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
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) in the north
Salt Cover in Central Iran Desert
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A. Physical geography
The Dasht-e-Lut in the south
Dasht-e-Lut, a sand and stone desert of eastern
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 people are farmers

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B. Economic geography
Barley and wheat are the major grains
Iran Forecast to Become World's Largest Wheat
Importer
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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 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 are sold around the world
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B. Economic geography
Persian rugs have been 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
Iran - Esfahan main square and mosque
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C. Urban geography
Tehran is the capital of Iran and the 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 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
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D. Human geography
In 1979, the Shah fled Iran after unrest and
violence
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D. Human geography
A fundamentalist Islamic government, led by
Ayatollah Khomeini, came to power
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D. Human geography
In 2005, Iranians elected Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as
president
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
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E. Afghanistan
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Afghanistan is a dry, mountainous, and landlocked
country
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E. Afghanistan
A mountain range called the Hindu Kush cuts
across northern Afghanistan
Hindu Kush Mountains extend for 1,000 km (600 mi)
in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan. About
two dozen peaks surpass 7,000 m (23,000 ft)
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E. Afghanistan
It is situated between Iran, Pakistan, China, and
the Central Asian Republics
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E. Afghanistan
Afghanistan is one of the worlds least developed
countries
Purchasing power parity - 700 (2003 est.) Life
expectancy at birth (2004 est.) male 42.27
years female 42.66 years Infant mortality
rate 165.96 deaths/1,000 live births
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E. Afghanistan
Agriculture is the main occupation
Agriculture 80 Industry 10 Services 10
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E. Afghanistan
The mountains are mineral-rich, but deposits are
undeveloped
natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite,
talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore,
salt, precious and semiprecious stone
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E. Afghanistan
Kabul is the capital and largest city
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E. Afghanistan
Almost all Afghans are Muslims Sunni Muslim
80, Shi'a Muslim 19 other 1
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E. Afghanistan
The Soviet Union invaded in 1979, but was forced
to withdraw 10 years later
                                                
                                    Islamic
guerrillas stand on top of a Soviet helicopter
they brought down in Afghanistans Panjsher
Valley, north of Kabul, in 1979.
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E. Afghanistan
The Communist government collapsed in 1992, civil
war broke out, and the Taliban seized power in
1996
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After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks,
US-led military action toppled the Taliban for
sheltering Osama Bin Ladin
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E. Afghanistan
Presidential elections were held in October 2004
and a new constitution was adopted
Hamid Karzai