Download Unit 5 Physical Geography

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
OF NORTH AFRICA
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF NORTH AFRICA
Landforms
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North Africa is located at the intersection of four tectonic
plates: African, Arabian, Anatolian, and Eurasian.
The Atlas Mountains, the region’s tallest mountain range,
extend through the area called the Maghreb.
The majority of the Sahara is made up of regs, stony
plains covered with rocky gravel, and hamadas, flat
sandstone plateaus.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF NORTH AFRICA
Water
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Systems
The Nile is the world’s longest river, originating in the
highlands of Ethiopia and Uganda.
The fertile land along the banks of the Nile and the Nile
Delta gave birth to early civilizations and is now home to
more than 90 percent of Egypt’s population.
Until the Aswan High Dam was built, people depended on
the annual flooding of the Nile to create rich alluvial soil
made up of sand and mud to help grow crops.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF NORTH AFRICA
Climate,
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Biomes, and Resources
The scarcity of water defines the region’s climate and
biomes.
Parts of Morocco, Tunisia, and Libya enjoy a
Mediterranean climate, with cool, rainy winters and hot,
dry summers.
The region’s most significant resources are natural gas,
petroleum, and phosphates, a mineral containing
chemical compounds used in fertilizers.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF
THE EASTERN
MEDITERRANEAN
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE EASTERN
MEDITERRANEAN
Landforms
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This area is known as the Levant and
includes Syria, Jordan, Lebanon,
Israel, and the Palestinian
territories.
The area is marked by mountains
and deserts and has a generally
temperate climate.
The sparsely populated AntiLebanon mountain range runs along
the border between Syria and
Lebanon.
The Syrian Desert is composed of
gravel and used as a roadway.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE EASTERN
MEDITERRANEAN
Water Systems
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The Euphrates River is the most important river in Syria
and provides the entire country with water.
Important for irrigation and agriculture, the Jordan
River flows through all the countries in the subregion and
provides a natural border between the West Bank and
Jordan.
The Gulf of Aqaba connects the subregion with the Red
Sea and Indian Ocean.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE EASTERN
MEDITERRANEAN
Climate, Biomes, and Resources
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Rainfall is limited in the subregion, which consists of
mostly semi-arid and arid climates.
The coastal regions have a Mediterranean climate that
supports agriculture, and a wide array of vegetation and
wildlife.
As one moves inland, the climate becomes humid
subtropical, then shifts to semi-arid steppe and arid
desert.
Lumber and minerals are important natural resources in
the subregion.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
OF THE NORTHEAST
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE NORTHEAST
Landforms
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The Northeast is a mountainous area where several
tectonic plates converge.
Many fault lines run through the subregion, including the
North Anatolian Fault, one of the most active producers
of earthquakes in the world.
The continents of Europe and Asia meet in the Anatolian
Peninsula, which is surrounded by the Black Sea,
Mediterranean Sea, and the Taurus Mountains.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE NORTHEAST
Water Systems
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The Turkish Straits link the
Aegean and Black Seas,
marking the border between
Asia and Europe.
Control of this waterway is
of vital military and
commercial importance.
Mesopotamia, the land
between the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers in presentday Iraq, is the site of the
world’s earliest civilizations.
The Caspian Sea in Iran
serves as a key
transportation link to Asia.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE NORTHEAST
Climate, Biomes, and Resources
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Turkey has a Mediterranean climate
along the coast, while its interior
features a semi-arid steppe climate
with drier conditions.
Iran experiences similar conditions
along the Caspian Sea, with a semiarid steppe climate found inland.
Apart from the coasts, deserts cover
much of the Northeast.
Fossil fuels are among the most
significant resources in the area.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
OF THE ARABIAN
PENINSULA
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE ARABIAN
PENINSULA
Landforms
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The Arabian Peninsula is surrounded almost entirely by
water.
The climate of the interior is arid, or very dry, and is
unsuitable for agriculture or human settlement.
The extremely dry Rub’ al-Khali in the Arabian desert is the
world’s largest uninterrupted area of sand, while the smaller,
northern desert, An Nafud, is known for its crescent-shaped
dunes, or ridges of sand formed by wind.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE ARABIAN
PENINSULA
Water Systems
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The waters that surround the
peninsula are vital to the economy.
The Red Sea links the Suez Canal
to the Gulf of Aden, allowing the
transportation of goods between
Europe and Asia.
The Persian Gulf serves the
international shipping needs of
the oil-producing countries on the
eastern side of the peninsula.
Rapidly growing populations are
using up the already scarce sources
of freshwater.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE ARABIAN
PENINSULA
Climate, Biomes, and Resources
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The dry heat of the desert areas contrasts with
extreme humidity of the coastal regions.
Seasonal winds bring heavy rains like the monsoon, or
hot, suffocating winds like the simooms.
The Red Sea is a unique aquatic biome whose marine
life can endure extreme heat and salinity.
The Arabian deserts are estimated to contain at least
25 percent of the world’s oil reserves.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
OF CENTRAL ASIA
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF CENTRAL ASIA
Landforms
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Central Asia is marked by a
rugged landscape,
highlands, a dry climate,
and vast expanses of desert.
All the countries are
landlocked, except
Georgia, with no direct
access to the sea.
The fertile plains and basins
like the Fergana Valley are
thickly settled, while the
desert regions like the KaraKum are sparsely settled.
Earthquakes frequently
strike along plate boundaries,
primarily in the “stans” and
the surrounding area.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF CENTRAL ASIA
Water Systems
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When the weather is warm
and there is little
precipitation, the Caspian
Sea, the world’s largest
inland sea, loses more
water from evaporation
than it gains from the rivers
emptying into it.
Sturgeon fishing, caviar,
tourism, and, more recently,
oil and natural gas are all
important resources in the
Caspian Sea.
Human activity has harmed
bodies of water in the
subregion, such as the Aral
Sea and Lake Balkhash, by
diminishing water levels
and increasing salinity.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF CENTRAL ASIA
Climate, Biomes, and Resources
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Far from any oceans, Central Asia
has mainly dry climates with
sparse vegetation.
Steppes form the wide, grassy
plains of Eurasia, providing enough
vegetation to support livestock.
Major crops of the region are
cereals, or grains grown for food.
Major resources in the area are oil,
natural gas, and mining.