Physical Geography of the Middle East
Geography: KS3, topic 19.1.1
Physical Geography of the Middle East
The Middle East is a transcontinental region which covers over 5 million square miles.
Size
- The Middle East region is estimated to cover over 5 million square miles.
- It has a range of physical features including;
- Rivers, deserts and mountain ranges.
Rivers
- Tigris-Euphrates river system is one of the largest river systems in the Middle East.
- It runs through the countries of Turkey, Syria and Iraq.
- The sources of the rivers begin in Turkey where they travel southeast through Syria and then into Iraq.
- The rivers are a key source for farming.
The Arabian desert
- The Arabian desert is the 2nd largest desert in the world.
- It occupies 900,000 square miles.
- The desert consists of vast miles of varying sand dunes at different elevations.
- In the summer, temperatures can exceed 55°C with average yearly annual rainfall less than 100 mm.
Test yourself on Physical Geography of the Middle East
Which of the following is one of the largest river systems in the Middle East?
Which is NOT a country that the Tigris-Euphrates river system runs through?
What are the Tigris and Euphrates rivers especially important for?