Chapter 21, Section

World 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 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 to
Central 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 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 Characteristics
Chapter 21, Section
Towering mountains and vast, arid plains dominate
Central and Southwest Asia.
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Physical 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
Climates
Chapter 21, Section
Most of this region has arid and semiarid climates,
with little precipitation.
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Climates
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
Ecosystems
Chapter 21, Section
Desert, grassland, and chaparral ecosystems cover parts of the region.
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Ecosystems
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 Cultures
The regions 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 regions 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 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 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
regions wealth.
Hydroelectric dams provide water and electricity, but
also cause disputes with countries downstream.
Chapter 21, Section
Database
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 worlds largest exporter of
petroleum products, and despite the nations 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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