Place

=  = = = =Climate =





The climate in Northern Africa and Southwestern Asia is arid and humid. In most of the areas, evaporation rates are greater than precipitation rates. The region possesses the world record of highest shade temperature (58 degrees Celcius, at Al' Aziziyah, Libya). It has a desert climate, meaning that nights are cool or cold due to the lack of cloud covers. Most of the rainfalls are irregular due to the increasing rate of aridity. The seasonal southward shift of mid-latitude frontal weather systems causes the rainy winters of the coasts of North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean lands. Rain and snow are created by the mountains of Turkey and Iran, because the high landforms force the air to rise. The snowfall in winter will melt in spring and feed the Tigris-Euphrates River system.


 * recommended site:** http://www.climate-zone.com/continent/middle-east/

=Landforms =  **>Hindu Kush**  -mountains (over 22,000 ft)  -a natural border between Afghanistan and Pakistan -snow-capped peaks      **>Kara Kum Desert** -desert of south-central Turkmenistan -about 115,000 sq.miles

-mountains -stretch across much of Tajikistan and parts of Afghanistan, China and Pakistan -over 22,000ft
 * >Pamir**

 -200,000 sq, miles - parts of Jordan, Syria, Soudi Arabia, western Iraq - very little rain falls - arid wasteland - Arab nomads -raise cattle and camels <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">-oil piplines <span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,courier,courier new;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;"> -across southern Turkey to its borders with Iraq and Iran - 16,583 ft. high -mountain
 * >Syrian Desert** <span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,courier,courier new;">- <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">desert
 * >Taurus Mountains**

-1,500 miles across Kyrgyzstan and well into China, -19,000 ft -mountain -along southern and western Iran and into northern Iraq. -9,000 ft
 * >Tien Shan (//also Tian//)**
 * >Zagros Mountains**

- mountain -southwestern Morocco along the Mediterranean coastline to the eastern edge of Tunisia - depression on the earth's surface, 4,000 miles in length, - from the Red Sea area near Jordan in the Middle East, south to the African country of Mozambique. - the longest river in the world (flows north), -rising from the highlands of southeastern Africa and running <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;">- 4,160 miles (6,693 km) in length, to then drain in the Mediterranean Sea. <span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,courier,courier new;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;">
 * >Atlas Mountains**
 * >Great Rift Valley**
 * >Nile River System**

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;"> =<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;">Vegetation = A part of Northern Africa and Southwestern Asia covered with drought resistant desert plants which is favored by the arid climatic environments. Large areas of desert are gravel-strewn, rocky, or sand-covered instead of having vegetation: one-fourth of the Sahara is covered with sand seas over the rocky or gravel-covered surface. The vegetation cover thickens and becomes denser in uplands because there are higher precipitation totals and lower rates of evaporation. Grassland and woodland vegetation the uplands of North Africa, Lebanon, western Syria, Turkey, and Iran, increase with altitude as the low-to-moderate precipitation become more effective as temperatures and evaporation level decreases. For the most part of the region, soils are poor and undeveloped. The rainy coastal areas and along the valley floors of the rivers have the best soil supplied by the fertile alluvium deposited from annual floods.

<span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,courier,courier new;">
<span style="font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,courier,courier new;">

=<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;"> = =<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;">Artifacts =

1. Sarcophagus of Tutankhamun: A mask of Tutankhamun's mummy
Country: Egypt Who is Tutankhamun? He was the Egyptian pharaoh during the period of New Kingdom in Egyptian History. Tutankhaten, the pharaoh's original name, means "living image of Amun"

2. Cyrus Cylinder
Country: Iran -written over 2,000 years ago -by the founder of the Achaemenid dynasty -first manifesto of human rights

3. Madain Saleh
Saudi Arabia artifact: Madain Saleh -from the Nabatean kingdom -the kingdom’s southernmost and largest settlement after Petra (capital) -first World Heritage Site

=<span style="background-color: #ffebbd; color: #666666; display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Economy - Hyun =

Northern Africa
Despite the current global economic recession, Africa continues to maintain high economic growth. The economy of Africa consists of trade, industry and resources made by the people in Africa. For many years Africa is suffering from poverty. Poverty effects are the following: low life expectancy, violence, and instability. The GDP is $1,150 billion (2007). Arab North Africa has long been closely linked to the economies of Europe and the Middle East. Northern Africa is relatively wealthy in comparison with the rest of the Africa with a major exception of the South Africa.Here, the economies are more stable, trade and tourism are relatively high and Aids is less prevalent.

[[image:Kuwait_National_Petroleum_Company_(KNPC)_headquarter.jpg width="471" height="317" align="right" caption="Petroleum Company in Kuwait"]]
There is huge economic differences between the countries with high oil revenues and those with very little. For example the countries bordering the Persian Gulf possess huge oil reserves. Lebanon, Jordan and Yemen are much less developed than the other nations for they are oil-poor countries.Collectively the region is best known for producing and exporting oil. The oil industry does significantly impact the entire region, both through the wealth that it generates and through the movement of labor. Also, the weapon market is big in the Southwest Asian region. In Saudi Arabia alone, it is known to produce approximately 20% of the world's oil. Although Turkey is classified with the Southwest Asian region, it may soon be officially moved to the Europe region. Turkey is attempting to restructure its economy in an attempt to gain full European Union membership. The United Arab Emirates have used their oil revenues to develop a modern state. They have made considerable investment in infrastructure and are negotiating a free trade agreement with the United States in an effort to diversify their economy. Additionally, the nation has made a notable effort to develop a tourist industry by building attractions such as indoor ski slope and artificial resort islands.

=<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;">Language =

-Southwestern Asia
Turkish || Kípros Kibris ||  ||
 * **Country** || **Official Language(s)** || **Native Name** || **Other Languages Spoken** ||
 * Azerbaijan || Azerbaijani || Azerbaycan ||  ||
 * Bahrain || Arabic || Al-Bahren ||  ||
 * Cyprus || Greek
 * Iran || Farsi || Iran ||  ||
 * Iraq || Arabic || Al-'Iraq ||
 * Israel || Hebrew || Yisra'el ||  ||
 * Jordan || Arabic || Al-'Urdun ||  ||
 * Kuwait || Arabic || Al-Kuweyt ||  ||
 * Kyrgyzstan || Kyrgyz || Kyrgyz ||  ||
 * Lebanon || Arabic || Lubnan ||  ||
 * Oman || Arabic || 'Oman ||  ||
 * Qatar || Arabic || Qatar ||  ||
 * Saudi Arabia || Arabic || Al-Mamlakat Al-'Arabiyat Al-Sa'udiyat ||  ||
 * Syria || Arabic || Suriya ||  ||
 * Turkey || Turkish (90%) || Tükiye || Kurmanji (dialect of Kurdish) (6%) ||
 * United Arab Emirates || Arabic || Al-Amarat Al-'Arabiyat Al-Motahedat ||  ||
 * Yemen || Arabic || Al-Yaman ||
 * Most commonly spoken language: Arabic

-Northern Africa

 * most commonly spoken language: Arabic


 * recommended site:** http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/bldept/apac/apacoll/orientalcollections.html

=<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;"><span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;"> Politics =

source: wikipedia.org
 * ~  ||~ Country ||~ Multi party ||~ Two party ||~ Dominant party ||~ Single party ||~ No party ||
 * ~ [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Flag_of_Algeria.svg/22px-Flag_of_Algeria.svg.png width="22" height="15" caption="Algeria" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algeria"]] ||< [|Algeria] || • ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * ~ [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_Egypt.svg/22px-Flag_of_Egypt.svg.png width="22" height="15" caption="Egypt" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt"]] ||< [|Egypt] ||  ||   || • ||   ||   ||
 * ~ [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Flag_of_Libya.svg/22px-Flag_of_Libya.svg.png width="22" height="11" caption="Libya" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libya"]] ||< [|Libya] ||  ||   ||   ||   || • ||
 * ~ [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Flag_of_Morocco.svg/22px-Flag_of_Morocco.svg.png width="22" height="15" caption="Morocco" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morocco"]] ||< [|Morocco] || • ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * ~ [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Flag_of_Tunisia.svg/22px-Flag_of_Tunisia.svg.png width="22" height="15" caption="Tunisia" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunisia"]] ||< [|Tunisia] ||  ||   || • ||   ||   ||
 * ~ [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c8/Flag_of_Western_Sahara.svg/22px-Flag_of_Western_Sahara.svg.png width="22" height="11" caption="Western Sahara" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Sahara"]] ||< [|Western Sahara] ||  ||   ||   || • ||   ||

-Southwestern Asia
The governments in this region is slowly moving to democracy. Ruling families or dictators still remain dominating many of the oil-rich nations. Saudi Arabia is ruled by the Sauds, who is ruling by the name of the king and support from many relatives. Syria has a military dictatorship. Sheikhs, emirs, and sultans rule other Gulf countries. Jordan has a king. After a brutal civil war, Lebanon gained a greater degree of democracy.

=<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;">Religion =

-Southwestern Asia



 * dominated by the Islamic religion except of Israel (Jewish), and Lebanon (Christian)

-Northern Africa

 * fourteen independent countries are Muslim

=<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;">Population =

The population of Northern African and Southwestern Asia is mostly populated near a water source, such as the Mediterranean and Red Seas, the Persian Gulf, and in the fertile valleys of the Nile and the Tigris-Euphrates River. Moderate densities can be found in Turkey and western Iran. The rest of the region is mostly empty. The population of all the countries in the region is increasing by more than one third over the next 20 years. Falling death rates along with increasing birth rates result in the rapid population growth. The world's highest fertility rates, 6.5 children per woman, are kept in Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen.


 * By comparing the each diagram, one can notice that the general trend of the population in Northern Africa and Southwestern Asia.

-Northern Africa
Arab&Berber: 95% Local dialects, traditional groups of nomadic pastoralists, colonial legacies:5%

**-Southwestern Asia**
Arabs, Muslims, Kurds, Jews, Asian, African

<span style="background-color: #ecfcd4; color: #666666; display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Work Cited:

 * "Africa Languages Religion." //Africa//. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2009. <http://www.africanculturalcenter.org/5_3languages_religion.html>.
 * "Africa Languages Religion." //Africa//. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2009. <http://www.africanculturalcenter.org/5_3languages_religion.html>.
 * " Engl M.A. M.Sc. Southwest Asia: Language, Culture and Institutions - Ca' Foscari ." //Università Ca' Foscari Venezia// . N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2009. <http://www.unive.it/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=53440>.
 * "Holy Land Journal, March 15." //Gene Mathes Newsletter//. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2009. <http://genemathes.com/HolyLandImages/March15_HolyLandBlog.html>.
 * "NationMaster - Israeli Population pyramids." //NationMaster - World Statistics, Country Comparisons//. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2009. <http://www.nationmaster.com/country/is-israel/Age_distribution>.
 * "Opportunities in the Food Market of China." //Agri-Food Trade Service | Service d'exportation agroalimentaire//. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2009. <http://www.ats-sea.agr.gc.ca/asi/4063-eng.htm>.
 * "Payvand's Iran News ...." //Tours to Iran//. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2009. <www.payvand.com/news/05/jan/1118.html>.
 * "Sarcophagus Of Tutankhamun, Egyptian Art, Egyptian National Museum, Cairo, Egypt Stock Photo Image." //SuperStock - The Best in Stock Photography, Vintage Photos and Fine Art Images//. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2009. <http://www.superstock.com/stock-photos-images/2102-964>.
 * address, entering an e-mail. " middle east asia maps of countries landforms rivers and information pages." //World Atlas of Maps Flags and Geography Facts and Figures - Maps//. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2009. <http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/melnd.htm>.
 * topic. "Beyond cautious archaeology in Saudi Arabia « Hidden Cities." //Hidden Cities//. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2009. <http://hiddencities.wordpress.com/2009/09/03/beyond-cautious-archaeology-in-saudi-arabia/>.
 * occupation. "Economy of Egypt - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Egypt>.
 * "BBC NEWS." //BBC NEWS | News Front Page//. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2009. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/africa/05/africa_economy/html/poverty.stm>.

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