Book 4: Lesson 4 ..

- The Middle East is a huge varied geographical territory located in southeast Asia and northeast Africa.

- It stretches out more than 3,200 km from the Black Sea in the north to the Arabian Sea in the south, and around 1,600 km from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the mountains of Iran.

First Zone:

- It is where the Nile River Streams from Sudan in the south through the Sahara of Egypt in the north, draining into the Mediterranean Sea

- The Nile River is a major source of life in Egypt. It was the base of all the ancient Egyptian civilizations and continues to support the fertile soil needed for farming, to be a source of food and to provide a means of transportation using boats.

- The alluvial, or rich soil deposit, plain is located in the southern part of this one, broken by six waterfalls, or water falling from heights.

Second Zone:

- It is eastern area of the Nile Valley across the eastern desert and Sinai Peninsula where the eastern Mediterranean coastal plan forms of the Levant, including Palestine, Western Syria, and Lebanon.

Third Zone:

- It is the northern Levant, where the Taurus Mountains with an average height of 3.360 meters, separate the Levant from the Anatolian Plateau in Turkey.

- A plateau is land that is flat and higher than the surrounding area.

Fourth Zone:

- It is the Arabian Peninsula in the southern part of the Levant, with its broad deserts, oases, and coastal areas of the Red Sea, the Arabian Gulf, and the Arabian Sea.

- This zone includes the countries of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait,

Fifth Zone:

- It contains Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, and it is located in the eastern Levant and south of the Taurus Mountains.

- It is sometimes called "Mesopotamia," or the land between the two rivers.

- This one includes Syria, Iraq, and a Small area of Iran.

Sixth Zone:

- It is located in eastern Mesopotamia, where the Zagros Mountains of western Iran and eastern Turkey extend.

The mountains have an average height of 4,570 meters.

How does the geography of the Middle East affect its climate?

- The highland of Turkey ranges from warm summers to cold winters.

- The area of Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean coast and has hot summers and cool winters.

- The Arabian Desert has an extreme climate through summers and winters.

- Most of the region is arid, or has little rain.

Did the geography of the Middle East play a role in the region's history and culture?

- Early civilizations settled in and Lived near sources of water and agricultural lands to grow crops.

- Because of the landforms of deserts and mountains, people built housing in different ways, using tents or palm tree fronds or wind towers.

- Animals, such as camels for transportation and falcons for hunting, were important.