Human Geography Chapters 22 & 23 Southwest Asia Human Geography Chapters 22 & 23

Leading countries according to GDP Kuwait United Arab Emirates Qatar Israel

Leading countries according to Land size Algeria Saudi Arabia Libya

Leading countries according to population Iran Turkey Egypt

Physical Characteristics Area is the crossroads of Europe, Africa, and Asia It has a primarily desert or semi-arid climate Sahara, Sahel, and steppes are the primary vegetation region

Sahara--world’s largest desert, it stretches over most of North Africa and is growing Sahel--area separating the Sahara from the tropical rainforest of Africa.

The Sahel is an area of temperate grassland (steppe) moving into sparse desert scrub-like vegetation

Three main mountain ranges 1. Atlas Mountains in northern Algeria and Morocco 2. Taurus Mountains in southern Turkey 3. Zagros Mountains in western Iran

Even though this is a dry area, water plays a very large role There are several large bodies of water which play a major role in world politics

Examples : Persian Gulf/Arabian Gulf Strait of Hormuz Arabian Sea Red Sea

Other important bodies of water Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Bosporus Strait, Dardanelles Strait, Nile River (longest in the world), Tigris and Euphrates (home to the world’s first civilization) and the Jordan River

The area is also subject to seasonal flooding, alluvial soils, delta regions, oases, and wadis

Seasonal flooding--several of the rivers flood regularly (Nile) which deposit rich alluvial soil for farming

The desert regions are home to many oases (a place where fresh water makes it possible for life to exist in a dry area) and wadi (a gully or usually dry river bed cut by running water after a downpour)

Economic Characteristics The area has a heavy reliance on primary economic activities such as oil drilling, agriculture and herding/grazing

The area is the home of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries Many countries in the area still belong today Major producers of the world’s oil Provide large oil revenues

Positive effects--jobs, revenue, position of power Negative effects--reliance on one industry, pollution, unequal distribution of wealth

Water is the region’s MOST PRECIOUS resource Aswan High Dam has had positive and negative effects on the region. Suez Canal enhanced shipping routes in the region

There is a great variation in the standard of living in the region. It ranges from the relatively high to the poverty stricken. There is also a wide range of per capita income and differing levels of development

Trade has been important to the region from the earliest time. Today regional conflicts and political unrest have affected trade and tourism The area today has contemporary trade routes (sea lanes)

Cultural Characteristics The area has experienced rapid urbanization Most modernization has centered around urban areas and more traditional life has continued in the rural areas

Large percentage of the population is under the age of 15 due to conflict, disease and the hardships associated with the region. The population is generally unevenly distributed due to the environment and resources

All but three of the countries are Arab nations and they use the Arabic language. Turkey, Iran and Israel are the non-Arab countries

The art of the region reflects the diversity of the religions; stained glass, geometric tiles, calligraphy, mosaics, and prayer rugs

Religious Conflict Three major world religions consider land in Southwest Asia holy. Judaism, Christianity, Islam (In order of appearance) Birthplace of monotheistic religions Judaisim Old Testament of Bible, belief in 1 God, Jesus was a holy man, but not the messiah, city of Jerusalem holy Christianity Old and New testament of Bible, Belief in 1 God, Jesus was God in human form, the Messiah, city of Jerusalem holy Islam Belief in 1 God, Allah, Jesus was a prophet, greatest prophet was Mohammed, who was visited by the Angel Gabriel, holy book is the Koran, city of Mecca holy

Sahara desert

Oasis

Stained Glass/Mosaics

Prayer Rugs

Oil Rigs

Kaaba

Dome of the Rock

Hagia Sophia

Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Pyramids

Western Wall

Western Wall

Church of the Visitation Jerusalem Church of the Visitation Golden Gate From Virtual Tour of Jerusalem at http://www.md.huji.ac.il/vjt/

The Great Mosque, around the Ka’aba, Mecca, Saudi Arabia http://www.sacredsites.com/middle_east/saudi_arabia/mecca.html

Five Pillars of Islam Faith Prayer Charity Fasting Pilgrimage All beleivers testify to an oath Prayer Pray five times per day at specific times, facing Mecca Charity Support the less fortunate by giving money Fasting During Islamic holy month of Ramadan, don’t eat or drink anything between sunrise and sunset Pilgrimage All able Muslims must make a pilgrimage or journey to Mecca once in their life.

Government Muslim controlled lands were theocracies Theocratic – government run by religious leaders and religious policies Though modernizing, some aspects of Muslim culture haven’t changed for centuries due to Islamic law Codes of decncy, modesty, male and female relationships Some women are becoming educated and are able to to pursue careers in other nations.

The Northeast Mesopotamia Land in Tigris and Euphrates River valley that was the birthplace of civilization

People of the Northeast Kurds Ethnic group in Iraq region Murdered by the thousands by the Iraqi military in the late n1980’s Genocide The strategic extermination of a group of people, usually based on ethnic differences Example - holocaust

People of the Northeast After Mohammed’s death, Muslims divided into two groups Sunnis Most in Turkey, Iraq and Afghanistan (83% of all muslims) Shi’ites Most live in Iran but some in Iraq and Afghanistan These groups have clashed over land for decades and continue to do so Even in Iraq today, the sectarian violence (violence by different sections of the population) essentially divides along Sunni and Shi’ite lines

Taliban In all of the Muslim nations there is a conflict between those who want to be come more modern, and those who want to stay traditional. Afghanistan is torn by a conflict like this. Taliban imposed strict traditional rules on people of Afghanistan They were toppled by US led forces after the 9-11 attacks because they were suspected of supporting the terrorists who did it.