U NIT 6: N ORTH A FRICA, S OUTHWEST A SIA, AND C ENTRAL A SIA Page 427

W HERE I S I T ? H OW B IG I S I T ? P AGE Is Cairo north or south of the equator? 2. Is Cairo east or west of the Prime Meridian? 3. What is the absolute location of Cairo? 4. How does the size of Russia compare to the size of the region of North Africa, Southwest Asia, and Central Asia? 5. About how large is the population of Egypt? 6. What other country in this region has approximately the same population as Egypt?

F AST F ACTS  Qatar: Al-Jazeera, based in Qatar, was started in 1996 as the first independent Arabic- language television channel. It is unique in the Arab world because it is not run by a government. Although it respects the religion of Islam, it freely criticizes the policies of governments throughout the region.

G EO F AST F ACTS P AGE What four physical features of this region are highlighted on this map?

F AST F ACTS  Egypt: Animals were important in ancient Egyptian culture. In Egyptian art, gods and goddesses were frequently shown with human bodies and the heads of animals. Cats first became domestic pets in ancient Egypt. Bastet, the Egyptian cat goddess, was associated with joy, music, and dancing.

R EGIONAL A TLAS A CTIVITY P AGE What two continents does this region consist of? 2. What countries in the region are in Africa (6)? 3. What countries are in Asia (23)? 4. What do the names of many of the countries of Central Asia have in common?

F AST F ACT Afghanistan: The average life expectancy in Afghanistan is only 42 years years less than the average life expectancy in the United States. More than one in four Afghan children die before their fifth birthday.

R EGIONAL A TLAS A CTIVITY P AGE Map Skills on both pages Page 432 Compare this map to the map on page 431. What parts of this region have the lowest population density? What physical features might account for the low population density in these areas? Page 433 Pick two countries from the map. Compare and contrast their resources using a Venn diagram. Page 434 What is the population density of Egypt? Of the US? How do the land areas and populations of the two countries compare? How do you think the population distribution in the US compares to that in Egypt?

F AST F ACTS Jerusalem: The city of Jerusalem, in Israel, has been occupied continuously for nearly 5,000 years. The Old City, in the heart of Jerusalem, is surrounded by walls on four sides and contains four neighborhoods- Jewish, Christian, Armenian, and Muslim. The city contains important holy sites of Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

S ECTION 1 Content Vocabulary Section Review Questions 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6 Graph Skills (page 445) WordDefinitionPicture