Israel
Physical Features:
Rivers - The Yarquon, the Qishon, the Jordan
Plains - The Judean, the Samarian, the hills of Galilee
Three-Makhtesh’ unusual cifque like formations
Most of the annual rainfall in Isreal occurs during the winter
Fishing is one of the important activities in Isreal. Fish breeding produces mainly carps.
Haifa in Isrean known for heavy industries and refining
Tel Aviv – Israeli light industries.
Netanya – Diamond cutting and polishing centre
Jerusalem – Printing, shoe-making, pencil plants manufacturing centre.
It is the only Middle Eastern Country with a large Christian Comminity.
Bays -The Bay of Acre near Haifa
The largest inland Basin – The Plain of Jezreel
Southern half of Isreal - Negeve
Iraq
The rivers tigers and Euphrates meander across the plain to their junction near Al-Qurna, where they join to form the shatt al’ Arab.
Rivers - The Tigris, the Euphrates and the Karun are important rivers Iraq. The most populated aras are the Shatt al’ Arab, and the Beghadad. More than half of the population is Shiates-Shiates nominate in the South the Sunnites in the North. Iraq ranks first in the production of dates in the world.
Jordan
Nearly all of Jordon has practically rainless summers and most of the limited rainful comes during winter. Most of the northern and Northern eastern Jordan is covered with recent lava flows.
The Yarhi is the main permanent stream apart from Jordan river.
It has the shortest coast line in the South West Asia. Almost all the people east of the Jordan River claim descent from Bedouin Arabs.
The largest city of Jordan is Amman (Capital).
The Port of Aquaba is situated opposite the newer Israeli port of Elath on the Gulf of Aqaba.
Jordan’s industry has not developed much beyond the handicraft stage due to lack of natural resources, the restricted local maket, and the low standard of lving.
Kuwait
Kuwait city is located on the land locked inlet KuwaitBay.
Kuwait is a tropical desert. Winter is the rainy season. There are no permanent streams.
The original Kuwaits were nomadic tribesmen of the Bani Utubah tribe of the Anaize. They migrated from central Arabia in the early 18th century.
Most Kuwaitis adhere to Sunni branch of Islam
Lebanon
Lebanon is a narrow strip of land dominated by the Lebanon Mountains, for which it is named.
The alluvium-floored Biqa valley lies between the Lebanon Mountains onte west and the Anti-Lebanon and Hermon ranges on the East.
Lebanon has hot, dry summers and mild humid winters typical of a Mediterranean or dry summer subtropical climate.
Nearly all precipitation falls in winter.
The Lebanese are a Semitic people descended from the ancient Cananities, Arameans and Arabs.
The Lebanese economy is perhaps the only economy in the world in which services accounts for two thirds of the national income.
Petroleum refining and cement production are the most important industries in Lebanon.
Two oil refineris, located in Tripoli and Sayda are fed by pipelines from Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan
The eastern region or the Punjab Plain is drained by the Indus and five of its main tributaries - Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej.The western region consists of the Baluchistan Plateau and the Mountain ranges of Kirthan, Sulaiman and Hindukush. The Khyber pass and the Bolan pass are located in the Sulaiman and Kirthan Mountains.
Although, Pakistan lies wholly in the Temperate zone most of it is very hot in summer and very cold in winter.
Pakistan posses the world’s largest network of irrigation canals.
Wheat is the main food crop of Pakistan and cotton is the main cash crop.
Minerals and power deposits:
a) Salt deposits – Khewra (North – West)
b) Petroleum – Near Attock
c) Gas field – Sui
The Mangla Dam on the Jhelum is a famous dam.
The Pakistan population is mainly concentrated in the northern part of the fertile plains.
Saudi Arabia
It consists of two principal divisions, the former kingdom of Hejaz on the Red Sea and Najd on the Central Plateau, plus the smaller principalities of Asir and Hasa.
Around 1/5th of the people are the nomads, Bedouin and Society is by and large organized on ‘tribal lines.
Most of the Americans are concentrated in Hasa, where the oil fields lie.
The two holy cities, Mecca and Medina, birth place and burial site of the Prophet Muhammed respectively are located in Saudi Arabia.
The Majority of Saudis belong to Sunni sect.
Wahabi sect is centred around Riyadh
It has the largest known oil reserves
Saudi Arabia’s biggest oil refinery is at Ras Tanura.
Iran
Mountains - The Elburz – North; The Zagros – West; the Makran – South; The Moutains of Azerbaijan – North – Western Iran; The TalisMountains – East
The Aras valley separates Iran from the USSR
The Basins:
a) The Urmia lowland (contains lake Urmia)
b) The Khoi Maranad low lands etc.
The Qezel Owzan River is the Plateau’s only outlet to the sea.
The Dasht E Kavir and Dasbt E lut are stony poor surface desolated by wind action
Most of Iran has a continental type climate
Most precipitation falls in winter
Tehran has about 20” of snow a year
Dense deciduous forest is common.
The People:
a) Western mountain Highlands - the Kurds; the Lurs; The Bakhtiari and the Boir-Ahmadi
b) In the North – turki – Tukoman-Tartar element
c) South-east Arab elements
d) North – West – Assysian and Armenian
The Official language is Persian
More than 90% people belong to shiite section
The largest oil fields are Agha jari and Gach Saran
There are oil refineries at – Abadan, Isfatian, Tehran, Tabriz, Shriaz, Kermanshah and Neka
Chief Commercial crop – Cotton
Dams - Karaj River Dam; Manjil Dam on the Safid River; Dez River Dam and Karun RiverDam
Famous Iranian ‘Cariar Fish’ are harvested in the Caspian Sea.
Persian Gulf is rich in Shrimp and Sardines
The largest gas deposits lie near the head of Persian Gulf.
Iran is famous for its magnificent handmade carpets, textiles, metal wate, ceramics etc.
Major petrochemical complexes producing basic chemicals, fertilizers, polyester and acrylic fibres were constructed at Abadam, Bandar-e- Khomeyni,Ahvaz, Khark Island, Shiraz and Isfahan.
a) Chief Cotton and woolen textile centre-Isfahan
c) Other woolen production centre – Tabriz
d) Jute and silk fabrics – Mazandaran region
e) Major industrial centre – Tehran
Turkey
Turkey embraces both Asian territory and Europe. Between its European and Asian parts lie the Dardanelles, a strait 40 miles long, the Sea of marmara and the Bosporus strait. Together, these from the only water route between the black sea and the Mediterranean.
Physiogoraphic division:
i) Black Sea Region: is dominated by the PonticRanges (KureMountains and IglazMountains), trending east west.
ii) Aegean – Marmara Region
iii) MediterraneanCoast lands and Mountains: The western and main ranges of the Taurus dominate the region, the Anti-TaurusRanges, from the head of the gulf of Alexandretta to malatya are in the east. The Taurus and Anti-Taurus mountains have been formed by folding.
iv) Anatolian Plateau
v) Eastern plateau and Mountain Region consists of the high American Plateau.
vi) It has sub-tropical, (trtansitional and Mediterranean type and semi-arid (steppe type) climates
4. Natural Vegetation:
i) Mediterranean type – Garique and Phrygana
ii) Steppe type – the Anatolian and Armenian Plateaus
iii) Pontic typoe – maple, walnut, oak and hazel
iv) Alpine type – low plants, short grasses, stunted bushes (eastern Turkey)
The most densely populated area is the European Turkey.
It is the most industrially developed country in the Middle East.
Istanbul and Izmir with adjoining Marmara and AegeanProvinces, account for about1/4 total factory production and employment.
Other industrially important centres are Ankara, and Cukurova region, and Zonguldak on the Black Sea
Cereals and Livestock are raised on the Anatolian Plateau.
Turkey’s 44 million sheep produce wool for the carpet and 18 million goats, out of which 25% are Angora goats provide Mohair for export.
Two major HEP, the Keba, Dam on the Euphrates and the Hirafanli dam on the Kizil river are important.
Syria
The land:
Coastal Plain being broken by the Jebel Ansaryia or western highlands.
Jevel Ansaryia, limestone hills. At the southern end of it lies the Tripoli-Hons Gap or lowland
Fiftzone in Syria is a continuation of the African Rift Valley and the Jordan Rift Valley, is occupied by the middle course of the OrontesRiver
Eastern Highlands or Jebel Zawiyeh plateau
Eastern Plateau – the most conspicuous topographic feature is thejebeled Druz, a rounded domelike highland
Precipitation occurs in the winter Mouths.
Rivers - The Euphrates, the Orontes
The people -
Kurds ( the largest minority)
The Armenians ( the second largest minority)
The greater number of Kurds live in the Jaizira region in the north.
The most thickly populated province is Latakia along the Mediterranean coast.
The largest urban centres are Damascus, and Aleppo
The Syrian economy is based on agriculture
Syria’s main importance in the world economy lies in its position as an oil transit country, with petroleum from Saudi Arabia and and Iraq passing through its pipelines.
Petroleum is Syria’s most valuable mineral, providing about 4/5th of its export earnings.
The main oils field are :
As Suwayda in the South
Karachuk in the extreme Northeast
Jbeisseh in the Northeast
Habari in the Central Syria
There is an oil refinery at Homs with a capacity of 5 million tones annually andother is at Baniyas
a) Phosphate deposit – near Palmyra
Asphalt – Near Latakiya
Leading Industrial Centres – Aleppo and Damascus
A newerIndustrial Centres – Homs