One of the world's oldest crossroads, the Sinai joins the great continental land masses of Africa and Eurasia. Its physical geography of rugged mountain peaks, desert plains, and sea coasts was formed by the collision of the two continental plates, while the human tides that have swept across the region over millennia have left an intricate web of cultures and ethnicities.
In this book, Ned Greenwood offers a complete, up-to-date physical geography of Sinai. After an introductory chapter that situates Sinai within world history and geography, he focuses in detail on the following areas: plate tectonics and geology, geomorphology and drainage, weather and climate, soils, and biogeography.
In the concluding chapter, Greenwood considers the human geography of Sinai, including the pressures currently posed by population growth, political extremism, and environmental constrictions on development. He offers a fully rounded picture of the physical environment of Sinai that will be vital reading for everyone concerned about the future of this strategic yet fragile land.
- List of Illustrations
- Preface
- Place Name Types and Derivations for Sinai
- 1. Sinai: Search for a Geographic Entity
- 2. Plate Tectonics and the Geology of Sinai
- 3. Geomorphology and Drainage
- 4. Weather and Climate
- 5. Soils of Sinai
- 6. Biogeography of Sinai
- 7. May They Eat Lamb in Paradise
- Bibliography
- Index
