Geography

Geography of Middle East ​​Southwest Asia has a variety of climates such as dry, temperate, and cold. There is a difference of physical features, mountains, valleys, and seas. There is the Caucasus Mountains, the Jordan Valley, the Tigris and Euphrates river, and the Dead sea. Middle east produces lage amount of oil.

**Joyce- Iranian Plateau** Iranian plateau, also known as Persian plateau, lies between Southwest Asia and Southeastern Asia. It is subtropical. The extension of the plateau is about 2000km long. Even though it is a plateau, it contains several mountain ranges. It is wedged between Arabian and Indian plates. It has Zagros mountains to the west, the Caspian Sea and the Kopet Dag to the north, the Hormuz Strait and the Arabian Sea to the south, and Hindu Kush to the east. in historical region, it contains Parthia, Media, and Persia.Mountain ranges can be divided into five major sub-regions.

Northwestern Iranian Plateau which covers Pontus and Taurus mountains, has a high elevation and a severe climate. The region around the plateau is called Anti-Taurus, and the average elevation is about 3,000m high. Mount Ararat, located in Anti-Taurus, has the highest elevation, which is 5,137meters. There are three major rivers in Anti-Taurus. The three major rivers are: Aras River, Tigeris, and Euphrates. All of the rivers come together in Iraq and flow to Persian Gulf.



**David- Caucasus Mountains  **

==== The Caucasus mountains were a traditional dividing line between Europe and Asia, which means that for a long time it was the line that showed where Asia was and where Europe was. The area is 170,000 thousand square miles! The longer part of the mountains are called the "Ciscaucasia" and the shorter part called the "Transcaucasia." There are two parts to the Caucasus Mountains, the Greater Caucasus mountains, and the Lesser Caucasus Mountains. There highest point of the Greater Caucasus is 18,506 feet at the highest point. Greater Caucasus starts at the Black Sea, and ends at the Caspian sea. The Lesser Caucasus Mountain range runs parallel with the Greater Caucasus for about 100 kilometers. ====

The Syrian Desert is an arid wasteland in the Middle East. The desert is a roughly triangular in shape and reaches its greatest width which is about 600 miles. It lies north of the Arabian peninsula and south of the so called Fertile Crescent, occupying parts of Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. Most of the land has relatively flat stony, and sandy plains that have little or no plant life. There are scattered salt slates, a few sand dunes, low mountain ranges, and large tracts of rough barren lava.
 * Stephen- Syrian Desert **

There is little plant life in the Syrian desert. the non-arable areas are too dry for plant life for plant life to live at. some trees such as Yew, Lime, and Fir trees grow in mountains. In the Anti-Lebanon Mountains are forests of Aleppo pine and Valonia Oak. the animals that live there are wolves, hyenas, foxes, and jackals. In the forests there are a number of wild boars live there. wild birds in Syria are Eagles, Buzzards and Falcons which can be seen often. **Grace- Arabian Peninsula**

The Arabian peninsula is considered a peninsula because it is connected to Jordan and Iraq in the north, Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman in the west, bordered by the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden on the south, and finally by the Rest ea in the west. The peninsula is made up of big desert areas located in the southwestern Asia. It is severely arid, with few places getting more than 7 inches of rain a year and with no lasting streams. The Arabian Peninsula is a huge plateau, rimmed by mountains and slanting eastward to the Persian Gulf.

http://www.arab.de/arabinfo/parabia.htm The peninsula contains some of the largest sandiest deserts in the world. This includes the Rub' al-Khali the "Empty Quarter", the greatest all-sand desert in the world. Lots of different minerals are produced, such as gold, silver, sulfur, and salt. They get petroleum and natural gas from the Persian Gulf, which is the main source of their modern economic life. . http://www.geologytimes.com/Images/Arabian_Peninsula_dust_Sea.jpg