The Geography of the Middle East

Feb. 26th, 2013

The Wall Street Journal – Saturday Essay

“Geography Strikes Back”

September 7th, 2012 – Robert Kaplan

1.What does the article suggest you

consult to help understand world

conflict?

2.What countries does the article cite as

examples and what geographic

features?

3.What does the article say about the

strategic nature of geography?

4.List TWO historic events the author

uses to reference?

Where Continents Meet

• The Middle East is not a geographical region, like Africa, Asia, or Europe.

• Geographically, it denotes an area in which Africa, Asia, and Europe interconnect.

Soft and Shifting Boundaries

• There are no natural borders that delineate the boundaries of the Middle East.

• Egypt, Iran, Sudan, Turkey, North Africa are disputed parts of the region.

The Middle East

• In fact the boundaries of the Middle East are political, and they keep shifting overtime.

• Islam is the common thread that join Middle Eastern Country together

The Middle East Today:

Political Map

Middle East? OR Near East?

OR Southwest Asia? OR….?

Bodies of Water

Tigris

River

Nile

River

Euphrates

River Jordan

River

Arabian

Sea

Indian

Ocean

Black Sea

Gulf of Aden

Strait of

Hormuz

Suez Canal

Dardanelles Strait

Atlantic

Ocean

Gulf

of

Oman

Arabic Peninsula

The Mighty Nile River: “Longest River in the World”

Annual Nile Flooding

Nile Delta

95% of the Egyptian

people live on 5% of

the land!

Egypt: The “Gift of the

Nile”

Aswan High Dam, Egypt

Hydroelectric

Power Plant

Suez Canal

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?

Highest

Salt

Content

(33%)

2,300’ below sea

level

Dead Sea: Lowest Point on

Earth

Wadis – Instant Springs

Mountains & Plateaus

Atlas Mts. Zagros

Mts.

Iranian

Plateau

Anatolian

Plateau

Caucasus

Mts.

Mountain Ranges in Mid-East

Elburz Mts., Iran Zagros Mts., Iran

Lebanese Mts. Taurus Mts., Turkey

Deserts

Sahara Desert

Arabian

Desert

Negev

Desert Sinai

Desert Libyan Desert

Rub

al-Khali

Desert Bedouins

Swarms of Desert Locusts!

Locusts Swarm

the Pyramids

Complex at Giza!

Israel Hit By Worst

Locust Plague Since

the 1950s!

Rub al-Khali:

“The Empty Quarter”

Regions – Iranian Plateau

Desert Oasis: Water at a

Premium!

Fresh Groundwater Sources

Desalinization

Plants

Fertile Crescent

The Fertile Crescent

Completed Map

Tigris

River

Nile

River

Euphrates

River Jordan

River

Arabian

Sea

Indian

Ocean

Black Sea

Gulf of Aden

Strait of

Hormuz

Suez Canal

Dardanelles Strait

Atlantic

Ocean

Gulf

of

Oman

Arabian

Desert

Negev

Desert Sinai

Desert

Rub

al-Khali

Atlas Mts. Zagros

Mts.

Iranian

Plateau

Anatolian

Plateau

Caucasus

Mts.

Sahara Desert

Libyan Desert

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!

Kuwait: An Island Floating on a Sea of Oil

Kuwait

City

The Middle East:

Natural Vegetation

The Natural Resources of the

Middle East

World Oil Reserves

Persian Gulf Oil Exports (2003)

Saudi Oil Fields & Refineries

Leading U. S. Oil Suppliers

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

Middle East.