Download 3 SWAsiaGeography_Vocab7th

7th grade
Social Studies
Physical Geography of SW Asia

BIG IDEAS
1. Physical Features – The physical environment affects
how people live. (People have adapted to survive in this
dry region)
2. Climate Regions – Places reflect the relationship
between humans and the physical environment.
(People settle where there are resources)
Wadi

A dry riverbed that fills with water when it
rains.
Steppe

 Partly dry grassland on the edge of a desert
Nomad

 People constantly moving across scrub and
grassland areas to find food and water for
their herds.
Aquifer

 - underground rock layer form which water
flows.
Alluvial plain

An area of rich, fertile soil left by river floods.
Irrigation

 A method of controlling flooding by carrying
water to fields through a series of walls,
waterways and ditches and distributing it to
crops.
Silt

 small particles of rich soil
Poaching

 illegal fishing or hunting (no license or permission)
Refinery

 the facilities that turn petroleum into
gasoline and other products.
Rationing

resources (like food and/or water) made
available to people in only limited amounts.
Desalinization
A process that treats
seawater to remove salts
and minerals and make it drinkable.
Fertile Cresent

A region of Iraq,
Syria, and Turkey
that is shaped like a
crescent and has
very fertile soil.
Tigris River

Early civilizations developed along this
river in the Fertile Crescent.
Euphrates River

 A major river in the Middle East, this river flows from
Turkey into the Persian Gulf. The yearly floods from
this river help to form the Fertile Crescent.
Mesopotamia

 Located in Iraq and on the Fertile Crescent, this is a
strip of land that curves from the Mediterranean Sea to
the Persian Gulf. It is the site of early civilization.
Arabian Peninsula

 The Arabian Peninsula includes the 9 countries of
Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab
Emirates, Oman, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia.
Rub’ al-Khali

 The Rub’ al Khali is the largest sand desert in the
world, encompassing most of the southern third of the
Arabian Peninsula.
Syrian Desert

 The Syrian desert covers portions of Turkey, Syria,
Iraq, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
Zagros Mountains

 The Zagros
Mountain range
spans the whole
length of the
western and
southwestern
Iranian plateau.
Mediterranean Sea

 The Mediterranean Sea is connected to the Atlantic
Ocean and is almost completely enclosed by land.
Persian Gulf

The Persian Gulf is located between Iran and the Arabian
Peninsula.
Red Sea

 The Red Sea is a
seawater inlet of the
Indian Ocean, lying
between Africa and
Asia.