Physical Features
Turkish Straits:
● Separate Europe from Asia (Asian part
called Anatolia)
● The Dardanelles, Bosporus Strait and
the Sea of Marmara
● The Bosporus Strait connects the Black
Sea to the Mediterranean Sea
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Climate and Vegetation
● Mostly dry
● Mediterranean climates around Black
Sea and Mediterranean Sea ~ people
enjoy a more mild climate where
vegetation is plentiful and rain is more
frequent
○ IE: Israel has over 2800 species
of plants
Rivers and Lakes:
● Tigris & Euphrates Rivers begin in
DESERT AREAS:
Turkey and flow through Syria into Iraq
● Syrian Desert covering much of Syria
and Jordan is rocky gravel desert not a
● Jordan River forms border between
sandy desert
Jordan & Israel, empties into Dead Sea
● Negev Desert in southern Israel has
recorded temps of 114℉ with less than 2
● Dead Sea - world’s saltiest lake, lowest
inches of rain/year
point on any continent at 1312 ft below
sea level, little life other than bacteria
Natural Resources
Land and Water:
● Water is a valuable resource due to an
overall lack of water
● People in this region are mostly farmers
and must rely on irrigation to bring
water to their crops
● Subsistence Farmers -​ ​grow only
enough food to support their families
● Nomadic Herders -​ ​people who
follow their herds across the region with
no permanent settlement in search of
pastures and water for their herds.
Generally herd​ cattle, goats, sheep,
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Mountains and Plains:
● Pontic (North) and Taurus (South)
mountains in Turkey
● Inland plateaus and valleys
● Great Rift Valley from eastern Africa
extends up through Syria
● Parallel mountains running through
Syria & Jordan and Lebanon & Jordan
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Mineral Resources:
● Mine sulphur, mercury and copper
● Syria, Jordan, Israel produce
phosphates
● Phosphates are minerals used to make
fertilizers
● Asphalt - tar-like material used to pave
roads