Human Geography of Southwest Asia

Religion, Politics & Oil

“Cradle of Civilization”

The Fertile Crescent was home to some of the world’s first cities and civilizations.

• Babylon• Sumerians• Akkadians• Persians• Assyrians

Founder When? Holy Book Followers

Judaism Abraham 1800 B.C.E. Torah Jews

Christianity Jesus 2000 years ago

Bible Christians

Islam Muhammad 610 C.E. Qur’an Muslims

Birthplace of 3 Major Religions

Complete the essay outline comparing and contrasting Islam, Christianity and Judiasm.

Read the handout on this regions three major religions.

Economics of the Region

• Arabian Peninsula• Nations make

almost all of their money from the sale of oil

• Eastern Mediterranean• Struggles with their

economy due to political divisions, lack of water & weak infrastructure

Economies of the Region

• The Northeast• Are lacking a

modern infrastructure such as transportation systems, communication, water & sanitation systems

Zionism

• In the 19th century, Zionism began to create a Jewish homeland in Palestine

• Jewish settlers began flocking there and by the time WWI started, 12% of the population was Jewish.

The Creation of Israel

• After WWI, Britain & France divided the Ottoman lands in the Eastern Mediterranean.

• The land controlled by Britain was known as Palestine.• After the war, the British continued to allowed Jewish

immigration to Palestine.• As the population of Jews increased, tensions grew

between Arabs and Jewish.• In 1939, the British stopped Jewish immigration to ease

tensions.

Divisions

• The area controlled by the British was divided into 2 sections to relieve tensions- Transjordan & Palestine

After WWII

• Thousands of Jewish Holocaust survivors wanted to settle in Palestine because it was considered their homeland.

• In 1947, the UN developed a plan to divide Palestine in half- one state for the Jews and one for the Arabs

• Many Arabs opposed this, yet in 1948, Israel became a state

Creation of Israel

• Surrounding Arab nations invaded to prevent the establishment, but by the 1950s, Israel was firmly established.

• The 1948 war was the beginning of religious hostilities that continue to this day.

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