Chapter 34 Interior SW Asia

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Chapter 34 - Interior SW Asia

• II. IRAN

3 bands of green, white, and red the national
emblem (the word Allah in the shape of a tulip,
symbol of martyrdom) ALLAH AKBAR (God is Great)
in white is repeated 11 times along the bottom
edge of the green band and 11 times along the top
edge of the red band
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II. IRAN

• A. Physical geography

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A. Physical geography

The heart of the country is the Plateau of Iran
The Plateau of Iran is an immense area covering
1,648,000 km2 in the center of Iran and
encompassing a great variety of climates, soils
and topography. It is almost completely
surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges.
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A. Physical geography
Mountains Zagros Mountains to the southwest
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A. Physical geography
Elburz and Kopet mountains to the north
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A. Physical geography
The area can be divided into two major deserts
Great Kavir, one of the greatest deserts of the
world in the central Iran
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A. Physical geography
The Dasht-e-Kavir (Great Salt Desert) is in the
north
Salt Cover in Central Iran Desert
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A. Physical geography
The Dasht-e-Lut is in the south
Dasht-e-Lut, a sand and stone desert of
southeastern Iran and one of the hottest deserts
in the world
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A. Physical geography
Climate Steppe and desert climates are typical
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B. Economic geography
Agriculture - About 1/3 of the Iranians are
farmers
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B. Economic geography
Barley and wheat are the major grains grown in
Iran
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B. Economic geography
Iran is of the worlds largest producers of
pistachios
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B. Economic geography
Fruits, tea, cotton, rice, and mulberry trees are
grown along the shore of the Caspian Sea
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B. Economic geography
Mountain water must be diverted to irrigate the
fertile valley soils
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B. Economic geography
Qanats are tunnels that carry water from springs
at the foot of mountains to the plains
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B. Economic geography
Low technology methods and tools are still used
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B. Economic geography
Refineries, petrochemical plants, and ports
provide jobs
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B. Economic geography
Wool, silk, and metals are used in handmade
products that are sold around the world
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B. Economic geography
Persian carpets have been highly prized for
centuries
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C. Urban geography
Rural-to-urban migration is typical in Iran
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C. Urban geography
A central marketplace and a mosque are
characteristics of Iranian cities
Jowharshad Mosque Mashhad, Iran
Tehran Bazaar
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C. Urban geography
Tehran is the capital of Iran and Irans most
industrialized city
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C. Urban geography
Other important cities include Abadan, Tabriz,
Isfahan, and Qom
Masjid-i Shah Mosque, Isfahan
View of Qom
Tabriz City Hall
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D. Human geography
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D. Human geography
The Shia (Shiite) branch of Islam is the
dominant religion
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D. Human geography
The Shah, Irans ruler, launched a program of
modernization and industrialization
Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi (1919-80) King of Iran
(1941-1979)
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D. Human geography
1979 - the Shah fled Iran after unrest and
violence
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D. Human geography
1979 - Radical Iranain students seized the
American embassy 52 Americans were held hostage
for 444 days
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad(?) with U.S. hostage
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D. Human geography
A fundamentalist Islamic government, led by
Ayatollah Khomeini, came to power
Sayyid Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini (1902-1989)
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D. Human geography
In 2005, Iranians elected Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as
president
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad