The Cultural Geography of the Arabian Peninsula and Central Asia Chapter 18 section 4 and 5

The Arabian Peninsula

Population of Arabian Peninsula

Countries of the Arabian Peninsula  Kuwait  Saudi Arabia  Bahrain  Oman  Yemen  United Arab Emirates  Qatar

Most people on the Arabian Peninsula live  Along the coasts  Because of desert conditions

Traditions v Modernization  Traditional because of Islamic culture  Its becoming more modern because of developing oil industry

The Arabs  Largest ethnic=56 million  Most practice Islam but small % follows Christianity or other religions  Speak Arabic  Some are descendants of ancient groups like the Egyptians, Phoenicians, and the Saharan Berbers  In Kuwait majority of people are Arab but migrated from others states in region when oil was discovered in early 1900s

Other Ethnicities  Large numbers from South Asia found larger cities of the eastern Arabian Peninsula  Muslims from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Iran have immigrated to here for jobs

Population Densities  In Saudi Arabia can be as high as 2600 per square mile in cities and some oases yet because its so large the density overall is 30 people per square mile  In Bahrain majority population lives in two cities  Oman ½ of population lives along the coastal plains  Population of Yemen has been historically more settled group though its Bedouins are still nomadic

The Bedouin  Original natives of the Arabian Peninsula  Live either in oases in the Arabian Desert r some have migrated to cities  Some accustomed to desert life remain there and roam for water and grazing areas for their herd  95% of them in Saudi Arabia live in villages or towns.

Discovery of oil in the early 1900s  Increased the wealth, modernization and immigration in many Arab countries  New arrivals make up majority population United Arab Emirates (only 15 to 20% of population are actually citizens)  Foreign workers are over half populations Qatar and Kuwait  Page 456 Graph Study Questions

History and Government

Key Factors  Islam began here in 600s which plays a huge in area’s culture  Many of the nations of this area sought protection from Great Britain in 1800s from invaders like the Ottomans  Most countries are fairly young but have long history ( 5000 years)

Ancient Civilization  Found in Yemen  Existed b/t 1100 BC and 500 AD

Around 1750  Countries of the region struggled against invasion by the Ottoman Empire and others

Britain Controls the Region  All the nations, accept Oman, signed treaties with Great Britain  This was for protection from invaders like the Ottomans  Treaties were signed in 1800s and early 1900s

Gaining Independence in the 1900s  Kuwait won independence from British in mid-1900s  Yemen freed in 1967  United Arab Emirates was created in 1971 when its treaty with Great Britain ended. It was formed from a group of tribal sheikhdoms: territories ruled by an Islamic religious leader

Monarchies Created  In Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman  More conservative in Saudi Arabia because follow shari’ah =Islamic law based on the Quran  Kuwait and Qatar are constitutional emirates ruled by emir=princes

standards of living in Arabian Peninsula  Vary widely across the region and even within the countries themselves  Urbanized nations with economies based on oil production, manufacturing, or trade have relatively high standards of living  Some oil rich countries are so prosperous that they have labor shortages and depend on foreign workers  Oil and gas reserves have given people of Qatar one of highest per capita incomes in the world and current ruler says committed to democracy

Culture of Arabian Peninsula

What is changing the culture in Arabian Peninsula?  As more and more foreign workers move here they bring their own cultures to the area  Cities are growing larger and more modern

Religion  Main religion Islam & two main sects are Sunni and Shia  Most Muslims believe in making a hajj (pilgrimage) to Makkah at least once in their life  Ibadhism is another sect of Islam and is said to practice moderate conservatism because they chose their ruler by communal consensus and consent; Oman is only nation to have a majority population follow this  the Wahhabi is another branch of Islam; branch from the Sunni and believe in literal teachings of the Quran

Language  Most people speak and pray in Arabic.  Other languages are South Asian, Afro Asian, and English

Education  Most children and young people attend school  Kuwait/Qatar: strong support literacy rates 83 and 89%  Bahrain's used oil revenues to cover costs and literacy rate 89%  Oman focuses on developing trained workforce and secondary and post secondary education high priority

Healthcare  Varies widely from country to country  And even more widely from rural to urban areas  Government owned hospitals not always fully staffed  Sometimes people rely on private groups to provide healthcare and other social services and is associated with a particular social or religious group

Best examples of art on the Peninsula  Is found in its architecture like the mosques and palaces  Islam discourages depicting living figures in religious art so use geometric patterns and floral designs  Also use calligraphy or elaborate writings for decorations; passages from the Quran adorn the walls of many mosques

Celebrations  Religious holidays and observances that bring family and community together  Id al Adha (the Feast of Sacrifice) by making pilgrimage to Makkah  Also observe Ramadan a holy month of fasting from dawn until dusk ordained by the Quran

Cultural Geography of Central Asia

Population of Central Asia

The Countries  Afghanistan  Turkmenistan  Tajikistan  Uzbekistan  Armenia  Georgia  Kazakhstan  Azerbaijan  Kyrgyzstan

Afghanistan  Mountainous country has many ethnic groups  Centuries of migrations and invasions have occurred here  The Pashtun is the predominant ethnic group  It is the most in populated in the subregion: 29 million

Caucasus area  More than 50 ethnic groups  Includes the Armenians and Georgians  Armenians make up 90% of Armenia  Armenia and Georgia become independent after the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991

The Turks  Large number of Turkic people in Central Asia  Mainly in Uzbekistan: the Uzbeks and the Kazakhs are in Kazakhstan (though are minority in own country)

Population Size  Population is unevenly spread because of because of mountainous terrain  Large populations do exist in some countries like Afghanistan

Conflict Affects Population  1915: 1 million Armenians in Turkey were massacred deported or died illness at the hands of the Ottoman Turks and only recently about 20% of Armenia’s population has left to look for a better life  In Georgia about 300,000 million people are displaced and Russia recently invaded into some portions of it

Tajikistan  Majority of people live and work in river valleys.  Two major rivers of Central Asia the Amu Dar’ya & the Syr Dar’ya flow through it.

History and Government

What are these countries struggling for?  To achieve economic and political stability  This is because are only recently free after of domination by other cultures and empires

Ancient Civilizations  Georgia’s culture is one of oldest in the area and included development of own language and culture unlike any other  Kingdom of Urartu.  Dates back to the 800s bc  Rule extended over entire Caucasus region and later became part of the Roman Empire  Its people adopted Western political, philosophical and religious ways

The Silk Road  trade route which connected China with the Mediterranean Sea  Beginning about 100 BC parts of Central prospered from it  Many cities thrived as trading stations along this route  This brought in many invaders as well

Invasion by Empires  in the 1200s Genghis Khan  led Mongol forces to invade the area and establish an empire  Killed 10s of thousands of people to gain control  many improvements to the region such as paper money and safer trade routes  Other empires that unified the region at different times were led by Alexander the Great, Persians, Arabs, and Ottoman Turks  The Russian Empire unified parts of it in the 1800s

Enclave  Armenians were one of few groups to resist conquest  Over 90% practice Christianity which makes Armenia an enclave  This is a territory that is culturally or ethnically different from surrounding larger cultures

Exclave  This is a distinct group of people who are isolated from the main or larger part of the country  Azerbaijan is an example because it maintains an Islamic culture although it is surrounded by the Christian region of the Caucasus.

As Part of The Soviet Union  By 1936 Central Asia had become an extension of the Soviet Union  People were objects of Soviet economic, political, and cultural control  Large numbers of people in Kyrgyzstan fled to escape the harsh conditions  Many countries did experience increased literacy and standards of living

Independence  Soviet Union dissolved in 1991 and numerous Central Asian countries declared their independence  Armenia has had some stability and economic reform  Tajikistan has had chaos and still has a Russian military present  Some countries are moving towards political and economic stability but poverty and unemployment are widespread  Gas and oil reserves in Armenia, Georgia, and Kazakhstan will hopefully bring economic stability

Afghanistan  Invaded often due to location on trade routes linking Middle East to South Asia  Soviets invaded in 1979 and US and other countries provided weapons to Afghan rebels (mujahedeen) to fight them off; Soviets agreed to get out in 1988  The Taliban  Islamic military group took over after Soviets left  Promised to restore order and rose to power  Cracked down on crime and drug trafficking  Severely limited rights of women  Used violence to enforce laws  Following attacks on September 11, 2001  US demanded that the Taliban turn over Osama bin Laden and members of al-Qaeda who had claimed responsibility for the attacks  when the Taliban refused US sent in troops  Despite elections held in 2004 New Afghan govt still faces serious problems in ruling its territory and providing people basic services  Has a history of being unable to form a strong central government which has led to terrorism and instability in the country  Warlords, decentralized power base, and lack of democratic history stand in way of it forming a democratic government  Possible solution: Support of peace organizations combined with foreign aid to help strengthen and stabilize to build an infrastructure including a good communications system; by developing economically it would give it a national identity

Culture of Central Asia

Language  Majority speak Turkic languages  Armenian, Tajik, and Afghan Persian and Pashto languages are Indo European and are spoken in Armenia, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan respectively  Georgia is the only country in subregion with a wholly unique language and alphabet  Russian remains the official language in Kazakhstan and is still widely spoken in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan

Religion  Islam with most practicing Sunni branch  Majority of Azerbaijani Muslims follow Shia branch  Christianity is major religion in Georgia and Armenia

Education  Universal across Central Asia and is mandatory through secondary school in a few countries  Afghanistan and Uzbekistan is lagging behind  Others are at or above 88% literacy rate like Tajikistan  Armenia and Georgia=99%

Healthcare  Have been lacking since breakup of Soviet Union  Years of internal strife and economic challenges have left few financial resources to be spent on social programs

Arts  Traditionally literary traditions has been very strong in this region  great novelists in 1800s and early 1900s  oppressed during the Soviet Union’s oppressive control  Has enjoyed a resurgence since fall of communism.

Essay Questions