SW Asia Mapping Lab

Lab Directions

Name:__________________________________Mapping

Learning About the Human and Physical Geography of SW Asia

1. Look at the map on the next page. There you will find an unlabeled political map of SW Asia.
2. Look at the list below. Each item is a state, providence, territory, city, or physical feature. Find the
location on your blank map and label it using any of the Africa maps in the back of your book.
Label with the NUMBER and the NAME of the item. When you have located it on your map, put a
check next the item in the list.
3. Repeat the above step until you have located EVERY feature.
4. When you are done, check your answers on the master copy on the board at the front of the
room. (You will have a SW Asia Mapping Quiz on SOME of the countries and cities that you were
asked to find).
Find all of the following items:
Countries
1. Turkey
2. Pakistan
3. Kazakhstan
4. Afghanistan
5. Saudi Arabia
6. Yemen
7. Oman
8. Georgia
9. Armenia
10. Azerbaijan
11. Uzebekistan
12. Turkmenistan
13. Tajikistan
14. Krygyztan
15. Iran
16. Cyprus
17. Iraq
18. Syria
19. Lebanon
20. Jordan
21. Israel
22. Kuwait
23. Qatar
24. Bahrain
25. United Arab Emirates
Cities:
26. Tehran, Iran
27. Kabul, Afghanistan
28. Islamabad, Pakistan
29. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
30. Baghdad, Iraq
31. Damascus, Syria
32. Jerusalem, Israel
33.
Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Bodies of Water:
34. Arabian Sea
35. Persian Gulf
36. Strait of Hormuz
37. Red Sea
38. Gulf of Aden

SW Asia Mapping DirectionsChallenge #3

Using Geography Skills to Answer Where?

1. For each question, decide which thematic map you will need to use in order to answer the questions. Circle the
name of that map and answer the question in the space below. See page numbers below:
Political Boundaries
Economic Activities
Physical Features
Climate Zones
Vegetation Zones
Population
Density
Page 582
Page 583
Page 584
Page 585
Page 586
Page 587

Question

Circle the thematic map you used. Then, Answer the question in a complete
sentence.

1. what is the most common type

of vegetation in SW and Central
Asia? Name three small countries
that have ONLY this type of
vegetation.

Physical
Features

Climate Zones

Vegetation
Zones

Population
Density

Economic
Activities

2. What is the PRIMARY resource

Physical
Features

Climate Zones

Vegetation
Zones

Population
Density

Economic
Activities

3. Which Central Asian countries

does the Aral Sea border?

Physical
Features

Climate Zones

Vegetation
Zones

Population
Density

Economic
Activities

4. The countries of Tajikistan and

Kyrgyzstan are at mostly what
elevation? What physical feature
contributes to this?

Physical
Features

Climate Zones

Vegetation
Zones

Population
Density

Economic
Activities

5. What four climate can be found in

Kazakhstan?

Physical
Features

Climate Zones

Vegetation
Zones

Population
Density

Economic
Activities

6. Name three countries in this

region that have no cities of at
least one million people.

Physical
Features

Climate Zones

Vegetation
Zones

Population
Density

Economic
Activities

7. The countries of Saudi Arabia,

Yemen, Oman, United Arab
Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, and
Jordan are almost all in what
climate zone?

Physical
Features

Climate Zones

Vegetation
Zones

Population
Density

Economic
Activities

8. What is the most common land

use in the five stans?: Kazakhstan,
Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan,
and Turkmenistan.

Physical
Features

Climate Zones

Vegetation
Zones

Population
Density

Economic
Activities

9. Which two countries have the

highest overall population density in
the region?

Physical
Features

Climate Zones

Vegetation
Zones

Population
Density

Economic
Activities

10. Which country has no desert

scrub but has a large amount of
mixed and coniferous forest?

Physical
Features

Climate Zones

Vegetation
Zones

Population
Density

Economic
Activities

found in Southwest Asia near the

Persian Gulf?

SW Asia Mapping Directions

Challenge 4

Using Geography Skills to Answer Why There?

1. For each question, decide which thematic maps you will need to use in order to answer the questions. Circle the
name each map and answer the question in the space below. See page numbers below:
Physical Features
Page 582

Political Boundaries
Page 583

Question

Climate Zones
Page 584

Vegetation Zones
Page 585

Population Density
Page 586

Economic Activities
Page 587

Circle the thematic map you used. Then, Answer the question in a complete
sentence.

1. Name three countries that DO NOT

have mostly arid or semiarid climate
zones. What PHYSICAL FEATURES
might explain why these countries have
more moderate climates?

Physical
Features

Climate Zones

Vegetation
Zones

Population
Density

Economic
Activities

2. List four countries that have a

coniferous forest vegetation zone. What
PHYSICAL FEATURES might help
explain why this tyoe of vegetation is
found there?

Physical
Features

Climate Zones

Vegetation
Zones

Population
Density

Economic
Activities

3. Which two larger countries have large

areas that are scarcely populated? How
might the VEGETATION and CLIMATE
ZONES of these areas help explain why
the population is so low?

Physical
Features

Climate Zones

Vegetation
Zones

Population
Density

Economic
Activities

4. In which two countries do

COMMERCIAL and SUBSISTENCE
farming take place in the same areas?
Do you think the climate in these places
helps or hinders this land use? Name the
PHYSICAL FEATURE that help explain
why farming can take place in these
climate zones.

Physical
Features

Climate Zones

Vegetation
Zones

Population
Density

Economic
Activities

5. Locate a SMALL country with these

features:

Physical
Features

Climate Zones

Vegetation
Zones

Population
Density

Economic
Activities

Physical
Features

Climate Zones

Vegetation
Zones

Population
Density

Economic
Activities

-it has abundant oil, making it ones of the

wealthiest countries in the area
-nomadic herding takes place here
-it has a low population density
-it is located on a gulf.
-it is entirely in a desert scrub vegetation
zone.
What country do you think this is? Why?

6. you are a businessperson. You want to

move to a city in SW or Central Asia. You must
meet the needs of your family:

-you are an expert in petroleum

-your son wants to captain a fishing boat
-your family prefers a mild winter
-your spouse wants to live in a city

-your daughter loves skiing

Where do you think you might settle?
Why did you choose this location?

SW Asia Mapping Directions

Challenge 5

Using Maps to Analyze a Field Photograph

1. For each location, use latitude and longitude to look through all the thematic maps, and write a
brief description of the characteristics of each location in the table. See page numbers below:
Physical Features

Political Boundaries

Climate Zones

Vegetation Zones

Page 582

Page 583

Page 584

Page 585

EXAMPLE: The
Rocky Mountains
have very high
elevations.

NOT A MAP YOU

NEED TO
REFERENCE

EXAMPLE:
Southern Florida
has a warm
tropical wet and
dry climate.

EXAMPLE:
Northern Alaska
has tundra. These
are treeless
plains.

Thematic
Map
Physical
Features

Climate
Zones

Vegetation
Zones

Population
Density

Economic

Population
Density
Page 586

Economic Activities

EXAMPLE: The
northeast has a
high population
density, including
over 8 million
people in NYC.

EXAMPLE: Along
the coast, there is
commercial
fishing.

Page 587

Location A

Location B

Location C

(22 North, 48 East)

(34 North, 50 East)

(25 North, 67 East)

Activity