chapter 17: the northeast
TRANSCRIPT
Chapter 17: The Northeast
Unit 7
Section 1: Physical Geography
Landforms
• The major countries of this region include:
– Turkey
– Iraq
– Iran
• North Anatolian Fault
– Located in Turkey
– 750 miles long
– Produces large earthquakes
Landforms
• Pontiac and Taurus Mountains – Turkey – Anatolian Plateau located
here
• Elburz and Zagros Mountain Ranges – Iran – Volcanic Mount Damavand
(nearly 19,000 feet) – Ranges created due to
convergent plate tectonics • Eurasian and Arabian plates
collided
Landforms
• Anatolian Peninsula
– Connects Europe and Asia
– Black Sea to the north
– East and South: Taurus Mountains and Mediterranean Sea
– West: Aegean Sea
Water Systems
• Turkish Straits – Border between Asia and Europe – Links the Aegean Sea and Black
Sea – Historically, empires or groups
that controlled this water system had a political, military, and commercial advantage over others
• Tigris River – 1,180 miles long – Eventually connects with the
Euphrates River and forms the Shatt al Arab • Flows 120 miles into the Persian Gulf
Water Systems
• Caspian Sea
– Northern Iraq
– Shrinking due to reduction in water from Volga River
– Oil and Natural Gas
– Fisheries located here
Climate, Biomes, and Resources
• Turkey:
– Along the coast = Mediterranean climate
– Subtropical temperatures
– Grasslands in the interior
• Everywhere else = arid/semi-arid
Climate, Biomes, and Resources
• Fossil Fuels • Iraq and Iran are some of
the world’s leading producers of petroleum and natural gas
• Minerals: – Chromium – Copper – Iron ore – Lead – Manganese – Zinc – Sulfur
Section 2: Human Geography
History and Government
• Mesopotamia – One of the first civilizations on
Earth – Agriculture thrived in this
region, which led to people permanently settling into villages
– Sumerian Civilization (5,000 years ago) • Canals for irrigation, grew crops
year-round, cuneiform
– Babylonian Civilization (1900 BC)
– Persians had conquered much of the area by 500 BC
History and Government
• Turkey is part of NATO and is allied with much of Western Europe
• Iraq:
– Became independent in 1932
– Lots of turmoil
• War with Iran
• Wars against the US
• Saddam Hussein
History and Government
• Iran
– 1979 had a revolution
– Mullahs (Islamic scholars) came to power and still rule
– Developing nuclear weapons?
Society and Culture Today
• Arabic is the main language in many countries
• Religion: – Iraqi Arabs=Shia
• Minority are Sunni
– Small amount of Christians in the area
• Iran: main language is Farsi (Persian language) – Most people are Shia Muslims
• Turks speak Turkish • Kurds tend to be Sunni Muslims
and speak Kurdish • Education and health varies by
country
Society and Culture Today
• Iran and Iraq produce huge amounts of oil – OPEC
• Embargo on the US in the 1970s
• Government issues still exist – Censorship has been
a big problem…more TV news stations and newspapers are being developed
Section 3: Human-Environment Interaction
Managing Resources
• Dams and hydropower
– Produces a lot of energy
– Causes environmental damage
• Protecting wetlands and marshes
• Water pollution
• Chemical pollution