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[CT]The Middle East
[IP]The Middle East The Middle East is a region of the world located near and around the Mediterranean Sea. There are different ways to map out the Middle East. But in this book, you will look at the Middle East in three different areas. These are the Arabian Peninsula, Northern Africa, and parts of the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Let’s take a look at the countries and the people who live here!


[H1]Camels, Sand, and Pyramids - Let’s Go to the Middle East
[NF]What do you think about when you hear the term Middle East? Most people think of oil, sandstorms, and the Great Pyramids of Egypt. These are features of this interesting region of the world. But there is a lot more to it! So grab the sunscreen, some light clothing, and your passport. We are going to the Middle East.
In this chapter you will read about Middle Eastern countries from three main areas in the world. These are the northern part of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Mediterranean Sea.

[All About] North Africa
[SB]Here is a list of the countries in North Africa with their capital cities
Algeria - Algiers
Egypt - Cairo
Libya - Tripoli
Morocco - Rabat
Tunisia - Tunis
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[All About] The Arabian Peninsula
[SB]This is a list of the Middle Eastern Countries on the Arabian Peninsula
Kuwait - Kuwait City
Bahrain - Manama
Oman - Muscat
Qatar - Doha
Saudi Arabia - Riyadh
United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi
Yemen - Sana’a
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[All About]The Mediterranean Region
[SB] Here is a list of the Middle Eastern Countries in the Mediterranean Sea
Israel - Jerusalem
Jordan - Amman
Lebanon - Beirut
Syria - Damascus
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[Fun Fact] Other Middle Eastern Countries
[SB] There are two other Middle Eastern countries that are not included in the lists above. These are Iran and Iraq. These countries have been in the news a lot lately and you have probably heard of them. They are in a group of their own. The capital city of Iran is Tehran and the capital city of Iraq is Baghdad.
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[H1]Who Lives in the Middle East?
Let’s take a look at one country in each of the areas above. This way you will get a better idea of who lives in the Middle East and what their lives might be like. Keep in mind that every country in the Middle East has its own unique characteristics and people. It would be hard to talk about them all as one group. There isn’t room in this book to cover all the countries in this region. So let’s just look at a few.

[H2] Egypt
Egypt is a Middle Eastern country located in Northern Africa. Egypt is the 38th largest country in the world and is one of the countries in Africa and the Middle East with the most people. Egypt is a giant desert with a river flowing in the middle of it. Most of the people in Egypt live in cites near this river, the Nile River. They use the river for water, transportation, and industry.

[Fun Fact] The Nile
[SB] The Nile is the longest river in the world. It is about 4,160 miles long! It starts in Lake Victoria in Burundi. It flows northward and empties into the Mediterranean Sea in Egypt. The area near the Nile is called the Black Land. It has this name because of the black sediment that would be on the land after the floods every year.
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[All About] Egypt
[SB] Here are some facts about Egypt.
capital city - Cairo
largest city - Cairo
other cities - Alexandra, Suez
official language - Arabic
population - 80,335,036 (estimate for 2007)
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The city of Suez in Egypt is home to the Suez Canal. The Suez Canal was built 1869. This canal connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea. This made life easier for many many people. At this time, many traders transported their goods between Europe and North Africa and Asia. Before the Suez Canal was built, sailors and traders would either have to travel around the tip of Africa or cross the deserts on foot and camel back w itch their goods. This was a long, hard trip and could take many months. The Suez Canal made the trip much shorter and easier making trade much easier.

The Nile River used to flood - a lot! This made life for the people along the river dangerous. The Nile would flood every year between June and September. Finally, people decided something had to be done. So the Aswan Dam was built. It was built to control the floods, not stop them completely. Because, believe it or not, some flooding is good. When the Nile floods, it helps bring water and fertile soil to areas that need it. It is just the big floods over a long time that can be bad. Now with this dam, it is possible to control the flooding and release of water. This has helped improve the lives of many people along the Nile.

[Fun Fact]A new lake is formed
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When the Aswan Dam was built, a new lake formed behind it. When the waters from Lake Nasser are let through the dam, it floods nearly 800,000 acres of land. That is a lot of water!
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The dam has helped Egyptians control the floods. But there are more than a few natural disasters that Egyptians can face. This area has quite a few earthquakes, which sometimes can be strong. The rest of Egypt is desert so drought and sandstorms are common concerns. It seems like parts of Egypt either has too much water, or too little!

[Words to Know]khamsin
[SB]The Arabic word khamsin means dry, hot wind. The khamsin winds in Egypt blow across the Sahara desert in the spring. Bringing hot temperatures, dry conditions, and a lot of sand, this is a time of year when not many people venture outside.
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There are many environmental problems Egyptians must face. Some sandstorms and wind storms remove precious farmland. Oil spills are threatening the coral reefs around the shores of Egyptians. Wastes and other contaminants are polluting the Nile river. And as the population of the country and in the regions around t he Nile increase, then the resource are more and more strained.
But Egypt is a beautiful country. Many people travel there every year for vacation. The Great Pyramid of Giza is in Egypt. These attract tourists from far and wide. Built 4617 years ago, this is the only listing on the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World list still standing. Scientists and scholars estimate that 590,712 blocks of stone were used to build this great pyramid. Some of these blocks could weigh as much as 70 tons! It is hard to think about what it must have taken to move these blocks, isn’t it? Most agree that the Great Pyramid at Giza was built as a burial spot for an Egyptian leader.

[Fun Fact]The Great Pyramid is really great
[SB]The Great Pyramid at Giza is so large it is about 30 times taller than the Empire State Building in New York City! In fact, astronauts can see this awesome structure from the surface of the moon! Now that is really big.
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The people in Egypt work at many different jobs. The fertile area around the Nile produces crops such as cotton , rice, and corn. Farmers raise livestock such as cattle, water buffalo, and goats in this area. People living in the cities have many different jobs. Egypt is known for its textiles. There is oil in this country and many may work to support that industry. And tourism is a very important part of the economy of Egypt. Many work at jobs that are related to the tourists that visit the Great Pyramid and other sites of ancient cultures.




[H2] Lebanon
Lebanon is a Middle Eastern country which borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Syria is located to the north and east of Lebanon, and Israel forms the southern boundary of Lebanon. Lebanon has beautiful sandy beaches along the west coast. There are mountains in the eastern part of the country. These mountains are called the Lebanon Mountains. The Lebanon Mountains are on average 7,000 feet tall. They are often covered in snow. In fact, the country gets its name from these snow capped mountains. The Arabic word for Lebanon is Lubnan. This means “white” and refers to the mountains there.

[All About] Lebanon
[SB]Here are some facts about Lebanon.
capital city - Beruit
largest city - Beruit
Other cities: Tyre, Tripoli
official language - Arabic
other common languages - French, English, Armenian
population - 4,196,453 (estimate for 2008)
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Lebanon has several natural resources. Limestone, iron ore, and salt are natural resources that Lebanon uses or exports to other countries.
[Fun Fact]Old cities
[SB]Modern day Lebanon is the site of some of the world’s oldest cities. The city of Tyre is thought to be one of the urban areas in the world. And people were living in this area since the Stone Age. That is about 12,000 years ago. Imagine what life must have been like then!
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Lebanon has been a popular place to visit for tourists. There have been many conflicts in recent years but it is not a forgotten destination. Lebanon, with its ancient cities, is a place where you can see many archeological sites. For example,

[Did You Know]The Cedars of Lebanon
[SB]Have you ever seen the flag of Lebanon? There is a cedar tree in the middle of it. The cedar trees in Lebanon grew in the Lebanon Mountains in the eastern part of the country. The cedar trees are disappearing but some still remain in those snow capped mountains.
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[Try This]Shopping Lebanese
[SB] The next time you are in the grocery store, spend some time looking in the international food aisle. Chances are you’ll find things there that are from Lebanon. Lebanon is known for products like olive oil, grape leaves, oranges, and figs.
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[H2]Kuwait
Kuwait is a tiny Middle Eastern country located in the Persian Gulf. Kuwait is a little smaller than the state of New Jersey but is important. It is bordered to the north by Iraq and to the south by Saudi Arabia. The Persian Gulf forms its eastern boundary.
[All About]Kuwait
[SB]Here is a list of some of the facts about Kuwait
capital city - Kuwait City
largest city - Kuwait City
official language - Arabic
population - 3,399,637 (2007 estimate)
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One of the most recognizable structures in Kuwait City is the Kuwait Towers. You may have seen pictures of these on the news or in newspapers. The Kuwait Towers are the primer tourist attraction in the small country. The towers are actually a series of three different towers. The largest has two large globes. The lower globe is home to a revolving restaurant giving views of the country and the Persian Gulf. The upper, smaller globe is a revolving observation deck. The middle sized one can hold up to 1 million gallons of water. And the small one controls the electricity for the other two. The towers are covered in small plates made of different colored metals. There are 55,000 plates on the towers, all shining in the bright sun to give the towers their shimmery blue color!

There are three main industries in Kuwait. The first is the petroleum industry. In 2005, Kuwait produced an estimated 2.7 million barrels of oil a day! That is a large percentage of the oil produced in the world! Not bad for such a small country. Kuwait also has a huge water desalination industry. Taking water from the salty Persian Gulf, and processing it to make fresh water, is important for the people in this country. Kuwait also is known for its shipbuilding and fishing industries.


[Words to know]Desalination
[SB]Desalination is the process by which salt is removed from water. This is used to bring fresh drinking water to people who live in areas with little fresh water. Kuwait and other Middle Eastern countries lead the world in desalination efforts.\
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[Try This]Take Out that Salt
[SB]Take the salt out of the water. To one cup of water add 3 tablespoons of table salt. Stir well until it is dissolved. Carefully pour the water into a metal pie plate so that it forms a thin layer. Leave the pie plate in the sunshine until the water evaporates. What is left over? This is one of the processes by which salt can be removed from water.
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[Fun Fact]Man, its dry here!
[SB]Kuwait is a very dry country. In fact, this country is the only country in the world that does not have natural lake.
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Kuwait has faced many environmental problems in recent years. Kuwait, along with other countries in the Middle East, is prone to sandstorms, desertification, and droughts. Kuwait also faced a more significant problem in 1991 when oil fields were set on fire. As a result, soil and ground water has become contaminated with oil, the air pollution was thick and hazardous, and parts of the southern part of the country have been uninhabitable since then.

[H1] Landforms of the Middle East
[HF] The Middle East is an area of many hot, and dry deserts. But as you will read in this section, there are many bodies of water in the area. As you can imagine, these are places where people live and work and have for a long time.

[Fun Fact]oasis
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Have you ever seen a picture of an oasis? These are spots in the middle of a desert with palm trees and water. These spots do exist in a desert. Oases are formed by underground springs or rivers. They have been important spots for trade in the desert as this gave the people places to stop and get water.
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[H2] The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers are usually discussed together. The Tigris River is about 1,180 miles long. It has its source in Turkey and then flows south until it meets up with the Euphrates River in Iraq. The capital city of Iraq, Baghdad, is located on the Tigris River. From there, the two rivers continue as one until they reach the Persian Gulf.

The Euphrates is about 1700 miles long and it too starts in Turkey. Of the two, the Euphrates is on the western side. The word “Euphrates” comes from a word meaning fertile. This makes sense as the area around this river would be fertile for growing crops or for livestock. The Euphrates gets its water from the mountains of Turkey, which when the snows melt every year, brings much more fresh water to the areas.
These rivers are home to many different plants and animals. The area is a wetland and has plants such as papyrus. Water buffalo, antelope, gazelle, and jerboa roam this area as well.
[Where in the World?]Mesopotamia
[SB] Mesopotamia is an ancient region of the world. The word Mesopotamian means the “land between two rivers”. This area is located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Today the countries of Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Syria are part of Mesopotamia.
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[Words to Know] wetland
[SB] A wetland is an area that wet a lot of the year, or has very squishy soil. Wetlands are also known as marshes or swamps. The soil in a wetland is saturated with water and therefore can only support certain types of plants.
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[Fun Fact]Papyrus
[SB]Papyrus is a tall plant found in the areas surrounding the Nile and the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. These plants can grow to be 9 feet tall! Papyrus plants can be cut into thin strips to be used as paper. Ancient people also used them to make boats and mattresses.
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[H2] The Arabian Desert
The Arabian desert covers most of the Arabian Peninsula. It reaches from Yemen to Jordan. The Arabian Desert has a very dry climate. The most dry area in this desert gets about 1.38 inches of rain in an entire year! That is not very much when you consider a pen top is over 2 inches long!
There are not many plants or animals that live here. The temperatures can get pretty extreme, which makes it difficult for life to exist. For example, in the summer the average temperatures are between 104 and 122 F. In the winter, the temperatures seem to hover in the 40s and 50s, but can reach as low as 0 F.
Some animals did used to live here. Animals such as hyena, jackals, and badger once lived there but are now extinct. Humans over hunted these animals and their habitats were destroyed which led to their extinction.
[Fun Fact]Quicksand!
[SB]Along the border between Saudi Arabia and Oman there is region of quick sand in the Arabian Desert. Quicksand is caused by underground water mixing with the soil. A small amount of water enters into a basin along this border, creating quicksand. Travelers in the desert need to watch out for this hazard!
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One of the biggest threats to the Arabian Desert is off road driving. People take their cars and trucks out into the desert to camp and to drive off-road. This practice, while popular, is damaging the habitats of the plants and animals that live there. It seems that even the most seemingly innocent past time can have an affect on a fragile ecosystem like the desert.

[H1] Did that Gasoline Come from the Middle East?
[NF] Did you go to the gas station this week? Chances are pretty good that if you did, the gas that was put in you tank came from the Middle East. But the Middle East is known for more than just oil.
[H2] The Oil Business
Many countries in the Middle East have petroleum, oil, and natural gas reserves. More than half of the countries in OPEC (7 out of 12) are Middle Eastern countries. OPEC countries have more than 2/3 of the world’s petroleum reserves. The OPEC nations get meet and decide on things like what price to set for petroleum, or how much to drill. As you can imagine, these nations play a big role in our daily lives!

[Words to Know]reserve
[SB]A reserve is a known deposit of oil or petroleum. Reserves of petroleum and oil are found in rocks deep underground. Long ago, plants and other organisms died. Over time this material changed into petroleum. The amount of petroleum reserves are in limited supply. It takes millions of years to form new reserves. That is why conservation is so important!
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[H2] Harvesting for pearls
Do you know how pearls form? Pearls form when a small bit of sand or shell gets caught inside an oyster. The oyster builds up layers around the small bit until eventually a pearl forms. Pearls are often beautiful and are used in jewelry.
The tiny Middle Eastern nation of Kuwait has one of the world’s greatest exporters of pearls. Kuwait does have a large supply of oil. But the pearl industry and ship building industry are traditional businesses in this country.

[Words to Know]export
[SB]An export is a good or service that one country sends out to other countries. Kuwait, for example, exports pearls and petroleum products. This is the opposite of an import, which are goods that a country brings in from other places.
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[H2] Tourists in the Middle East
Have you ever seen pictures of the Egyptian pyramids? Countless numbers of people, tourists from around the world, visited the pyramids each year. They come for the sites, to shop in the markets, and to maybe ride a camel. If you are thinking of going be sure to bring a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen. You could get a nasty sunburn as you explore the ancient ruins.




[H1] Whew! It’s Hot Here - A Look at the Sahara Desert

[Fun Fact]What a pile of sand!
[SB]The sand dunes in the Sahara Desert are huge! Some of them are as tall as 600 feet. That is about half as tall as the Empire State Building in New York City! Now that is a lot of sand.
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The Sahara Desert is in Africa. Most of the countries of North Africa are covered by this desert. This desert stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the west to the Red Sea on the east. It reaches from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the country of Sudan in the south.

The Sahara Desert is the second largest desert in the world. (Wait until Chapter 10 to find out which one is the largest!) It rains very little in this desert, or any other desert for that matter. So why is there a desert in Northern Africa if it is surrounded on three sides by water?

The Sahara Desert is getting bigger. Desertification and climate change are working together to expand the desert. At this time, it is believed that the desert expands southward at the rate of about 30 kilometers a year. This means that many people are losing their fields to the desert and many animals are being displaced.

[All About] the Sahara Desert
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area: 9,000,000 square kilometers
that is nearly the size of the continental United States!
highest temperature - 136°F
lowest average rainfall - 0.02 inches/year
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[Fun Fact]Sunshine All the Time
[SB]The Sahara Desert receives the greatest amount of possible sunlight of any place on Earth. The lack of clouds, storms, and pollution mean that this area receives 4,300 hours of sunlight each year. That is 97% of the possible hours of sunlight. Make sure you have your sunglasses!
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[Fun Fact]Dromedary Camels
[SB]A dromedary camel can have two or even three humps? The humps of a camel are used to store fat and water. In fact the humps of the camel can give it enough water to last for 5 days! So that’s why you never see a camel with a water bottle.
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The organisms of the Sahara are easily recognized. Mammals such as the dromedary camel and goats are herded and used for transport, food, or milk. The monitor lizard is also found in the Sahara. The hyrax, a small relative of the elephant, is found in the Sahara. Most of the plants in this desert are able to withstand droughts and higher than normal levels of salt. Many of these plants have roots that stick way down deep into the ground. In some cases, the roots may reach as far down as 80 feet! The roots travel so deep because they are trying to find water. Palm trees, cacti, and acacia trees are well suited for this desert environment.