along the coasts adds to human
  discomfort.
• Desert lands in this region typically have a high
  daily range of temperature.
• Precipitation averages only between 5 and 10 cm
  (2-4 in.) except on the mountains (orographic
  effect) notably the arid regions of the southwest
  where as much as 76 cm (30 in.) of rain may fall.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA CLIMATE

• Climatic types
• Tropical and subtropical desert (BWh).
• Tropical and subtropical steppe (BSh).
• Middle latitude steppe (BSk).
• Dry summer subtropical or Mediterranean (Csa).

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA VEGETATION

• Sparse desert vegetation predominates throughout
  this region.
• Needleleaf evergreen trees are found in the Atlas
  Mountains of northwestern Africa.
• Broadleaf evergreen trees are found in the Nile
  Valley.
• Mixed broadleaf deciduous and needleleaf
  evergreen trees are found in Northern coastal
  and eastern Turkey, and northern and western
  Iran.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA SOILS

• The soils of this region are very poor.
• The predominant soil group is the aridisols.
• Patches of entisols are also found in the dry
  desert areas.
• Inceptisols predominate in the river valleys and
  in northwestern Africa.
• A small area of mollisols is found in the
  interior of the Anatolian Plateau in Turkey.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA RESOURCES

• Water has been the key to life in this arid
  environment, since the beginning of time.
• For example, the ancient Greek scholar Herodotus
  described Egypt as the gift of the Nile, an
  evaluation that rings true today as it did in
  ancient times.
• The Nile is an example of an exotic river
  because it receives its water as runoff in humid
  regions or from highland zones and then flows
  across large expanses of desert before reaching
  the Mediterranean Sea.
• Along 2 of the Egyptian territory (Nile Valley
  and Delta) live more than 95 of the Egyptian
  population (72,100,000 in 2003).
• Other examples of exotic river systems are the
  Tigris-Euphrates system and the Jordan River.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA RESOURCES

• The nomads of this region move from oasis to
  oasis in search of water and pastures for
  survival.
• Oases are natural concentrations of fresh water
  that do not depend on immediate local
  precipitation, and they have proved critical for
  an important component of desert life.
• In Iran, the qanat has been an integral part of
  life for a long time. The qanat is a
  subterranean channel built to carry irrigation
  water from mountains to the lands below.
• In recent years, technology has been employed by
  many of the countries in this realm to solve the
  scarcity of water and supply drinking water for
  their people. For example, through the use of
  desalination Kuwait has a capacity of producing
  more than 600,000,000 liters of drinking water
  every day. Several cities along the Gulf depend
  on these practices for their survival.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA RESOOURCES -- OIL

• Oil is certainly the most important resource of
  North Africa and southwest Asia. Deposits are
  concentrated around the Persian Gulf. It is the
  most economically important export of the realm.
• During the period 1994-1996, on average, these
  countries together produced 28.0 percent of the
  world total output.
• Saudi Arabia ranked as the worlds leading
  producer with 13.1 percent followed by Iran
  with 5.8 percent the United Arab Emirates with
  3.6 percent Kuwait with 3.3 percent and Libya
  with 2.2 percent (Table 6.2).
• Additional detailed statistics on the worlds
  leading oil countries are shown in Table 6.3.
• In 1997, the world estimates in petroleum
  reserves were 1,160,069,500,000,000 barrels.
• These countries collectively account for 56.3
  percent of the world's total reserves. Saudi
  Arabia has 22.6 percent, Iraq 9.7 percent, Kuwait
  8.2 percent, Iran 7.8 percent, U.A.E. 5.5
  percent, and Libya 2.5 percent.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA RESOURCES

• In 1960, Venezuela, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi
  Arabia founded OPEC (Organization of Petroleum
  Exporting Countries) in an effort to dictate oil
  prices.
• Later additions included Algeria, Ecuador,
  Nigeria, Gabon, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates,
  Qatar, and Libya.
• This 13-member cartel was designed to control
  world pricing and production of a single
  commodity, oil.
• Currently, OPEC has 11 members after the
  withdrawal of Ecuador and Gabon.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA RESOURCES

• This region has important natural gas deposits.
• Collectively, these countries control 35.0 of
  the world's reserves in natural gas.
• Of the world output, Iran ranks first with
  15.0, Qatar ranks third with 5.1, U.A.E. has
  4.1, Saudi Arabia has 3.8, Iraq has 2.4,
  Algeria 2.6, Uzbekistan 2.1, and Turkmenistan
  has 2.0.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA RESOURCES

• Chief among the mineral resources of the region
  are chromite and phosphate of lime.
• Kazakhstan produces 16.8 of the worlds chromite
  and ranks second (after South Africa which
  produces 37.7 percent). Turkey ranks third
  producing 12.8 of the worlds chrome.
• Phosphate rock is used in the manufacture of
  fertilizer. Morocco and Tunisia are among the
  world's leading producers of phosphate rock, 15.5
  percent and 5.1 percent, respectively. Morocco
  ranks third and Tunisia fourth in the production
  of phosphate rock, after the United States (33.2
  percent) and China (16.4 percent). Morocco is
  the world's leading exporter of this commodity.
• Kazakhstan has 17.6 percent of the worlds
  uranium reserves and ranks second after
  Australia.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA POPULATION

• The twenty-seven countries that are included in
  the North Africa and Southwest Asia realm have a
  total population of 488,800,000, or 7.7 of the
  world total population.
• The largest countries in terms of population are
  Turkey, Iran, and Egypt. These three countries
  together account for about half this total.
• Population growth rates are, for the most part,
  higher than the world average. A number of
  countries in this region face a serious
  demographic problem if appropriate policies are
  not implemented to curb a population explosion.
• Examples
• Egypt where the rate of natural increase of the
  population stands at 2.1 percent.
• The rate of natural increase in the Palestinian
  Authority region stands at 3.6, which is well
  above the world rate.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA POPULATION

• For the most part, the people of this region live
  along river valleys (Nile Valley and the valleys
  of the Tigris and Euphrates) and in the better
  irrigated lands.
• The greatest density of population is found in a
  narrow strip of well-watered land along the Nile.
  
• Egypt's population (about 95 percent) is highly
  concentrated in a narrow strip along the Nile and
  its delta.
• Except for a few major cities, the majority of
  the population resides in small rural villages.
• Egypt has one of the worlds highest physiologic
  population densities, or number of persons per
  square unit of cultivated land.
• While the overall arithmetic population density
  of the country is 72 persons per sq. km (186
  persons per sq. mi), the physiologic density is
  1,839 persons/sq. km (4,764 persons per sq. mi).

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA POPULATION

• An ecological trilogy characterizes most of the
  societies of the Middle East. Society is divided
  into three mutually dependent types of
  communities--the city, the village, and the
  tribe--each operating in a different setting,
  each contributing to the support of the other two
  sectors and thereby to the maintenance of total
  society.
• (English, P. 1967. "Urbanites, Peasants and
  Nomads The Middle Eastern Ecological Trilogy."
  Journal of Geography 66 54-59).

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA URBAN GEOGRAPHY

• While urbanization has been going on for a long
  period of time in this region, currently there
  are sixteen cities that have populations greater
  than one million inhabitants.
• Istanbul, Tehran, and Cairo are the three largest
  cities of this region, with populations in excess
  of 6,000,000 inhabitants.
• Because of the accelerated movement of people to
  the major urban centers of this region, a large
  number of people are forced to live in
  shantytowns that have sprung up in many of North
  Africa's and Southwest Asias cities.
• For example, the poverty in Cairo's shantytowns
  is well publicized and in the major cities of the
  Maghreb the name bidonvilles is used to describe
  the poverty-stricken shantytowns that surround
  its cities.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA URBAN GEOGRAPHY

• Among the most important urban centers of this
  region is the city of Jerusalem (320,000), which
  is a holy place for three of the worlds major
  religions Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
• Because all three religions have aspired to
  control Jerusalem, it is the focus of
  considerable problems in the Arab-Israeli
  conflict.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA URBAN GEOGRAPHY

• In Saudi Arabia, the government is developing new
  industrial towns at Jubail on the Gulf Coast and
  at Yanbu on the Red Sea.
• Jubail is about halfway toward a planned
  population of approximately 300,000.
• The city has major industrial zones, an airport,
  and highway linkages.
• When completed, the city of Jubail will have the
  area of Greater London or Atlanta.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA CULTURAL
GEOGRAPHY

• Religious complexity
• This region is the birthplace of the three great
  modern monotheistic religions of the world
  Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Monotheistic
  religions profess belief in only one God.
• Jerusalem is the most sacred city to Jews and
  Christians it falls behind only Mecca (Makkah)
  and Medina in sacredness for Muslims.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA CULTURAL
GEOGRAPHY

• Judaism
• The Jewish faith was given a spatial expression
  in 1948 with the formation of the state of
  Israel.
• Diversity and disagreement exist in Israel.
• European Jews, Ashkenazim, are not the same
  people as Middle Eastern Sephardic Jews.
• Reformed and Orthodox versions of the Jewish
  faith are often in bitter doctrinal opposition.
• Jewish fundamentalism is becoming increasingly
  visible.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA CULTURAL
GEOGRAPHY

• Islam is the religion founded by the prophet
  Mohammed.
• Muslims are adherents of the Islamic faith. There
  are about 1.1 billion Muslims in the world.
  Indonesia has the worlds largest Muslim
  population.
• The term Islam means submission to the will of
  God (Allah).
• The term sharia refers to the form of
  government and laws required by adherence to the
  Koran, the Islamic holy book.
• This major world religion originated in 610 A.D.,
  when Mohammed began to receive visions from
  Allah's messenger, Gabriel, while meditating in a
  cave near Mecca.
• The messages of Gabriel continued for twenty-two
  years and were recorded in the Koran. I

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA CULTURAL
GEOGRAPHY

• Islam
• In A.D. 622 Mohammed fled Mecca (idolatry and
  ritual were a profitable religious business in
  Mecca at the time) for Yathrib (later
  Medina--City of the Prophet).
• This flight, or hegira, marks the beginning of
  the Moslem era.
• Ten years later Mohammed ventured back to Mecca,
  where the idols were destroyed at the religious
  center of Kaaba, and the Islamic state began a
  phase of expansion diffusion.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA CULTURAL
GEOGRAPHY

• There are five pillars in the Islamic faith
• Confession of faith by the acceptance of but one
  god, Allah, and his prophet Mohammed.
• Dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset and nightfall
  prayers.
• An almsgiving, or zaket, given to the needy.
• Daytime fasting during the ninth lunar month, or
  Ramadan.
• One pilgrimage, or hajj, to Mecca in a lifetime.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA CULTURAL
GEOGRAPHY

• Following the death of Mohammed, his followers
  split into two major groups, based on whether
  succession to the prophet should follow elected
  lines or blood lines.
• Muslims who believe in elected succession are
  called Sunni.
• The Sunni are Orthodox Muslims who recognize the
  first four elected caliphs (successors of
  Muhammad as temporal and spiritual head of Islam)
  as the rightful successors to Muhammad.
• Succession to Mohammed should be elective among
  senior leaders qualified to rule.
• Sunni are the most numerous among the world's
  Muslims, accounting for about 85 percent of all
  Muslims.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA CULTURAL
GEOGRAPHY

• Those who in bloodline succession are called
  Shiite and they are smaller in number than the
  Sunni.
• According to the Shiites, the Prophet's
  succession should be hereditary.
• They are a branch of Muslims that do not accept
  the election of caliphs, but recognize the "blood
  lines" of inheritance through Ali, one of
  Muhammad's nephews who had married the prophet's
  only surviving daughter.
• The Shiites form the largest minority group of
  the Islamic world including Iraq and Pakistan.
• They make up 90 percent of Irans Muslim
  population today. Only about 10 percent of the
  population of Iran is Sunni.
• During the height of the holiest ceremony in the
  Shiah Muslim calendar, the streets are thronged
  with believers beating themselves with chains in
  mourning for Hussein, grandson of the Prophet,
  who was killed at Karbala in 680 A.D.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA CULTURAL
GEOGRAPHY

• Among the smaller minorities of Muslims one can
  note the Ismailis and the Druses.
• The head of the Ismailis, the Agha Khan, traces
  his ancestry back to the Prophet himself and his
  followers are located in northern Pakistan.
• The Druses form a sect which includes elements of
  Christianity, Judaism and Islam and they are
  found chiefly in Lebanon and Syria.
• In Oman, the Ibadhi sect of Islam is the most
  important.
• Islam spread throughout the North Africa /
  Southwest Asia region and became the dominant
  religion of the realm.
• Arabs of North Africa and Southwest Asia account
  for only about one-fifth of the total Islamic
  population of the world.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA CULTURAL
GEOGRAPHY

• Islam spread across central Asia, India, Malaysia
  and Indonesia In China it spread as far as the
  city of Xian.
• The Muslims of India constitute the worlds
  largest religious minority at about 120,000,000
  people.
• The spread of Islam occurred by a process of
  expansion diffusion or the diffusion of an idea
  through a fixed population.
• The expansion of Islam spread north into Spain,
  which was controlled by the Moors (an Arab-
  Berber alliance). Moorish influence is evident in
  Spanish architecture, including such landmarks as
  the palace of Alcazar and the Giralda in Seville,
  and also in the cities of Granada and Cordoba.
• Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh are the
  worlds largest Islamic countries.
• Egypt, Turkey and Iran are the largest Islamic
  countries in North Africa / Southwest Asia.
• The concepts of Islam are closely related to
  Judaic and Christian beliefs and traditions. In
  fact, Muslims honor the Jewish prophets and Jesus
  as holy men.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA CULTURAL
GEOGRAPHY

• Languages -- the linguistic picture in this
  region is very complex
• Semitic Family
• Arabic is the most widely used language in the
  North Africa and Southwest Asia realm.
• Hebrew is spoken in Israel.
• Amharic is spoken in the plateau country of
  Ethiopia.
• Altaic Family
• Turkic, a member of the of languages is spoken in
  Turkey.
• Tajik
• Indo-European Family
• Iranian (Farsi), is spoken in Iran.
• Hamitic Family
• Berberic and Tuareg are spoken among the
  indigenous populations in Algeria and Morocco

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA ECONOMIC
GEOGRAPHY

• Agriculture
• Farming practices in this region are strongly
  correlated to the presence of water, the most
  important resource in this dry area.
• The most productive areas are found along the
  allogenic (exotic) rivers of the Nile in Egypt
  and Tigris and Euphrates in Iraq.
• Still smaller pockets of agricultural production
  are the areas adjacent to well-watered mountains
  and the coastal plains of countries like Turkey,
  which is self sufficient in foodstuffs.
• The various oases are of smaller significance in
  the overall production of food.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA ECONOMIC
GEOGRAPHY

• The improvements in agriculture are many in this
  region, undertaken in an effort to increase the
  amount of land under irrigation and raise larger
  amounts of food.
• In ancient Egypt, basin irrigation was
  practiced.
• According to this system, fields along the low
  bands of the Nile were partitioned off by earth
  ridges into a large number of artificial basins.
  
• The mud-rich river waters would pour into these
  basins during flood time, and then the exits
  would be closed, so that the water would stand
  still, depositing its fertile load of alluvium.
• Then, after six to eight weeks, the exit sluices
  were opened and the water drained away, leaving
  the rejuvenated soil ready for sowing.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA ECONOMIC
GEOGRAPHY

• The most technologically advanced farming
  techniques are found in Israel where the
  employment of fertigation has indeed made the
  desert bloom.
• Historically, agriculture in Israel is carried
  out in collectivized settlements called
  kibbutzim (singular, kibbutz). Many of the
  kibbutzim lie in frontier areas and perform
  defensive as well as agricultural and industrial
  functions. Far more numerous, however, are the
  small holders cooperatives called moshavim
  (singular moshav).

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA ECONOMIC
GEOGRAPHY

• In recent years, the construction of dams made
  possible the perennial irrigation of Egypt's
  farmlands.
• The greatest of all Nile dam projects, the Aswan
  High Dam, was begun in 1958 and completed in 1971
  at the First Cataract.
• The dam wall is 110 meters (364 feet) high and
  creates Lake Nasser, one of the largest
  artificial lakes in the world.
• The reservoir inundates 480 sq km (300 sq mi) of
  the Nile valley, not only in Upper Egypt, but
  also in the Sudan.
• The cooperation of the Sudanese was required for
  construction of the dam, since 50,000 people had
  to be relocated.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA ECONOMIC
GEOGRAPHY

• Prior to the building of Aswan, waters could
  irrigate 2.53 million hectares (6.25 million
  acres) of farmland.
• To this area, the Aswan High Dam has added
  another 550,000 hectares 1 ha 2.471 acres).
• In addition, 400,000 hectares of farmland under
  basin irrigation could be converted to perennial
  irrigation resulting in increased crop yields.
• Finally, the Aswan High Dam supplies Egypt with
  about 50 percent of its energy requirements in
  the form of hydroelectricity.

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA ECONOMIC
GEOGRAPHY

• In Upper and Middle Egypt the strip of green is
  five to 25 kilometers (three to 5 miles) wide.
• Below Cairo, the Nile's delta is 160 kilometers
  (180 miles) long, and 250 kilometers (155 miles)
  wide (Alexandria to Port Said).
• The waters of the delta are diverted through two
  controlled channels, the Rosetta in the west and
  the Damietta in the east.
• Each distributary, as these channels are called,
  defines the delta of the Nile, and nearly half of
  Egypt's population inhabits the delta region

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NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA ECONOMIC
GEOGRAPHY

• The main agricultural crops that are produced in
  this region are
• Cotton from Egypt and Syria.
• Cotton and cotton products form the major exports
  of Egypt.
• Fruits and vegetables (which are important in all
  countries that have Mediterranean climate)
• Cereals (especially barley) are raised in most of
  the less productive soils throughout the region.
  
• In Egypt rice, millet, sugar cane and lentils are
  among the crops that thrive under perennial
  irrigation.
• Tunisia has long been the world's leading
  exporter of olive oil.
• Morocco exports citrus fruit and vegetables.

47
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA ECONOMIC
GEOGRAPHY

• Turkey's principal crops include tobacco,
  hazelnuts (filberts) grown primarily in the Black
  Sea section, and grapes for sultana raisins and
  figs raised in the central Aegean section around
  the port of Izmir (Smyrna) with 1,757,414
  inhabitants.

48
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA ECONOMIC
GEOGRAPHY

• Industry
• The industrial sector of these countries is
  mostly involved in the processing of food and
  light industries.
• Turkey is a major exporter of textiles.
• Pockets of heavy industry depend on the
  availability of local materials and are found in
  Egypt, Turkey and Israel.
• A steel plant at Hulwan, near Cairo, uses the
  iron ore deposits found at about 50 km (30 miles)
  west of Aswan, manganese from the Eastern Desert
  and local limestone.
• Israel produces an array of industrial goods with
  significant output in military hardware.
• Israel is the world's leading producer in
  industrial diamonds.

49
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA POLITICAL
GEOGRAPHY

• Notwithstanding other conflicts in this region,
  the conflict between Israel and the surrounding
  Arab countries dominates the political geography
  of this area.
• Israel was officially proclaimed on May 14, 1948
  it borders on Lebanon and Syria to the north,
  Jordan to the east, Egypt to the southwest and
  the Mediterranean Sea to the west.
• Following its creation Israel was involved in a
  war with the Arab populations living in
  Palestine, all of whom rejected Israel's right to
  exist. A large number of Palestinian Arabs became
  refugees.

50
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA POLITICAL
GEOGRAPHY

• The most important recent wars between Israel and
  the Arab countries are the following
• The failed Anglo-French intervention in the Suez
  Canal in collusion with Israel in 1956.
• The Six-Day War in June 1967, when Israel emerged
  victorious and acquired major pieces of territory
  from Egypt (Gaza Strip and Sinai), Jordan (West
  Bank), and Syria (Golan Heights). Most of these
  areas are still disputed and have high population
  densities.
• The Yom Kippur War of October 1973 during which
  the Egyptians were able to cross the Suez Canal.
  
• Following peace negotiations at Camp David
  between Israel and Egypt, Israel returned the
  Sinai Peninsula to the Egyptians.

51
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA POLITICAL
GEOGRAPHY

• In July 2000, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat
  walked out of Palestinian / Israeli peace talks
  being mediated by U.S. President Clinton at Camp
  David Maryland.
• In September 2000, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel
  Sharon visited the Temple Mount in Jerusalem,
  site of the al Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest
  shrine of Islam.
• This touched off a new intifada (uprising) among
  the Palestinians.
• By May 2004 over 1900 Palestinians and 750
  Israelis had been killed in the renewed conflict.

52
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA POLITICAL
GEOGRAPHY

• Other important recent wars in this region are
  the following
• The ten-year war between Iraq and Iran following
  the rise to power of Ayatollah Khomeini in
  Tehran.
• The 1991 Gulf War.
• Historically, present-day Iraq and Kuwait were
  under Ottoman control.
• After World War I, Britain and France succeeded
  the Ottoman Turks and dominated the area.
• During colonial times, Kuwait was administered
  from Basra, a southern Iraqi city. When Britain
  withdrew from the area in 1961, they defined the
  boundaries that separated Kuwait from Iraq and
  very nearly landlocked Iraq leaving it with only
  19 kilometers (11.81 miles) of Gulf coastline.

53
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA POLITICAL
GEOGRAPHY

• By contrast Kuwait has 250 kilometers (155.38
  miles) of coastline.
• The ascendancy to power in Baghdad of the
  extremist Baath Party in 1968, major oil
  discoveries in Kuwait, the Arab Israeli conflict
  and the regional power struggle between Iran and
  Iraq further compounded Iraqi claims on the
  mini-sheikdom at the mouth of the Gulf.
• For all of these reasons, Iraq invaded Kuwait in
  August 1990 and annexed it as its 19th province.
  
• The United States organized and led a United
  Nations coalition of military forces that
  launched Desert Shield and later Desert Storm on
  January 16, 1991.
• After a 45-day aerial bombardment of Iraq, the
  allied forces invaded Iraq and liberated Kuwait.
  
• As a result of this war, Iraq was faced with a
  rebellion in the north of the country by the
  Kurds and another one in the south by the
  Shiites who were misled by the allies into
  believing that they would receive support to oust
  Saddam Hussein and possibly set up their own
  independent states.
• Iraq still faces a formidable task of
  reconstruction and an international embargo.

54
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA POLITICAL
GEOGRAPHY

• In the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks in
  the United States, the U.S. government declared
  war on terrorism and the nations who supported or
  gave sanctuary to terrorists.
• The first target of this war was Muslim
  fundamentalist, Talibanruled Afghanistan, home
  base of al Qaeda and home to Usama bin Laden,
  architect of the 9/11 assault.
• Early in 2002, U.S. President George W. Bush
  declared Iraq part of an axis of evil, or rogue
  nations who were suspected of cooperating with
  terrorists and had the ability to supply
  terrorists with weapons of mass destruction.
• Iraq, under Saddam Hussein, defied the U.N.
  resolutions for disarmament and weapons
  inspections it was forced to accept under the
  terms of surrender in 1991.

55
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA POLITICAL
GEOGRAPHY

• The Hussein government was also accused of
  massive human rights abuses, including the
  systematic torture, rape, and mass killings of
  Iraqi citizens.
• March 20, 2003 U.S. and British forces led a
  coalition of troops in invading Iraq and deposing
  the Hussein government.
• Saddam Husseins sons Uday and Qusay (his
  presumptive successors) were killed July 22,
  2003. Hussein himself was captured by U.S. troops
  December 14, 2003 and awaits trial.

56
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA POLITICAL
GEOGRAPHY

• Geometric boundaries are found in many of the
  countries of this region and reflect the
  involvement of European colonial powers in this
  realm.
• For example, geometric boundaries separate
  Egypt's 1,000,000 square kilometers (387,000
  square miles) from Libya to the west and the
  Sudan to the south.

57
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA POLITICAL
GEOGRAPHY

• Forward capital cities are established by
  nation-states in order to redirect national foci.
  
• For example, Turkey transferred the capital
  functions of the country from the nation's
  largest city, Istanbul (formerly Constantinople),
  to Ankara on the Anatolian Plateau to underscore
  the Asiatic character of the country following
  the defeat of the Greek armies at the beginning
  of the 20th century in Asia Minor.
• Istanbul, the headquarters of the Byzantine
  Empire, is strategically located at the southern
  entrance of the Bosporus.

58
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA POLITICAL
GEOGRAPHY

• Strategic waterways or Choke Points of the
  region
• Three water passages that connect the
  Mediterranean with the Black Sea
• Dardanelles Straits (Hellespont, Canakkale
  Bogazi) connecting the Sea of Marmara with the
  Aegean Sea
• Sea of Marmara An open body of water between the
  Bosporus and the Dardanelles.
• The Straits of Bosporus (Istanbul Bogazi) that
  connect the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara
• Among other important strategic waterways in this
  region are
• The Suez Canal that was constructed in 1869 to
  connect the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea
• The Straits of Hormuz that control the movement
  from the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean.
• The Straits of Bab el Mandeb, connecting the Red
  Sea with the Indian Ocean.

59
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA POLITICAL
GEOGRAPHY

• The Kurdish Minority
• The Kurds, thought to number about 25,000,000,
  form the world's largest minority without a
  country to call their own.
• Kurdistan ("Land of the Kurds") includes sections
  of the Taurus Mountains of Eastern Anatolia in
  Turkey, northern Iraq, and the Zagros Mountains
  of western Iran. Another pocket of Kurds is
  located in the Khorasan region of northeastern
  Iran.
• Kurdish Populations
• Turkey has the largest Kurdish population,
  perhaps as many as 12,000,000 to 14,000,000.
• Iran about 8,000,000
• Iraq about 4,000,000
• Smaller numbers in Lebanon, Armenia, Syria, and
  Azerbaijan.
• Diyarbakir, Turkey is the dominant Kurdish city.

60
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA POLITICAL
GEOGRAPHY

• The traditional Kurdish way of life was nomadic,
  revolving around herding goats and sheep in the
  mountains of Turkey, Iraq and Iran.
• Kurdish nationalism is a recent phenomenon.
• The Treaty of Sevres drawn up in 1920 provided
  for an autonomous Kurdistan but was never
  ratified.
• The Treaty of Lausanne (1923) that replaced the
  Treaty of Sevres made no mention Kurdistan or the
  Kurds.
• In the face of rising Turkish nationalism under
  Kemal Atatürk, the Kurds were designated as
  "Mountain Turks" and were not allowed to speak
  their language or wear their distinctive national
  costume.

61
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA POLITICAL
GEOGRAPHY

• Official government policy encouraged the
  emigration of Kurds to urban areas, thus diluting
  the concentration of Kurds in the eastern
  provinces of the country.
• The Kurds of Iraq are now de facto concentrated
  in the northern part of the country (north of the
  36th parallel) under the protection of allied
  forces, following the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf
  War.
• Iranian Kurds were also subjected to strong
  assimilationist pressure from the Shiite Muslim
  majority.

62
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA POLITICAL
GEOGRAPHY

• The Palestinian Question has dominated the
  conflict between Israel and the surrounding Arab
  countries since the formation of the state of
  Israel in 1948, in what had been the British
  Mandate of Palestine.
• As a result of this political development,
  hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who called
  Palestine home became refugees in the neighboring
  Arab countries.
• Some of those became assimilated in the receiving
  societies, but many continue to live in refugee
  camps.

63
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA POLITICAL
GEOGRAPHY

• The numerical strength of the Palestinian
  population is estimated at 9,300,000.
• 1, 240,000 live in Israel proper
• 2,300,000 in the Israeli occupied West Bank
• 1,300,000 in the Gaza Strip
• 2,700,000 in Jordan
• 403,000 in Lebanon
• 423,000 in Syria
• 296,000 in Saudi Arabia
• 250,000 in Iraq, Egypt, Kuwait, and Libya.
• 388,000 in other Arab countries.

64
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA POLITICAL
GEOGRAPHY

• In 1987, the Palestinians of the occupied
  territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip
  launched an uprising (intifada) against the
  Israeli occupying forces.

65
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA POLITICAL
GEOGRAPHY

• In 1993, direct negotiation between Israel and
  the Palestinians yielded results.
• On September 12, 1993, Israel and the
  Palestinians signed a peace agreement, in
  Washington D.C.
• According to these agreements, Israel and the
  Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)
  recognized each others right to exist.
• In addition, the Israelis gave the Palestinians a
  limited autonomy in the Gaza Strip and the area
  surrounding the town of Jericho in the West Bank.
  
• After long and arduous negotiations, these
  agreements were implemented in May, 1994, with
  the transfer of power from Israeli to Palestinian
  control.
• The Gaza Strip covers an area of 363 square
  kilometers (140 square miles) and has a
  population of 1,205,000 inhabitants. The
  arithmetic density is very high (3,320 persons
  per square kilometer or 8,607 persons per square
  mile).

66
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA POLITICAL
GEOGRAPHY

• Turkestan is an old name describing the vast
  region in western and central Asia east of the
  Caspian Sea
• It includes
• Territory in the south-central part of Xinjiang
  province in China,
• a strip of northern Afghanistan,
• and the area comprising the former Soviet
  republics of
• Kazakhstan
• Uzbekistan
• Turkmenistan
• Tajikistan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Afghanistan
• The latter six cover an area of 4,646,490 square
  kilometers (1,794,012 square miles) and have a
  total population of 86,500,000 in 2003.

67
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA POLITICAL
GEOGRAPHY

• Kazakhstan
• The largest country in area in Turkestan is
  divided into two distinct regions the Russified
  north and the Islamic south.
• It is a land of desert and steppe and scattered
  water-depended populations, especially in the
  east where the former capital city of Almaty
  (formerly Alma Ata) is located.
• The new capital city is Astana (formerly Aqmola)
  in the northern part of the country in the
  Russian Transition Zone.
• The country has vast oil reserves in the Tengiz
  Basin near the northeastern corner of the Caspian
  Sea.
• The country has more than 100 ethnic groups.
• The Kazakhs account for 40 percent of the
  countrys total population.
• Russians form 38 percent of the total and are
  concentrated mostly in the north.
• 22 percent of the population is represented by
  other minority groups.

68
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA POLITICAL
GEOGRAPHY

• Uzbekistan.
• It occupies the heart of Turkestan and
  three-fourths of its inhabitants are Uzbeks.
• They ruled Asia from their khanates in Khiva and
  Bukhoro (Bukhara) until they became a part of the
  Soviet Union in 1924.
• The capital of the country, Toshkent (Tashkent),
  is located in the eastern section of the country,
  in the Farghona valley.

69
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA POLITICAL
GEOGRAPHY

• Turkmenistan.
• The desert country of Turkmenistan extends from
  the shores of the Caspian Sea to the borders of
  Afghanistan.
• It has 1,100 kilometer long (700 miles) boundary
  with Iran.
• During the 1950s the Soviets launched the Garagum
  (Kara Kum) Canal. 1,100 km. (700 mi.) long, by
  1993 it brought 3,000,000 acres under
  cultivation.
• Many Turkmen still herd sheep and Astrakhan furs
  form a major export item.

70
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA POLITICAL
GEOGRAPHY

• Tajikistan
• A mountainous country that occupies the eastern
  section of Turkestan.
• The Pamirs dominate the eastern part of the
  country from where the Amu Darya originates.
• The Tajiks are people of Persian origin and speak
  an Indo-European language.
• They constitute about 62 percent of the
  population.
• A significant number of Tajiks inhabit
  Afghanistan and a smaller number is found in
  western China.
• Most Tajiks are Sunni Muslims and not Shiite
  like the Iranians
• About 24 percent of the population is made up of
  Uzbeks, largely concentrated in the west and
  northwest.
• Dushanbe, the capital of the country, is located
  in the west.
• Some areas are claimed by both Tajikistan and
  Uzbekistan.

71
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA POLITICAL
GEOGRAPHY

• Kyrgyzstan
• This country is dominated by the Tian Shan
  mountain ranges.
• The Kyrgyz constitute about 50 of the population
• Russians make up more than 20 of the population.
• Uzbeks are about 13 of the population.
• Most Kyrgyz are Sunni Muslims.
• Pastoralism is the predominant economic activity.
  
• The Kyrgyz raise sheep, cattle, and yaks for meat
  and milk.
• Irrigated valleys yield wheat, fruits, and
  vegetables.

72
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA POLITICAL
GEOGRAPHY

• Afghanistan played the role of a buffer state
  between Russia and Britain.
• It has a compact shape with the exception of the
  narrow (15 to 65 km wide) Vakhan Corridor.
• Because of this narrow proruption, Afghanistan
  borders on China to the east and Turkmenistan,
  Uzbekistan, Tajikistan in the north. To the west
  it borders on Iran, and to the southeast,
  Pakistan.
• Afghanistan is a landlocked and mountainous
  country with significant relative location.
• This territory played a strategic role in empire
  building of the past by virtue of important
  routes and passes leading across it from the
  steppes and oases of Central Asia and the
  plateaus of Iran to the plains of northern India
  that have been a goal of Asian conquerors for
  thousands of years.

73
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA POLITICAL
GEOGRAPHY

• Afghanistan has 29,000,000 people, plus 4,000,000
  refugees living outside the country.
• Main ethnic groups Pushtuns (Pathans) 52.4
  Tajiks 20.4 Hazara 8.8 Uzbeks 8.8 Chamar
  Aimak 2.8 Turkmen 1.9 other 4.9.
• Major cities Kabol (Kabul) 2,607,000 Kandahar
  225,500 Herat 177,300 Mazar-e-Sharif 130,600
  Jalalabad 55,000.
• Mujahideen Strugglers who fought Soviets after
  their invasion in 1979.
• Taliban Students of religion from religious
  schools in Pakistan. This movement started in
  1994 and by 1996 they captured Kabol (Kabul) and
  in 1998 Mazar-e-Sharif, an Uzbek and Tajik
  stronghold. Their rule ended with the American
  campaign following the 9/11/2001 attacks.

74
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA LIST OF TERMS

• Shatterbelt A fragmented region, coveted by
  outside powers, where the dangers of
  confrontation are great, the stakes are high, and
  the dangers of escalating conflict all too real.
• Fertile Crescent A domestication hearth
  extending from the eastern shores of the
  Mediterranean Sea to the mouth of the Gulf. The
  core of this region is present day Iraq.
• Desert pavement A rocky desert (reg in Algeria
  and serir in Libya).
• Exotic river Stream that originates in humid
  environment and flows through a dry area.
• Distributary Part of the channel of a river in
  the lower course that literally distributes the
  river's water to the sea

75
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA LIST OF TERMS

• Oasis An area in the desert where water is
  available.
• Wadi The course of an ephemeral stream in the
  desert.
• Graben Another name for a rift valley.
• Monotheistic religion A belief in only one god.
  
• Universalizing religion A religion that tries
  to increase its number of followers through
  proselytizing.
• Ethnic religion A religion that is found only
  among the members of a particular group of
  people.

76
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA LIST OF TERMS

• Hegira The flight of Mohammed from Mecca to
  Medina.
• Hajj The pilgrimage of Muslims to Mecca.
• Sunni The largest sect of Islam that believes
  in the elected successors to the Prophet.
• Shiite A branch of Islam, confined primarily in
  Iran, that believes in the blood succession to
  the Prophet.

77
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA LIST OF TERMS

• Geometric boundaries A type of boundaries that
  follow straight lines, usually parallels or
  meridians.
• Physiologic density The number of people per
  unit of arable (cultivable) land.
• Basin irrigation A method of irrigation in
  Egypt involving the trapping and later release of
  floodwaters.
• Maghreb An Arabic term that is used to
  describe the countries of Morocco, Algeria, and
  Tunisia.
• Sahel A zone of recurrent drought south of the
  Sahara Desert.

78
NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA LIST OF TERMS

• Qanat An underground water tunnel leading from
  the mountains to adjacent dry lands.
• Sudd A marshy zone in the southern Sudan where
  the waters of the Nile stagnate and a large mass
  of vegetation floats around
• Tell The lower slopes and coastal plains in
  northwestern Africa between the Atlas Mountains
  and the sea.
• Bidonvilles A French term that is used to
  describe the Maghreb's shanty towns.
• Kibbutz A cooperative farm unit in Israel whose
  goal is also to provide military security to its
  residents.