Land use and lack of water in the Middle East.

Today I am going to figure out the problem with the lack of water and how the land is used. I am in a discussion group today that talk about how they should use the water. 3 reasons that the water is not where it is supposed to be or is being fought over. They said it was the other countries fault by taking it. It causes friction between other countries doing so. They also blamed it on the other countries for using it for, "experimental ways". The crisis could become of war a few years from now. Another reason that they don't get a lot of water is because it doesn't rain much, and its climate is threatening them by changing. The other countries use the water to meet population requirements.

http://www.mideastweb.org/water.htm

Now about how the land is used. I am visiting around the middle east. A lot of it is desert, so it cannot be used. A little bit is used for farming, and some is used for oil fields. I could't find a lot of ways that the land was and is being used. It looked all regular. Those were the only 3 I could find.

The mountains and plateaus of the Middle East

Well, first I am visiting the Taurus mountains in southwestern Turkey. While I was traveling up the mountain range I was also counting how high it was by meters and by feet. In meters it is 3,000-3,700 meters. It is somewhere in between there, because I know it is. In feet it is 10,000- 12,000 ft. Man was that a climb! Wow! Okay, I did some studying in another library because I like to learn, and I also found out that a lot of limestone is found there. I was also in the Taurus mountains when I found forests of Pine, some Cedar oak, and some Juniper (I had help from a guide that I hired to help me identify things. He is a real expert I will tell you that.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taurus_Mountains
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/584415/Taurus-Mountains

Now about the Elburz and Zagros mountains. Well the Elburz first. Did you know the Elburz mountains are also called the Alborz mountains? Man I went for a hike up there, man it was bright out! I almost fell down the whole mountains because I was blinded! Man it was cold! I did come across a field of grass and forests on one side. That moment just went slow mo.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alborz

Now I am traveling through the Zagros mountains. Whoa! Just hike to the top of the mountain in the morning and you know what you see? You see a beautiful sight with the sun blazing out, the trees look happier... Oh yeah, back to the point! Well I hiked horizontally through these mountains and measured it. It was 1500 meters long!
Do you know how the Zagros mountains were formed? Two of the techtonic plates (ask science teacher if you don't know) collided into each other and that is how they formed. What I commonly see is what you call a salt dome or a salt glacier. If you want to know what they are go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alborz and go to salt dome or salt glacier (it should be highlighted blue). The salt domes and glaciers are also real important for petroleum exports, because it holds the breath of petroleum.
One last fact about the Zagros mountains. Did you know that the Zagros mountains that it is a geographic barrier that separates the flat lands of Mesopotamia and the Iranian plateau? Yeah. Information from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zagros_Mountains.

There isn't to many plateaus that I can find here. So I will blog about the one I am living on.

Now about the plateaus. I am currently in the Iranian plateau. I was reading a book, and I found out that the plateau is 2,000 kilometers(or 3,280 miles). I am also figured out the hard way that the Iranian plateau has low-pressure, you know how? It rained a lot. If it is high pressure, it will not rain a lot, but if low pressure, it will rain more ofton. I am living next to a farmer who raises some livestock and his animals can predict when a storm is going to come. They go crazy! There was a stampede once!

I also read that the climate can change strangely. It can go from subtropical to polar conditions(Depending on the month)! I've been in this area for a whole year and I have witnessed all of the changes. Very cold sometimes.

Climate in the middle East

I am now going to find the climate of the middle east. The Arabian Peninsula has some of the hottest and driest tempature in the world. It also has some strong winds during those summers.

In Barsa, the tempature once got up to 124 degrees! In the Saudi desert there are regularly tempatures or over 120 degrees! Well I am standing in some hot weather and man I am somehow burnt to a crisp but still alive. I am sweating my armpits out, and wobbling around.

Across the middle east it is regular for it to be 85 degrees and up. Also you won't get a lot of rain here. Man I'm thirsty! Hold on, I'll be right back! *chug, chug, chug, chug*. Ahh. Much better.

The hottest and average tempature for each of the countries, Bahrain: August, 105 degrees, Egypt: July, 90 degrees, Iran: July, 100 degrees, Iraq: July 107 degrees, Isreal: July/August, 86 degrees, Jordan: July/August, 86 degrees, Kuwait: July, 105 degrees, Lebanon: August, 85 degrees, Libya: July/August/September, 85 degrees, Oman: July, 103 degrees, Qatar: August, 104.5 degrees, Saudi Arabia: July, 111 degrees, Syria: 99 degrees, Yemen: July, 83 degrees.

Now to do coldest tempature, Bahrain: January 72 degrees, Egypt: January, 67 degrees, Iran: January, 46 degrees, Iraq: January, 60 degrees, Isreal: January 55 degrees, Jordan: January, 54 degrees, Kuwait: January/December, 60 degrees, Lebanon: December, 67 degrees, Libya: January, 60 degrees, Oman: December, 73 degrees, Qatar: 73 degrees, Saudi Arabia: January/December 72-73 degrees, Syria: January, 53 degrees, Yemen: December, 73 degrees.

That is every country's highest and lowest tempature. The months also include the hottest/coldest of the year for that country.

Decide where you want to go in the Middle East. See ya!

http://unimaps.com/flags-mideast/index.html

The Persian Gulf

Well today I am visiting the Persian Gulf. I want to see what is like to be near or explore it. Of course, you people know what I did, I tasted the Persian Gulf's water. It was better than the Tigris but a little less tastier that of the Euphrates.

It is stuck between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula. I recently went scuba diving in the Persian Gulf, and got to see it's coral reef, fishing grounds, and Pearl Oysters. Also when I went Scuba diving, I was told there was a maximum depth of 90 kilometers, and and average of 50 kilometers. Wow! I got a measurement on the Persian gulf and found out it is 989 kilometers, and 56 kilometers when at its narrowest.

I also found out that the Persian gulf and its coastal areas are the largest single source of crude oil. I went and visited the Safaniya is the largest offshore oilfield. Whoa!

I went to another library and stocked up on facts. Did you know that the Sassinad Empire took over the whole of the Persian Gulf?

Did you know that the Persian Gulf was considered the Persian sea? Do you think it is big enough to be a sea or small enough to be a gulf? Give me your opinions right now.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_gulf

Euphrates and Tigris Rivers

Today I am in Iraq. I am exploring the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Did you know the sumarian name for the Tigris river is Idigna? I just found out that the Tigris river is approximentaly 1,200 miles long. I tried drinking it, it tasted like salt, and I HATE salt. I immediatly spit it out, yuck! The river occasionally flows southeast into the persian gulf. I also explored al of the tributaries to the Tigris river. They are the Great Zab, the Little Zab, the 'Adhaim, and the Diyala. They all have some interesting facts. Not that I have to tell you any. The capital of Iraq, Baghdad, lay on the bank of the Tigris. It was also a transportation route back then and I visited one of the places where it stopped, it was and still is one of the most important water sources in Iraq and all the other countries it runs through. The mosul dam lay on the Tigris river and is the biggest dam in Iraq. The mosul dam is pretty big. I tasted it. Blegh!

I am near the Euphrates river. I did what I did with the Tigris river, I tasted it.... what? Oh, not so blegh this time. I hiked north of where the Euphrates rive is. I found out it was near Anatolia. I went to a library and looked up Euphrates, did you know in Greek it means "furtilizing" or "fruitful?" I know huh? There is also a second translation, it means in Greek "to carry" or "to bring forward". In Hebrew it means "Stream" or "To break forth".

The Euphrates river is about 528 miles longer than the Tigris. I walked all the way down. That is why I am resting in the cabin I have writing in my diary. It also has no other notable tributaries. I also read some prophecies from Muhammed, and he told the people that the Euprates river will dry up and treasures will become of hold.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tigris_river

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphrates_river

Rub al-Khali Desert

Well, I am in the Rub al-khali. Did you know it is the biggest all-sand desert in the world? Well I should tell you about my surroundings and geological features. Well for starters, there is a lot of sand and sand dunes. There is also a lot of dry lakebeds. Wierd huh? I also see mirages of pools that once dwelled long ago. I also don't see a lot of vegetation. Also when I look around I see bones of Camels that the dunes have devoured. I am also starting to see the Kidan Fields, and other oil reserves. I asked the people who mine the oil how much the oil is worth nowadays, but they just kept on working. I also didn't know I was walking into other countries.


I also met some Bedouin, a muslim desert wondering group of former or groups of nomads. I talked with them and they replied by saying, "It's hard to live here. Especially with little to rain in a couple years. My ancestors died here. The oil prices? Eh, We don't know." They gave me useful surviving tips when traveling around for a long time in the Rub al-khali. Never use water unless you need it. Don't eat your food fast or it won't last. When you see mirages, don't get tempted. The sand dunes say more than "I'm just sand". It scared me at first, but then they told me that it is not scary and are not joking.

When I started to hit the cities I can't visit yet, I knew I was going in the wrong direction. So I went in a different direction. Oh, you're probably wondering what my goal is. Well I start in the UAE, go to the country of Oman, then to Yeman, then to one of Saudi Arabia's capitals, Riyadh, then to Qatar, then to Bahrain then sail by ship to Kuwait, then if you look on a map and find Kuwait I am going to go south-west all the way back to the UAE.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rub_Al-Khali

Welcome!
Hi. My name is Joe McDonald. I am a student at Callanan Middle School. Right now in Social Studies we are studying Middle East Asia. Every few days I will be posting comments about what I have learned. Well till then see you!