Southwest Asia has a very arid climate, but is surrounded by water. It has deserts, plateaus, mountains, and a peninsula. In the southwest there a many vast deserts. There are two types of desserts, one is covered in sand and the other is covered in rocks. In these areas rain rarely fall so water is very valuable. Even though there are very dry lands the land next to the two rivers (Tigris and the Euphrates river) have one of the most fertilized soil in the world. There are many ranges mountains and plateaus in the south west. The seas and gulfs separate the countries from each other and it also separates the south west form each other.
Rubʿ al-Khali
Rubʿ al-Khali is one of the biggest deserts in the world. It's area is 250,000 square miles (650,000 square km). It takes up one third of the Arabian Peninsula. It covers mainly Saudi Arabia, but also it covers small parts of Yemen, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. It is the biggest continuous sand area. The Rubʿ al-Khali is even bigger then the country of France.
Rubʿ al-Khali is a very interesting place. The elevation in the west gets as high as 2,000 feet (610 m) and in the east the elevation gets as low as 600 feet. In the summer the temperatures can go from 0ºC at night to over 60ºC at noon. The Dunes get as high as 300 meters. There are many oil fields in Rubʿ al-Khali and one of the many oil fields is the largest oil field in the world, it's called the Ghawwar Field.
Very few things live in the Rubʿ al-Khali. There are some nomads on the edges of desert, but no one lives there permanently. There is almost no plant and animal life in the Rubʿ al-Khali.
The Tigris river is 1,150 mi (1,850 km) long! This river flows from Turkey through South East of Iraq. When time comes the Tigris river will flood, which leaves rich and fertile soil near the banks of the rivers. This river has some of the most fertile soil in the world! This river also connects with the Euphrates river, an ancient civilization, Mesopotamia, used to be located between the rivers. It was their advantage to have very good soil near their civilization.
Although this river is shorter than the Euphrates river, it carries more water, quicker then the Euphrates river, and is more valued. Couple of dams are made to control the flood and the amount of water that flows. It is also has another name that is used in the bible, in the Old Testament the river is called "Hiddekel."
Tigris River
The Zagros Mountain
The Zagros MountainThe Zagros mountains are the major mountain system in Southwest Asia.Several summits rise over 14,000 feet. The highest is the Zardeh Kuh which is 14,920 feet.It is mostly located in Southwestern Iran that snows. The northeastern are divided by large, fertile plains, which made the one of the richest part of the region.
The rainfall reaches about 15 inches per year and it snowfalls in winter or sometimes even summer. The road through the Zagros from Babylonia to Media, was a famous road called the Silk road. The mountains have mostly been covered, leaving some oak and pistachio trees.Animals found in the mountains are: wild sheep, goats, wolves, bears, hyenas, and leopards. Some of the eagle nests are in a higher place.
Geography
Introduction
Southwest Asia has a very arid climate, but is surrounded by water. It has deserts, plateaus, mountains, and a peninsula. In the southwest there a many vast deserts. There are two types of desserts, one is covered in sand and the other is covered in rocks. In these areas rain rarely fall so water is very valuable. Even though there are very dry lands the land next to the two rivers (Tigris and the Euphrates river) have one of the most fertilized soil in the world. There are many ranges mountains and plateaus in the south west. The seas and gulfs separate the countries from each other and it also separates the south west form each other.Rubʿ al-Khali
Rubʿ al-Khali is one of the biggest deserts in the world. It's area is 250,000 square miles (650,000 square km). It takes up one third of the Arabian Peninsula. It covers mainly Saudi Arabia, but also it covers small parts of Yemen, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. It is the biggest continuous sand area. The Rubʿ al-Khali is even bigger then the country of France.Rubʿ al-Khali is a very interesting place. The elevation in the west gets as high as 2,000 feet (610 m) and in the east the elevation gets as low as 600 feet. In the summer the temperatures can go from 0ºC at night to over 60ºC at noon. The Dunes get as high as 300 meters. There are many oil fields in Rubʿ al-Khali and one of the many oil fields is the largest oil field in the world, it's called the Ghawwar Field.
Very few things live in the Rubʿ al-Khali. There are some nomads on the edges of desert, but no one lives there permanently. There is almost no plant and animal life in the Rubʿ al-Khali.
Tigris river
The Tigris river is 1,150 mi (1,850 km) long! This river flows from Turkey through South East of Iraq. When time comes the Tigris river will flood, which leaves rich and fertile soil near the banks of the rivers. This river has some of the most fertile soil in the world! This river also connects with the Euphrates river, an ancient civilization, Mesopotamia, used to be located between the rivers. It was their advantage to have very good soil near their civilization.Although this river is shorter than the Euphrates river, it carries more water, quicker then the Euphrates river, and is more valued. Couple of dams are made to control the flood and the amount of water that flows. It is also has another name that is used in the bible, in the Old Testament the river is called "Hiddekel."
The Zagros Mountain
The Zagros Mountain The Zagros mountains are the major mountain system in Southwest Asia.Several summits rise over 14,000 feet. The highest is the Zardeh Kuh which is 14,920 feet.It is mostly located in Southwestern Iran that snows. The northeastern are divided by large, fertile plains, which made the one of the richest part of the region.The rainfall reaches about 15 inches per year and it snowfalls in winter or sometimes even summer. The road through the Zagros from Babylonia to Media, was a famous road called the Silk road. The mountains have mostly been covered, leaving some oak and pistachio trees.Animals found in the mountains are: wild sheep, goats, wolves, bears, hyenas, and leopards. Some of the eagle nests are in a higher place.
Sites
Intro.World Studies: Eastern hemisphere
Rubʿ al-Khali Desert
http://i-cias.com/e.o//rub_al-khali.htm
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1200.html
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/511779/Rub-al-Khali
Zagros mountains
http://www.livius.org/za-zn/zagros/zagros.html
http://www.peakware.com/areas.html?a=390
http://www.jameswbell.com/a010thezagrosmountains.html
Tigris river
http://geography.howstuffworks.com/middle-east/the-tigris-river.htm
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Tigris.aspx
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/wwww/world/tigrisriverdef.htm
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Tigris_river_Mosul.jpg