New
New
Year 9

Physical landscapes of the Middle East

I can define the location and key landscapes of the Middle East.

New
New
Year 9

Physical landscapes of the Middle East

I can define the location and key landscapes of the Middle East.

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The Middle East lies at the crossroads of continents.
  2. It has deserts, mountains, plateaux, and fertile valleys.
  3. The Zagros and Taurus Mountains were formed by tectonic movement.
  4. The Rub' al Khali is the largest sand desert in the Middle East.

Keywords

  • Tectonic - the large scale processes that take place within Earth’s crust

  • Mountain - a natural, raised part of Earth that is higher than a hill

  • Plateau - an area of high, flat land

  • Desert - an area of land that is extremely dry and receives less than 25 centimetres of rain per year

Common misconception

The Middle East is all desert.

Students will learn that the Middle East contains diverse landscapes including mountains, valleys, and fertile land.


To help you plan your year 9 geography lesson on: Physical landscapes of the Middle East, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Using a large wall map or interactive digital map will help students visualise the physical and political geography of the region.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

Loading...

Prior knowledge starter quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
Match the physical landscape features to their descriptions:

Correct Answer:Mountain,A very high area of land, often with steep sides

A very high area of land, often with steep sides

Correct Answer:River,A natural stream of water flowing through the land

A natural stream of water flowing through the land

Correct Answer:Coast,The land next to the sea

The land next to the sea

Correct Answer:Plain,Flat land that stretches for a long distance

Flat land that stretches for a long distance

Q2.
Which of these is part of the coastal landscape?

Correct answer: Cliff
Valley
Hill
River

Q3.
Which of the following is an example of a physical landscape in the UK?

The London Underground
Correct answer: The Lake District
Heathrow Airport
Manchester Arena

Q4.
What is a valley?

A steep cliff near the sea
A flat area at the top of a mountain
Correct answer: A low area of land between hills or mountains
A river that flows underground

Q5.
Which process can shape physical landscapes over time?

Voting
Correct answer: Erosion
Shopping
Printing

Q6.
Which of these landscapes would you most likely find in a desert?

Glacier
Cliff
Bay
Correct answer: Sand dune

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

4 Questions

Q1.
Match the keywords to their definitions.

Correct Answer:Tectonic,Large-scale processes within Earth’s crust

Large-scale processes within Earth’s crust

Correct Answer:Mountain,A high natural area rising above the surrounding land

A high natural area rising above the surrounding land

Correct Answer:Plateau,A high flat area of land

A high flat area of land

Correct Answer:Desert,Large-scale processes within Earth’s crust

Large-scale processes within Earth’s crust

Q2.
What makes a desert a desert?

It has lots of sand
It is very cold
Correct answer: It receives very little rainfall
It has no animals or plants

Q3.
The Middle East is not just desert – it also has such as the Zagros range.

Correct Answer: mountains

Q4.
Why is it incorrect to say “The only physical geography in the Middle East is desert”?

Because some parts are cold
Because some parts are cities
Correct answer: Because the region has mountains, rivers, and fertile areas
Because the desert is not very big