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:
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–
–
–
–
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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