ABSTRACT
A basic tenet of geography is that physical features on the earth's surface and their related bioclimatic elements reciprocally interact with patterns of population, peoples, and human activities. Each affects all the others. The long human drama unfolds on this reactive stage. Although the physical environment should not be said to determine the human condition, it must nevertheless be understood to influence, sometimes powerfully, many aspects of human activities. Such influence can readily be seen to affect Middle East societies' modes of living, urban development, transportation, access to irrigation water, share of energy resources, and level of economic development. The Gulf varies widely in temperature and salinity because of its considerable supply of fresh water, shallowness, and limited connection with the ocean. In summer, the surface waters are warm and evaporation is high, and water temperature is about 68°F/20°C even in winter.
