Dec 15, 2024
# Mountains in the Arab World
## Introduction
- The term terrain means: mountains, plateaus, plains.
- Factors affecting the formation of the Arab world's surface:
- **Internal factors**:
- Folding movements: lead to the formation of high mountain ranges.
- Faulting movements: lead to rock fractures and elevation of some to form mountains and lowering of others to form seas.
- Volcanic eruptions: lead to the formation of volcanic mountains and plateaus.
- **External factors**:
- Water erosion: carving and transporting rocks with water, leading to the formation of river deltas and sea shores.
- Wind erosion: carving and transporting rocks with the wind, leading to the formation of sand dunes.
## Mountains in the Arab World
### Types of Mountains
- **Folding Mountains**
- Due to folding movements.
- Examples: Kurdistan, Zagros, Oman, Atlas Mountains.
- **Fault-block Mountains**
- Due to faulting movements.
- Examples: Red Sea hills, Levant mountains.
### Atlas Mountains
- Located in the African Arab wing.
- Found in: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia.
- Extend from west to east.
- Comprised of mountain ranges such as:
- Tell Atlas Mountains (in the north)
- Sahara Atlas Mountains (in the south)
- The Shott Plateau is located between the Tell and Sahara Atlas Mountains.
### Red Sea Mountains
- Located in the African and Asian wings:
- In Egypt and Sudan, called the Red Sea Mountains.
- In Saudi Arabia and Yemen, known as the Hejaz, Asir Mountains, and Yemeni Highlands.
### Levant Mountains
- Located in the Asian Arab wing.
- On the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
- Found in: Syria, Lebanon, Palestine.
- Contains rivers such as:
- Litani River (in Lebanon)
- Orontes River (in Syria)
## Summary
- The Arab world contains two types of mountains: folding and fault-block.
- We studied folding and fault-block mountains in detail.
- We will explore plateaus and plains in the next lesson.