Unit 3 Study Guide: Middle East Physical and Human GeographyName:

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY THINGS TO KNOW

P. 487

  1. What is the most distinctive landform in this region?Arabian Peninsula
  2. The country of Turkey occupies this peninsula.Anatolian Pen.
  3. Why is the Suez Canal considered a “strategic” opening?quick trade route from Asia to Europe

P. 488

  1. Where is the Strait of Hormuz located?Between Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf
  2. Why is the Strait of Hormuz vitally important to this region and the rest of the world?Only waterway to Persian Gulf and all the oil
  3. What country is land-locked? What does it mean to be land-locked?Afghanistan, no access to a port
  4. Where are the Zagros Mountains found?Western side of Iran

P. 489

  1. Why are there so few rivers that flow year round in this region?The region is so dry
  2. What are the two most important rivers in this region?Tigris and Euphrates
  3. Why would ancient civilizations begin in this area called the “Fertile Crescent”?valleys were fertile and good for growing crops
  4. What countries do the Tigris and Euphrates flow through?Iraq, Turkey, Syria
  5. What body of water do the Tigris and Euphrates empty in to?Persian Gulf
  6. The Jordan River flows into what body of water?Dead Sea
  7. Why is the Dead Sea called the “Dead Sea”?only bacteria can live there

P. 489-490

  1. What is this region’s most abundant resource?oil
  2. Where major oil fields are located (3 places)?Throughout Arabian Peninsula, Iraq and Iran
  3. How much of the world’s oil reserves are found in Southwest Asia?half
  4. What is considered the most valuable resource in this region?water
  5. Why might hydroelectric power be better to use than oil?Water is renewable and oil is not

P. 491

  1. How much rain does Southwest Asia receive in a year?Less than 18 inches per year
  2. How is desert being transformed into productive farmland?irrigation
  3. How do conditions in the desert restrict movement?Spread throughout the region, hot and dry climate, sandy/salty/rocky
  4. What is the most famous desert in this region? What does it translate to?Rub al-Khali, “Empty Quarter”

Important VOCAB

Desalinization

Rub al-Khali

Land-locked

Mesopotamia

Canal

Strait

HUMAN GEOGRAPHY THINGS TO KNOW

P. 503

1. Who are the nomadic desert dwellers in SW Asia? How are they able to live in the desert?Bedouins, tight knit families, raised livestock and traveled from place to place

2. Who founded Islam and where was it created?Muhammad, Mecca

P. 504

3. What are the 5 Pillars of Faith? Faith, Prayer, Charity, Fasting, Pilgrimmage

4. How did Islam spread throughout the Arabian Peninsula?Spread by conquest

5. What is a “theocratic” government? What do rulers rely on to govern their people in a theocracy?Religious leaders control government, religious scholars and religious laws

P. 505

6. What country is an example of a theocratic government?Iran

7. Why did much of SW Asia fall to Britain or France around WW1?The Ottoman Empire was broken up and controlled by Britain and France, the 2 major European powers

8. Why was the region considered so valuable by the French and British? Suez Canal and oil

9. What is the most important resource in this region?oil

10. Look at the graph. Which country makes the most money off of oil?Kuwait

11. Where does some of the money that countries make off of oil go?Development or cities and water development projects

12. Describe the creation and purpose of OPEC.1960 -oil producing countries got together to coordinate prices; now they control and adjust pricing and production quotas

P. 510-513

  1. Where is the Western Wall and Dome of the Rock located?Jerusalem
  2. For which religions is Jerusalem a holy city?All 3
  3. Why was the state of Israel created?Provided a safe haven for Jewish people after the Holocaust
  4. What is Zionism?19th century movement to create a Jewish state in Palestine
  5. Why is the Western wall so important to Jews?Only remaining piece of their holy temple from the year 70 AD
  6. What is the goal of the Palestine Liberation Organization?They want to take back the land that they feel Israel took from them.

P. 516-521

19. How are language, ethnic groups, and religion in the Northeast region different from other parts of Southwest Asia?More diversity; Turks, Kurds, Persians; areas dominated by differing branches of Islam, Kurds are “stateless nation”, no country of their own.

20. What are the 2 branches of Islam? Which is the largest?Sunni and Shia; Sunni

21. Who are the Taliban?Fundamentalist political group that was in power in Afghanistan and allowed Osama bin Laden to hide there.

22. What steps need to be taken to improve the economies of the Northeast region?They need to expand transportation systems, power plants and general infrastructure. There needs to be peace and stability if they want to make consistent progress

23. Why are there internal struggles in some of the nations of the Northeast region?Terrorism and religious conflict, borders drawn without any say from the local people

Important VOCAB/people

Hajj

Hijab

Sharia

Fundamentalist

theocracy

Sunni vs. Shia

Kurds

ISIS

OPEC

Taliban

Osama Bin Laden vs. Sadam Hussein