This is a satellite image of the Middle East. Where do you think
most people live and why? Back up your ideas. Slide 2 Southwest
Asia Middle East Slide 3 POLITICAL MAP REVIEW Slide 4 Slide 5 Slide
6 Slide 7 Slide 8 Slide 9 Slide 10 Slide 11 There are three major
river systems located in Southwest Asia. Euphrates River Tigris
River Jordan River These three rivers are important because they
furnish water for drinking and irrigation, as well as routes for
transportation and trade. Many of the major cities are located on
or near these rivers. These cities and towns are also centers for
industry, where people can find work. JOBS. Slide 12 A lot of
Southwest Asia is covered by deserts. Syrian Desert (between Syria
and Iraq) Rub al-Khali Empty Quarter (Southern Saudi Arabia) These
deserts have historically provided the Middle East with natural
barriers against invasion. They have also affected how people live
in these areas. Slide 13 Bedouins or desert nomads have managed to
live in and survive the harsh desert climates, by living in tent
camps and surviving as sheep and camel herders and making a living
trading animals and handmade goods with those who lived in towns on
the deserts edge. Slide 14 Slide 15 Today the Suez Canal in Egypt
links the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea and Indian Ocean,
making it possible to continue trade without going around Africa.
Slide 16 Many people in Southwest Asia use subsistence agriculture,
growing small amounts of crops, to take care of their needs. The
climate is so dry, agriculture almost always depends on
irrigation.
