The Effects of Location and Environmental Issues in the

Middle East

Georgia Performance StandardsSS7G6 The student will discuss environmental issues

across Southwest Asia (Middle East).

a. Explain how water pollution and the unequal distribution of water impacts irrigation and drinking water.

SS7G7 The student will explain the impact of location, climate, physical characteristics, distribution of natural resources, and population distribution in Southwest Asia (Middle East).

b. Describe how the deserts and rivers of Southwest Asia (Middle East) have affected the population in terms of where people live, what type of work they do, and how they travel.

Part 1- How do the deserts and rivers of Southwest Asia affect where people live, work and travel?

Three Major Rivers:

• Tigris River

• Euphrates River

• Jordan River

Importance of Rivers

• Critical resource of water for drinking and irrigation

• Dams create hydroelectric power, but also conflicts with countries downstream

• Set boundaries

• Transportation / trade

• Cities / industry / workers

Impact of Location Notes

Copy the concept map from the next slide on page 6 of your interactive notebook (Only use the top half of the page.).

Middle East Rivers

Euphrates R.

longest

Important water source For Turkey, Syria, Iraq

Tigris R.

North of EuphratesImportant water source for

Turkey and Iraq

Jordan R.

Smaller than Tigris & Euphrates

Main water source forIsrael, Jordan, Syria

Flows into Dead Sea

Important Rivers forDrinking & Farming

Southwest Asian Deserts

•Syrian Desert

•Rub al-Khali (empty quarter)

Importance of Deserts

• Natural barrier against invasion

• Unique way of life – surviving in harsh surroundings

• Bedouins – desert nomads – herders and traders of the desert

• The Bedouins way of life is gradually disappearing.

Climate of Southwest Asia

• Climate –type of weather a region has over a long period of time

• Generally hot and dry climate

Wet or Dry?

• Large bodies of water border SW Asia.• Mountains close to the coast block rains.

• As a result, much of the interior of SW Asia is desert.• Rivers and coastal areas have enough water to

support agriculture, cities, and towns.

Climate Map

Total Average Yearly Rainfall

•Baghdad, Iraq 7.5 inches

•Cairo, Egypt 1.0 inches

•Jerusalem, Israel 23.0 inches

•Amman, Jordan 10.5 inches

•Tehran, Iran 10.0 inches

•Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 4.5 inches

•Damascus, Syria 7.0 inches

•Washington, D.C. (U.S.) 48.0 inches

Total Average Yearly Rainfall

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Countries

Iraq

Egypt

Israel

Jordan

Iran

Saudi Arabia

Syria

Washington, D.C.

Inch

es p

er y

ear

Key

Population Densities (person/km2):

Israel: 325

Turkey: 93

Iraq: 66

Afghanistan: 46

Iran: 42

Saudi Arabia: 11

Why are they in this order??

Trade in Southwest Asia• “Crossroads” of Europe, Africa,& Asia

• Major trade role for centuries

• Ships from Asia to SW Asian ports

• Camel caravans – “ships of the desert”

• Today the Suez Canal allows trade without using overland caravans.

Agriculture in SW Asia• Subsistence agriculture – growing small

amounts of food for local needs• Depends on irrigation• Some commercial agriculture – limited by

irrigation• Irrigation methods:

– Water wheels– Pumps– Wells– Qanats – underground tunnels– Canals

Water Wheels

Water pump

Qanats

Canals

Part 2- Environmental Issues

What do you think are the main environmental problems in the Middle East?

1. Water shortages

2. Unequal distribution of water

3. Pollution, especially water

5% of world’s population live here, but less than 1% of world’s fresh water is available to these people.

Vocabulary1. Desalination – process of removing the

salt from salt water to make drinking water.

2. Water Rights – agreements about how countries can use the water in a region; often causes political disputes

3. Aquifer-an underground layer of rock and sand that contains water

4. Ground water -water below the surface that supplies wells and springs.

Problems by country• Turkey: Pollution from industries,

agriculture, and oil spills in the Black Sea

• Turkey/Syria/Iraq-Turkey built a dam on the Euphrates River, followed by Syria. This severely restricted the water flow into Iraq which almost caused a war.

• Iraq- also has major war damage to water treatment facilities and pollution from industries and oil spills

Problems by Country• Israel-Consumption has increased, but rainfall has

decreased. They are forced to draw water from aquifers, lowering levels and allowing salt water in. They have also come close to war over Jordan River.

• Iran-having problem similar to Israel which is hurting their main crop-pistachios.

• Afghanistan-main problem is pollution from open sewers, failed septic systems, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides. Chemical fertilizers contaminate the water supply through runoff from the fields.

Sewage and pollution in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza. Image Credit: © ICRC

A fountain in Jerusalem. Water experts say the country's water shortage is the result of overuse. Image Credit: © Shabtai Gold/IRIN

Picture of smog in Tehran, Iran. It was so bad in 2005, they closed schools.

Problems by Country

• Saudi Arabia-most severe problem with water scarcity and poor quality of ground water from salt water intrusion, but they have found a solution-desalination. About 30 plants in the country provide most of the country’s drinking water.

Match the country to the correct water issue.

1. Less water to irrigate pistachio crop

2. Battles over water rights to Jordan River

3. Uses desalination to battle severe water shortages

4. Oil spills from ships pollute the Black Sea.

5. War has damaged water treatment facilities.

6. Open sewers, failed septic systems

[Iraq] Young boy stands on the edge of sewage outflow. Image Credit: © IRIN

Twenty percent of global infant mortality is accounted for by diarrhea, a problem in Egypt due to contaminated water. Image Credit: © Sarah Kamshoshy/IRIN

Increase in car usage, leads to increase in air pollution in Amman, Jordan

With about five million inhabitants, Alexandria is Egypt's second biggest city. A rise in sea levels of 50cm (resulting from air pollution) could lead to the loss of about 194,000 jobs and the displacement of about 1.5 million people. Image Credit: © Martina Fuchs/IRIN

The once fertile land with all types of flora and fauna has painfully turned into a hostile terrain, Jordan, 24 May 2006. Public officials say the kingdom has been robbed of its fair share of surface water because neighboring countries help themselves to the lion’s share of water from the Yarmouk and Jordan rivers. Image Credit: © Maria Font de Matas/IRIN

Masdar City (a planned city in Abu Dhabi) will create the world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city, officials say. Image Credit: © Foster + Partners

An "eco-home" built from mud and straw in Kibbutz Lotan. The house comes with solar panels to provide electricity for domestic needs. Image Credit: © Tamar Dressler/IRIN

Major Environmental IssuesUnequal Distribution of Water• Tigris and Euphrates Rivers are shared by Turkey,

Syria, and Iraq.• Jordan River is shared by Israel, Syria, and Jordan.• The problem is they don’t always play nice and

share. Second only to religious differences, water is a major cause of wars in the region. What do you think would be 3rd?

• OIL• Which countries does this leave out?? • Iran and Saudi Arabia-They rely on desalination,

but it is very expensive, so it is not used in many other countries.

Darker blue shows where land is more intensely irrigated.