Geography+of+the+Middle+East

=__Geography of the Middle East: __ = The Middle East is a large region, a little smaller than the United States. It consists of twenty-one countries and is about 3,500,000 square miles. [|Image1] As shown on the map above, the Northern part of the region is almost completely covered in Mountain ranges. Towards the coastal and Eastern Mediterranean there are lesser mountain ranges and hills. Down at the Arabian Peninsula in the West and South there are many mountainous heights. Although, there are many mountains and hills most of the region is made up of flat lands and well-known deserts.

[|Image2]

__Climate:__
Much of the Middle East’s climate has two extremes; hot and dry. These extremes are well-known in the Middle East except for the mountain ranges which, includes frequent snow. From October to April most of the region has its rainy season. However, towards the Southern part of the Arabian Peninsula the rainy season is from May to September. Because, it is so hot and dry there is very little rain during these seasons. In the deserts, the temperatures get as high as 125 F. Surprisingly, the nights are cool and sometimes considered cold. [|Image3] __NOTE:__ These are not average temperatures all year round. It is just to give an idea of how hot it can be in the Middle East. 

__[|Desert] __
//Ethan Gelber// Two well- known deserts in the Middle East are the Syrian and Arabian deserts. The Syrian Desert was formed by lava flow and is now crossed by oil pipelines. It is a rocky wasteland that covers Saudi Arabia, Eastern Jordan, Southern Syria, and Western Iraq. Different from the Syrian Desert is the Arabian Desert which is known for its colored planes, black lava flows, and red tinted dunes. There is life in the Arabian Desert however, there is no life in the Rub’ AL-Khalid. There, it is one of the driest regions in the world, which takes up most of the Central Southern Arabian Peninsula. [|Image4]

__Rivers:__
There are three major rivers in the Middle East they are the Nile, Tigris, and the Euphrates River. The most well-known river in the Middle East is the Nile River. It is located in Egypt and is the world’s longest river. As for the Tigris and the Euphrates River they begin in Turkey and run through Syria and then start to join in Iraq, where they begin to form the region Mesopotamia. Much of the region’s fertile land is contained by these river valleys. [|Image5] This is a picture of the Nile River. It is one of the longest rivers in the world.

The new book of knowledge, volume 12-M. Copyright 2008, scholastic Inc.