Difference between revisions of "Earth Science 7 - Middle East3"

Revision as of 10:12, 31 October 2011

Earth Science 7-Global Regions Index

Middle East

Countries

There are 21 countries in the Middle East. These are Afghanistan, Bahrain, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.

http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/me.htm

Latitude and Longitude

The longitude is 46 degrees north and 14 degrees north. The latitude is 78 degrees east and 27 degrees east.

http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/me.htm

Elevation

The highest mountain peak in the middle east is located at the Syria Jabal Al Shaykh mountain,aka Mount Hermon or in Arabic: جبل الشيخ‎ The tip of the mountain is 2814m above sea level (9232) ft. Its summit hovers over Syria and Lebanon. The lowest point in the middle east is the shoreline of the Dead Sea, which borders Israel and Jordan, and is actually known as the lowest point on the Earth. Elite researches claim that the Dead Sea was 1,293 feet below shoreline 40 years ago, and it is now 1,360 feet below shoreline.

http://www.countriesquest.com/middle_east/iran/land_and_resources/natural_regions.htm

Major Bodies of Water

The large bodies of water near the middle east are the...

-Arabian Sea-south of the Middle East

-the Aral Sea-north of Uzbekistan

-the Black Sea-north of Turkey

-the Caspian Sea-north of Iran

-the Gulf of Aden-south of Yemen

-the Gulf of Oman-between Iran and Oman

-the Mediterranean Sea-between Europe and Africa and to the West of the Middle East

-the Persian Gulf-bordered by Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, U.A.E., and Oman

-the Red Sea-by Africa and the Arabian peninsula.

Topographical Features

The Middle Eastern region is home to vast petroleum reserves, major oil production facilities, and large oil refineries, which provide their host nations with enormous incomes. Much of the Middle East is arid, and the region's topography features extensive desert areas, rugged mountains, and dry plateaus. Water is in short supply, and agriculture often depends on expensive irrigation systems.

Climate in Different Countries

Afghanistan: arid or semiarid with cool winters and dry summers

Bahrain: arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers

Cyprus: Cyprus is temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters

Iran: Iran is greatly arid or partial arid, subtropical along Caspian coast

Israel: Israel is temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas

Jordan: Jordan can be mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April)

Kuwait: Kuwait contains dry desert,intensely hot summer, with short cool winters

Kyrgyzstan: Kyrgyzstan dry continental to polar high in Tien Shan (mountain range covering most of Kyrgystan) subtropical in southwest (the Fergana Valley) temperate in northern foothill zone

Lebanon: Lebanon is Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; Lebanon mountains are subject to heavy winter snows

Oman: Oman is desertland, and is known for its desert 1,000 miles long!

Qatar: Hot and humid summers and winter is cool

Pakistan: Pakistan is mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north

Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia is a harsh, dry desert with radical temperature extremes

Syria: Syria is made of mostly desert, hot, dry, sunny summers (which is June to August) and mild, rainy winters (which is December to February) along coast; cold weather with snow or sleet periodically in Damascus

Tajikistan: Tajikistan is midlatitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains (which, along with the Alay Mountains controls most of the landscape)

Turkey: Turkey is temperate, contains hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior

Turkmenistan: Turkmenistan is completely subtropical desert

U.A.E: the United Arab Emirates are cooler in eastern mountain, and desert

Uzbekistan: Uzbekistan is mostly midlatitude desert, long, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid grassland in east

Yemen:Yemen is mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east

http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/tj.htm

Capitals and Government System

Afghanistan: Kabul, Islamic republic

Bahrain: Manama, Constitutional Monarchy

Cyprus: Nicosia, Republic

Iran: Teheran, Theocratic Republic

Israel: Jerusalem, Parliamentary Democracy

Jordan: Amman, Constitutional Monarchy

Kuwait: Kuwait City, Constitutional Emirate (Fun fact: Emirate means it has an Emir (Head of state) at its head!)

Kyrgyzstan: Bishkek, Republic

Lebanon: Beirut, Republic

Oman: Muscat, Monarchy

Qatar: Doha, Emirate

Pakistan: Islamabad, Federal Republic

Saudi Arabia: Riyadh, Absolute Monarchy

Syria: Damascus, Republic under an authoritarian military-dominated regime

Tajikistan: Dushanbe, Republic

Turkey: Ankara, Republican Parliamentary Democracy

Turkmenistan: Ashgabat, Republic

U.A.E: Adu Dhabi, Emirate

Uzbekistan: Tashkent, Republic

Yemen: Sanaa, Republic

http://www.mideastweb.org/countries.htm http://www.state.gov

Facts

April 7, 2003 — Geologists say that millions of years ago the Middle East had a mild, humid climate, with large areas covered by a shallow continental sea. When the single-celled planktonic plants and animals living in that sea died, they sank to the bottom and were covered by soil sediments and other plankton. Over time, they decayed into oil — an important fossil fuel that is this region’s most valuable natural resource. Today, much of this region is part of the large subtropical desert that extends across North Africa and southern Asia.

Except for the areas inside the mountains, the low rainfall in Iraq makes it possible for it to be called a desert. Iraq's average rainfall is usually in between 4 and 7 in. per year. 90% of precipitation occurs between the months of November and April. In the mountainous filled land areas, the rainfall is higher, between about 12 and 24 in. per year, which is enough water to support crops (although the unorthodox land often limits agriculture in this area).

Rainfall is even harder to find to the south because it has an average annual precipitation rate of 1.5 in. at Badanah in the northern interior of Saudi Arabia. Precipitation in this area, like most deserts, varies considerably from month to month and year to year. For example, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, had 5.2 inches of rain during its rainiest ever month, which is well over the annual average of 3.8 inches. Desert rains also frequently occur in abundant downpours. The greatest 24-hour rainfall at Hail, Saudi Arabia was 2.5 inches, which is almost the same as the annual average of 2.6 inches. On the other hand, months often go by with no rainfall at all, so its important to know when to buy a rain jacket to minimize the chances of being caught unawares.

Usually, approximately 90 % of the annual rainfall falls between the months of November and April, while the remaining 6 months (particularly the hottest ones of June, July and August, aka summer) are dry and arid. Rainfall from February through April averages from about 0.6 in. at Badanah to 2.4 in. at Baghdad — which is 1/3 to 1/2 their respective annual rainfall.

Thunderstorms sometimes collaborate in unison with the rain, particularly in the spring when, on average, the eastern edges of the region are subject to 14 days of thunderstorming glory each year, while in the west, thunderstorms occur only a third as much.. And when thunderstorms do happen, they are usually evening occurrences.

NOAA’s National Climate Data Center

Climate of Iraq

Climatology for Southwest Asia – including Afghanistan and Iraq

REGIONAL CLIMATE MAPS: MIDDLE EAST