10 southwest asian geo

Southwest Asia’s Geography

Social Studies for 10th E.G.B. | Teacher: Mauricio Torres

Why the name Asia?

No one knows why it is called in such way, but it is one of the oldest registered names.

It is a concept developed by Westerners, specially Greeks who referred to the land across the Dardanelles as Asia.

Such an example would be the historian, Herodotus, registering the name in his Histories.

Asia was originally the name of what we know today as Asia Minor, it usage was extended to the rest of the continent.

Southwest Asia

It is composed of, by the following countries:

Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria

Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain

Qatar, Oman, United Arab Emirates

Yemen, Turkey, Cyprus, Iran.

“The Middle East”

“The Middle East”

Southwest Asia has long been known as “The Middle East”.

It is an area with a turbulent history.

Historically, it is were the first civilizations developed: Mesopotamia.

Later, during medieval times, it was the center of very important trading routes.

Geography

Mesopotamia:

It is located in the “Fertile Crescent”.

Mesopotamia means: between rivers. This is because through it, we find the Euphrates and Tigris.

Because of these two rivers, the land is rich in nutrients, making it easy to develop agricultural communities.

It runs across Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.

Geography

Bosporus and Dardanelles:

They are two narrow straits between Asia and Europe.

They provide a waterway for ships coming from the Black Sea into the Aegean or the other way around.

This was considered to be the center of worldly affairs, back in ancient times, due to its important location.

Geography

Arabian Peninsula:

It has the largest sand desert in the world.

It has no single body of fresh water

The deserts are largely uninhabited.

2% of the land is suitable for cultivation.

It has the world’s largest petroleum reserves.

Ask Yourself

Analyze

What do you think is the economic importance of the following: Arabian Peninsula, Mesopotamia, Dardanelles and

Bosporus

Recognize

Why were the trade routes during medieval times so important?

Excercise

Type two short paragraphs:

Five lines each

Times New Roman

12 pt.

The subject is, “What do you know about the Middle East”.

Use your own words. Don´t do any research.

Don’t be afraid to use stereotypes or make mistakes!

Start your first draft in class.

Bibliography

Baerwald, T. J., & Fraser, C. (2007). World Geography. Upper Saddle River, NJ, USA: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Burstein, S. M., & Shek, R. (2012). World History (Teacher´s Edition) (1st Edition ed.). (H. McDougal, Ed.) Orlando, Florida, US.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Images taken from Google.com