1. Southwest Asia

2. The Middle East? The name reflects the biases of the “western world”.
Near=Turkey
Middle=Egypt, Arabia, Iraq
Far=China and Japan

3. Strategic location

4. Geographic Features: Landforms
Tectonic activity
(continent building)
Turkey and Iran have more earthquakes than any other country

5. Geographic Features: Landforms
General pattern of landforms
Higher elevations to the north, an alluvial plain in between, tilted plateau in the south.

6. Geographic Features: Landforms
Arabian Peninsula

7. Geographic Features: Landforms
Anatolian and Iranian Plateaus

8. Geographic Features: Landforms
Exotic Rivers
Jordan River
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

9. Geographic Features: Landforms
Surrounding bodies of water

10. Patterns of climate
There is Mediterranean climate along the Mediterranean coast. Because of this the climate is suitable to grow citrus fruits, olives, and vegetables.

11. Population Densities

12. Economy and jobs Oil in the Persian Gulf
Countries that touch the Persian Gulf have oil; some countries have none (Israel). 77% of the worlds total is in the Big 5 (Saudi, Iraq, UAE, Kuwait, and Iran)
Key consequences of oil: High Incomes, modernization, industrialization, intra-realm migration (foreign workers come to work on oil fields), inter-realm migration (workers from countries such as Pakistan and India come to work for low wages as gardeners, domestic help, ect), regional disparities, and foreign investment.
Oil is considered a strategic commodity, a resource so valuable that countries will go to war to ensure its steady supply.

13. Economy and jobs
Some commercial agriculture

14. Economy and jobs Pastoral nomadism Iran Jordan
In Eastern Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan people still move with their camels, goats, and other livestock along routes almost as old as human history of this realm.
There is a market for animals. They depend on the settled population for nearly all necessitates of life including basic foods.
Populations in the desert region move to find resources across the region.
Iran
Jordan

15. Economy and jobs
Subsistence agriculture

16. Culture Source area for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
It is the birthplace of Christianity (Israel), Judaism (Israel), and Islam (Saudi Arabia-Mecca)
Jerusalem is sacred to all three religions.

17. Culture The Islamic World?
Islam is the religion. People that practice Islam are Muslim.

18. Culture
The Arab World?
Arab =people of the region who speak Arabic or related languages; ethnologists normally restrict it to certain occupants of the Arabian Peninsula.
Turkey, Iran, Israel, Afghanistan, and Cyprus are not Arab.
Farsi and Turkic are spoken in Iran

19. History A major culture hearth
Cultural Hearth=crucibles of civilization, sources of ideas and innovations as well as ideologies
Fertile Crescent=modern day Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Nile of Egypt
Mesopotamia = “land amidst rivers”; one of the first cultural hearths. Irrigation as key to its success.
Hydraulic Civilization Theory=stated that cities that could control irrigated farming over large hinterlands held power over others. They used food as a weapon and thrived. Ex: Babylon on the Euphrates lasted 4000 years and was the largest city at the time.

20. History
Persian Empire

21. History
Macedonian Empire

22. History
Roman Empire

23. History
Ottoman Empire

24. History European involvement after WWI
Europeans took control of provinces and made them colonies (Syria, Lebanon, Yemen). Boundary framework was created by using a ruler across uninhabited territory. They saw no need to adjust for cultural or physical features in landscape.
Sound familiar? What do you think this led to?

25. Conflict
Over Israel
Arab-Israeli Conflict (Israeli Palestinian Conflict)= has lasted over 50 years.
Israel is the most modern and diversified economy. Many immigrants from US, Europe, Russia, and South American. It is one of the wealthiest countries in the region.
Palestine: Is repressed, has lost lands to Israel. Most people now live in 2 main areas the Gaza Strip and West Bank

26. Conflict
Over water
Whomever controls the water upstream controls the use downstream.

27. Conflict
Over oil
Saudi Arabia is the worlds largest exporter and the U.S. the leading importer. Most discoveries came after colonization. The smaller countries feared powerful neighbors would try to annex them (ex: Kuwait was invaded by Iraq in 1990, First Gulf War). Oil is not evenly distributed in the region. Some countries have more than others.

28. Conflict Sunni vs. Shi’ite
Sunni is the most common, 85 % of all Muslims are Sunnis. Iran is majority Shiite. Groups differ on which religious leader was the legitimate heir to Muhammad. Sunnis do not see a need for blood relation for the Caliph (successor to Muhammad) Shiites believe he needs to be of blood relation. Muhammad was the man who began to receive revelations from Allah.

29. Conflict Clash between fundamentalism and secularism
Secular is a separation of government and religion. Fundamentalism is strict following of all holy laws, texts, and traditions. Sharia law is the following of strict religious law.

30. U.S. Involvement
Need to protect oil resources

31. U.S. Involvement Need to protect choke points Strait of Hormuz
Suez Canal
Bosporus and Dardanelles

32. U.S. Involvement Support for Israel
The United States was the first country to recognize Israel in 1948 when it was created. It is the only country in the middle east that resembles the United States in values and democracy.

33. U.S. Involvement Concern over a nuclear Iran
Iran threatened to attach Israel's (2004) nuclear facilities. Israel threatened to attack Iran if it developed Nuclear Weapons (2006). The president threatened that Israel would be “wiped off the map”. The conflict still continues. Iran is continues to enrich uranium but claims that it is for peaceful domestic purposes.

34. U.S. Involvement Gulf War
Iraq invaded Kuwait over the Rumaila oil field in This is also known as Desert Storm.

35. U.S. Involvement War in Iraq
March 19, 2003 the United States launched an invasion of Iraq in search of weapons of mass destruction. By April 9th the Saddam Statue Toppled. May 1st Bush said “Mission Accomplished” marking an end to major combat operations. In December Saddam Hussein was captured. (AKA Operatio.n Iraqi Freedom)

36. U.S. Involvement War in Afghanistan
2001 the United States invade Afghanistan when the Taliban did not meet US demands to hand over leaders of Al Qaeda, close terrorist training camps, and return all foreign nationalists. The Taliban power quickly unraveled. Coalition of allies control the area.