| A | B |
|---|
| oasis | a fertile place in a desert where water is available from an underground spring |
| Rub al-Khali | the largest all-sand desert in the world, located on the Arabian peninsula; the "Empty Quarter" |
| Tigris River | a river that flows through Turkey, Iraq, and Iran to the Persian Gulf; the ancient civilizations of Nineveh and Ur were situated near its banks |
| Euphrates River | a river that flows south from Turkey through Syria and Iraq; the ancient civilizations of Babylon and Ur were situated near its banks |
| Hindu Kush | a mountain range in Central Asia |
| Pamirs | a mountain range in Central Asia |
| Mediterranean Sea | the large sea that separates Europe and Africa |
| wadi | a waterway that fills up in the rainy season but is dry the rest of the year |
| arable land | land that can produce crops |
| petroleum | an oily substance found under the Earth's crust; the source of gasoline and other fuels |
| nonrenewable resource | a resource that cannot be replaced once it is used |
| standard of living | the material quality of life |
| Kuwait | a country in Southwest Asia, officially the Republic of Kuwait |
| Almaty | the capital of Kazakstan, a country in Central Asia |
| Aral Sea | an inland saltwater sea in Kazakstan and Uzbekistan |
