Middle East Unit 1 Study Guide Key
1. Which of the following is a method of bringing water to dry land? Irrigation
2. When soil is fertile, it means that…it is productive and has required nutrients for planting crops
3. What are hunter-gatherers? Nomadic people who travel in search of food, and survive on hunting, fishing, and gathering wild grains, fruits and nuts
Specific to the Middle East: Bedouins
4. Why has there been conflict over the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers for many years? They provide needed water resource and irrigation for farming for Turkey, Syria, and Iraq. Turkey has been building dams to control the flow of these rivers.
5. Where is the Suez Canal located? Egypt between the Sinai Peninsula and the Nile River
6. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers flow through the majority of which modern nation? Iraq
7. The natural resource that Saudi Arabia is most known for is: oil.
8. Vast areas of the Middle East are deserts. How has this impacted the use of water? People need water to live. Areas with water are overpopulated and becoming polluted. Large cities are located near water resources. Irrigation is essential for growing crops.
9. Most people in the Middle East live near water resources (in large cities).
10. Where are Yemen and Oman located? Arabian Peninsula
11. Which country is located on the Anatolia Peninsula? Turkey
12. Which countries are located on the Arabian Peninsula? Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman
13. Which country is located on the Sinai Peninsula? Egypt
14. Which body of water has the highest salt content in the world? The Dead Sea
15. Which river do Syria, Israel, and Jordan share? Jordan River
16. How has the building of the dams created problems for countries who share rivers? Water Wars
17. How has the use of artificial fertilizers affected water supplies? Water pollution
18. The lands bordering which body of water contain most of the world’s oil? Persian Gulf
19. Which countries have the most oil in the Middle East? Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
20. In which climate zone do most people live in the Middle East? Mediterranean
21. Which climate zone covers the greatest area of land in the Middle East? Arid
22. Many of the largest cities in Southwest Asia are located on or near_water resources.
23. What is the largest sand desert in the world and is also known as “The Empty Quarter”? Rub-al-Khali Desert
ESSAY QUESTIONS- Be prepared to answer in paragraph form (5-7 sentences)
24. Why do people live where they live in the Middle East? Why do they live in some areas and not in others? Be able to provide SPECIFIC examples of these areas in the Middle East in your answer.
Water is in short supply, and people must have it to survive. The Turks are currently building many dams on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Syria and Iraq are not getting the same flow and are protesting the restrictions caused by Turkey’s dams. The Nile River supports most of Egypt’s population. The Sahara Desert covers most of North Africa and makes trade, agriculture, and travel difficult. People also need to live near a trade or transportation route free of geographic barriers. They also desire a moderate climate and therefore either live in an area with a temperate or mediterannean climate OR have adapted to life in a harsh climate. Many people live near resources in the Middle East such as oil in order to have access to jobs (income/economy).
25. Which two resources are the most prized in the Middle East and why? Oil and water affect the economies of those countries that have these natural resources and those that do not. The countries that have these natural resources have money for healthcare, roads, education, industry, etc.