Post on 20-May-2015
Chapter 21, Section
World GeographyWorld Geography
Chapter 21
Regional Atlas:Introduction to Central
and Southwest Asia
Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Chapter 21, Section
World GeographyWorld Geography
Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Section 1: Historical Overview
Section 2: Physical Characteristics
Section 3: Climates
Section 4: Ecosystems
Chapter 21: Regional Atlas: Introduction toCentral and Southwest Asia
Section 5: People and Cultures
Section 6: Economics, Technology and Environment
Section 7: Database
Chapter 21, Section
The agricultural revolution began in the Fertile Crescent around 8000 B.C.
Historical OverviewHistorical Overview
• The Sumerians developed a complex civilization, and later Judaism and Christianity emerged as religions based on monotheism.
• The Arabic-speaking peoples of the Arabian peninsula, inspired by Islam, conquered most of the region and founded an Islamic empire.
• European powers divided Ottoman lands into a number of nations and protectorates after World War I.
• The formation of the Jewish state of Israel was at the center of a number of clashes between Jews and Palestinian Arabs.
• Muslim countries of the region are divided between supporters of Western-style democracy and supporters of Islamic rule.
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Chapter 21, Section 2
Physical CharacteristicsPhysical Characteristics
Chapter 21, Section
Towering mountains and vast, arid plains dominate Central and Southwest Asia.
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Physical CharacteristicsPhysical Characteristics
• Mountains that experience frequent earthquakes ring the plateaus of Turkey and Iran.
• The plains of Southwest Asia are covered with deserts, except where rivers provide water for irrigation.
• In Central Asia, deserts cover the plains in the southwest, and rolling grasslands cover the plains in the north.
Chapter 21, Section 3
ClimatesClimates
Chapter 21, Section
Most of this region has arid and semiarid climates, with little precipitation.
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ClimatesClimates
• Arid stretches across the Arabian Peninsula, much of Central Asia, and central Iran.
• Semiarid covers most of Turkey and Iran, and rings the deserts of Central Asia.
• Mediterranean lies along the coasts of the Mediterranean, Black, and Caspian seas.
• Several other climate zones lie at the edges of the region.
Chapter 21, Section 4
EcosystemsEcosystems
Chapter 21, Section
Desert, grassland, and chaparral ecosystems cover parts of the region.
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EcosystemsEcosystems
• Deserts cover the Arabian Peninsula, much of Central Asia, and central Iran.
• Chaparral stretches along the coasts of the Mediterranean and Black seas.
• Temperate grasslands cover much of northern Southwest Asia and the edges of Central Asia.
• Forest ecosystems cover much of the highland areas.
Chapter 21, Section
Water is a scarce resource across much of the region, and the population is concentrated in river valleys and coastal areas.
People and CulturesPeople and Cultures
• The region’s nomadic livestock herders, who have for centuries lived in moveable tents called yurts, earn additional money by making fine rugs and carpets.
• Mosques are the region’s most visible signs of Islamic heritage, where five times a day the muezzin, or crier, climbs the minaret to call the people to prayer.
• Jerusalem is a city sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims, and a site of conflict for centuries as each group has fought for control of the region.
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Chapter 21, Section 6
Economics, Technology, and EnvironmentEconomics, Technology, and Environment
Chapter 21, Section
Most of the people in the region live in cities, where services and industry are the main economic activities.
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Economics, Technology, and EnvironmentEconomics, Technology, and Environment
• Commercial and subsistence farming are the main activities in areas with fertile soils and water.
• Livestock raising and nomadic herding are practiced in most of the region.
• Oil and natural gas extraction provide most of the region’s wealth.
• Hydroelectric dams provide water and electricity, but also cause disputes with countries downstream.
Chapter 21, Section
DatabaseDatabase
• Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic, has a trade deficit, exports mostly oil and machinery, and could reduce the trade imbalance by expanding oil production.
• Kazakhstan, another former Soviet republic, has a trade surplus, exporting mostly oil and metals and importing manufactured goods.
• Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest exporter of petroleum products, and despite the nation’s need to import food and manufactured goods, petroleum exports give it an immense trade surplus.
• Israel has an advanced technological economy, but has a trade deficit because it imports raw materials and military equipment.
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