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CHAPTER 9

HOLT World Geography Today

The Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, and Iran

Section 1: Physical Geography Section 2: The Arabian Peninsula Section 3: Iraq Section 4: Iran

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

2 Section 1 Physical Geography HOLT World Geography Today Objectives:

 What landforms and rivers can be found in the Persian Gulf area and the interior of Southwest Asia?

 How does the region’s physical geography affect its climates and biomes?

 What natural resources does the region have?

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Section 1 Physical Geography HOLT World Geography Today 3 Physical Features:

  Saudi Arabia—

Arabian Peninsula

(largest sand desert in the world)  Iraq—wide plain of Mesopotamia, with two great rivers,

Tigris and Euphrates

 Iran—Zagros Mountains, Elburz Mountains, and Kopet-Dag Mountains, Great Salt Desert

Persian Gulf

– countries of this region form a semi-circle around this Gulf

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4 Section 1 Physical Geography HOLT World Geography Today Effects of physical geography on climates and biomes:

 Mountains provide water to valleys below by blocking moist winds and causing rain.

 Saudi Arabian lowlands are hot but humid, due to nearby sea.

 Higher elevations have cooler temperatures.

 Trees are common only in mountains.

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5 Section 1 Physical Geography HOLT World Geography Today Key natural resources in the region are oil and water.

 Water, a scarce resource:    Tigris and Euphrates are critical to Iraq.

Farmers in northern Iran depend on rain; others rely on irrigation.

  Desert areas may have oases (

oasis – wet fertile area in a desert that forms underground water and bubbles to the surface

) and wells (Groundwater in wells is often fossil water).

Fossil Water

– water that is not being replaced by rainfall Desalinization of seawater is possible for wealthy countries.

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6 Section 1 Physical Geography HOLT World Geography Today Key natural resources in the region are oil and water.

(continued)

 Oil, plentiful and valuable:  Persian Gulf oil reserves (amount of oil the country has) are the world’s largest.

 Oil exports bring great wealth to the countries that have oil fields.

 Most of the oil reserves are located near the shores of the Persian Gulf

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7 Section 2 History and Culture HOLT World Geography Today Objectives:

 How have peoples, empires, and Islam affected the history of the Persian Gulf area and interior Southwest Asia?

 What are the major features of the region’s cultures?

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Section 2 History and Culture HOLT World Geography Today 8 Various peoples and empires have shaped the region’s history.

 Sumerians built the first civilization and cities in the Fertile Crescent.

 Akkadians created the first real empire in the area, around 2350 B.C.

 Persians established a powerful empire around 550 B.C.

 Greeks and Romans arrived later.

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9 Section 2 History and Culture HOLT World Geography Today Various peoples and empires have shaped the region’s history.

(continued)

 The rise of Islam had a major impact, beginning in the late A.D. 500s.

 Mongols arrived in the 1200s.

 Safavid Persians built a flourishing empire in the 1500s.

 Ottoman Turks also ruled the region in the 1500s.

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Section 2 History and Culture HOLT World Geography Today 10 Cultural features:

     Islam is the unifying element.

Arabs are the major group in the region; Arabic is the main language.

Kurds live in borderlands of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.

Cultural diversity is more complex in Iran and Afghanistan.

Most Iranians are Persians; other groups include Baloch, Bakhtiari, and Hazara.

 Pashtun are the largest group in Afghanistan.

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11 Section 3 The Region Today HOLT World Geography Today Objectives:

 On what activities do the region’s economies depend?

 What are the region’s cities like?

 What are some important issues in the region today?

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12 Section 3 The Region Today HOLT World Geography Today Economic activities:

 oil and gas production—key activity  agriculture—mainly subsistence, some commercial  nomadic herding  traditional crafts  limited manufacturing

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13 Section 3 The Region Today HOLT World Geography Today Urban environments:

 ancient cities  old sections—twisting streets, bazaars, mosques  newer sections—modern buildings, wide avenues, traffic

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14 Section 3 The Region Today HOLT World Geography Today Important issues:

 oil wealth—how used  power and authority—democracy versus control by a few  role of Islam—maintenance of Islamic traditions and laws

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