Chapter 19

Section 1
1. Only 2-30% of the land in the middle east is arable, or able to support farmland, and yet much of the economies of middle Eastern countries is dependent om agriculture. The steppe climate of Central Asia provide fertile land for raising livestock and growing crops. The Mediterranean climate of North Africa and Southwest Asia allow farmers to grow cereal grains, olives, grapes, dates and citrus fruits. Fishing industries are a big part of life in north Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, and fish are caught in man-made ponds, the Atlantic Ocean, inland seas, and rivers.

2. Changes and improvements in communication and transportation are bringing people closer together. Communications allow people in different regions to interact without the need to travel, and even so, new roads, airlines and railways are being built for when transportation is necessary.

creative writing: The communications in the united states and Canada are very high-tech, and are becoming sleeker and smaller (like smaller computers and cell phones), while telecommunications in the middle east are still being picked up. Most of the economy in the US and in Canada are either agriculture, industry, or technology based, and in the Middle East it is based on oil, natural gas and agriculture. Travel in the Canada and the United States is mostly done by car or airplane, and some railway. In Southwest Asia, North Africa and Central Asia, there are more roads, railways and airports being built, and all of the new ones are being used.



The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

Section 2
1. Much of the freshwater sources in North Africa, and the Middle East are oases, rivers and aquifers. Countries with little of these and are bordered by salt water use desalination - the separation of salt from water - to provide fresh water. farmers also dig canals to irrigate their farms.

2. Three of the largest environmental problems in the area are the Aswan High dam, the impact of war, and the three troubled seas. The Aswan High Dam rests on the Nile River in Egypt. It has dammed up the Nile, disrupting its natural flow, and created the world's largest man-made lake - Lake Nasser. Now that the Nile doesn't flood because of the dam, it cannot deposit fertile salts and minerals to the farmland, and the ground is growing sterile.

War in the middle east and in north Africa caused the destruction of nearly 700 oil wells, which poured thousands of pounds of thick black smoke clouds into the atmosphere. Also, millions of gallons of oil was poured into the Persian Gulf and killed thousands of marine animals and birds.

The troubled seas, or the Caspian sea, the Aral Sea and the Dead Sea, all face extreme environmental challenges. Both air and water pollution soil the water in these three lakes, and overfishing has depleted their fish populations. Farmers have diverted feeding rivers to irrigate their farmlands, and this causes the lakes to lose water, and the drier land is kicked up in dust storms. The Dead sea has dropped, in the past 40-50 years, 262 feet, or 80 meters.


Salt formation in the Dead Sea



creative writing: I agree with the statement "It is necessary for all of the countries in North Africa, Southwest Asia, and Central Asia to cooperate to develop plans and technologies to bring more freshwater to the region." I agree because without water, no human can survive, and without water, no ecosystem can survive. Because most of this area is desert, the conservation of water is extremely important, and the conservation of the environment is equally important. If the countries in this region don't have enough water to support its people, then they need to work together to bring freshwater to cities and farms.