North Africa and Middle East Flashcards
North Africa and the Middle East cover more than ___ of earth’s land surface.
10%
The region covers ____ sq miles.
5.5 million
The three major peninsulas in the region are:
Arabian Peninsula
Sinai Peninsula
Anatolian Peninsula
What is the largest peninsula in the region?
Arabian peninsula
What is the peninsula in Egypt that connects Africa to Asia?
Sinai Peninsula
What peninsula makes up Turkey?
Anatolian Peninsula
What are the major seas in the region?
Dead Sea Red Sea Black Sea Mediterranean Sea Arabian Sea Caspian Sea
The lowest place on earth’s surface; saltiest body of water
Dead Sea
What are the most fertile areas in the region?
a) coastal plains of the Mediterranean and Caspian Seas
b) coast of the Persian Gulf
What are the major mountain ranges in southwest Asia?
Hejaz Asir Pontic Taurus Zagros Elburz Hindu Kush
What mountains are on the northwest coast of Arabian Peninsula?
Hejaz
Which mountains are on the southwest coast of Arabian peninsula?
Asir Mountains
Which mountains are on the Anatolian Peninsula?
Pontic and Taurus mountains
Which mountains are in western Iran?
Zagros Mountains
Which mountains are just south of the Caspian Sea?
Elburz Mtns.
Which mountains have the highest peaks in the region; located in Afghanistan?
Hindu Kush
What are the major mountains of North Africa?
Atlas Mtns.
Ahagger Mtns.
What is the longest range in Africa
Atlas Mountains
What mountains are in southern Algeria?
Ahaggar Mtns.
The _______ is the world’s longest river.
Nile River
How long is the Nile River?
4160 miles
-3% of land area but home to 90% of Egyptian people
Nile River Valley
-sand and mud deposited by the flowing water
Alluvial soil deposits
-triangle shape section of fertile land at the mouth of a river
Delta
The ___ and ___ River were home to several ancient civilizations in what is now called Iraq.
Tigris
Euphrates
-“land between the rivers” (fertile valley)
Mesopotamia
River is 1700 miles
Euphrates
River is 1100 miles long
Tigris
-stream beds that are dry except during heavy rain
Wadis
The most important natural resource in the region is ___ followed by ____.
Petroleum
Natural gas
Most oil and natural gas reserves are in the countries bordering the ___, ____, and ____.
Persian Gulf
Algeria
Libya
Why did wealth in the region increase in the 70’s?
Global demand for oil led to rapid increases in price.
-chemical compound used in fertilizers
Phosphate
The major occupations of most people in the region is ___ and ___.
Farming
Raising livestock
Most parts of the region average ___ than ___ inches of rain per year.
Less than 10 inches
-cover about 50% of this region
Deserts
-largest desert in the world at about 3.5 million square miles
Sahara
-places in the desert where water is present, making small-scale agriculture possible
Oasis
What makes up 10% of the Sahara? What makes up the rest?
Sand Desert pavement (rocky gravel areas) mountains and exposed rock
-desert in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula.
Rub al Khali (Empty Quarter)
-on coastal plains and the Tigris-Euphrates valley
Mediterranean climate
-areas usually receive the most rainfall
Coastal and Highlands
-north of deserts in North Africa and interior of SW Africa
Steppe climate
-raising and grazing livestock mainly in steppe regions
Pastoralist
