Political Map of Southwest Asia

Physical Map of Southwest Asia

Physical SW AsiaArabian Peninsula Anatolian Peninsula

Map of North Africa

Waterways of SW AsiaRed Sea Black Sea

Waterways of SW AsiaDead Sea: so salty you cannot sink

Jordan River: natural boundary b/w Israel and Jordan

Cradle of Civilization - MesopotamiaTigris River Euphrates River

Deserts, Oasis’, & Salt FlatsRub al-Khali: Empty Quarter. “place no one comes out”, most of SW Asia is Arid & Semiarid

Salt Flat: Dasht-e Lut & Dsaht-e Kavir in Iran

Ethnic and Religious GroupsEthnic Groups Religious Groups

Climates & EcosystemsClimates of SW Asia Ecosystems of SW Asia

Physical Characteristics of N. Africa

• Mediterranean coastal climates--- hot, sunny summers, cool, rainy winters

• Need to live near a water source

• Ppl along coast have easier contact with ppl than those in the interior

• No connecting navigable rivers

1. Largest desert in the world, 3,000 miles2. 134 degrees in the day and below freezing at

night3. 20% sand4. Camels can go up to 17 days without water5. Rely on aquifers and oasis’

Ottoman Empire

European Influence on N. AfricaFrench Colonies: Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco.

English Colonies: Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine

European Influence on SW. Asia

Early MovementThe Berbers were the original inhabitants of N. Africa & were farmers and herders

Camels were introduced during Roman rule from Central Asia & were very well adapted to desert climate

1st time reg. trade was est. crossed desert in caravans

Settlement Patterns½ of pop lives in rural villages

Sm. Houses of sun-dried brick

rise at dawn, nap midday b/c too hot, work until dusk

still use wooden plows

Settlement Patterns: Desert Nomads in Africa

Tuareg --- speak own language, only Berber language with a written form, means “free men”, severe drought has caused some to resort to farming, mostly located in Burkina Faso and Libya

The Water Solution1. Iceberg Project

abandoned in 19812. National Water

Carrier Project in Israel– carries water from N. to central & S.

3. Desalination Plants: removes salt from ocean water, very expensive, still too salty for irrigation so used for sewage systems

4. Fossil Water: old water from deep underground aquifers

Water Systems 1. Irrigation Canal: deliver water to arid regions, evaporates quickly, used in Oman

2. Noria: waterwheel run by flow water or animal power used to lift water from the river to the fields (Syria)

3. Drip Irrigation: reduces evaporation, used in the Negev Desert in Israel

4. Qanat: system of underground brick-lined tunnels and wells that collect runoff water from the mountains

Nile RiverWorld’s longest river – 4,160 miles, flows North

Empties into Nile Delta (extremely fertile)

The Fellaheen (Egyptian peasants) grow impressive crops without modern machinery

Population – 68 million (99% live along Nile R.)

High population density (2,700 ppl per sq mi)

2 major cities: Cairo & Alexandria

Controlling the NileBasin Irrigation: long walls built around fields to trap water and silt (didn’t work yr round)

Reservoir: Lake Nasser (300 mi.) on the Aswan Dam, caused an increase in Malaria, but provides steady water supply

Perennial Irrigation System

Aswan High Dam- stopped flooding of Nile, 35 % of Egyptian farmland have a high salt content, but increased farmland by 50%. However, b/c flooding stopped so did the deposit of new silt

Suez Canal links Med. Sea and Red Sea opened in 1869 – made Egypt vital link

About 105 mi long

Reduces the 12,300 mi long trip between London and Mumbai to 7,200 mi

Oil from the Sand1.Petroleum = Oil2.Discovered in SW

Asia in 1920s3.World’s largest

oil field is al-Ghawar in Saudi Arabia in the Rub al-Khali desert and contains ¼ of Saudi Arabia’s oil reserves

4.OPEC: Organization of Petroleum Exporting Counties

Processing Petroleum1. Drills pump out

the crude oil into storage tanks

2. Natural gas, water, and sediments are removed and oil is sent to a pumping station

3. Crude oil is sent to refineries either in tankers or by pipelines

4. At the refinery crude oil is converted into useful products like gasoline

5. Products are transported worldwide

More Oil FactsOil Consumers Oil Producers

Oil: A Strategic Commodity

1. 64 % of world’s oil deposits

2. 34% of natural gas reserves

3. 44.5 million barrels a day – 50% of world’s demand

4. Oil prices unstable5. Use oil profits to

modernize and industrialize

6. Use oil profits to diversify economy

7. Kuwait: free public education

EconomiesSubsistence Farming and Nomadic Herding

Oil, hydroelectricity, natural gas, minerals, need for other resources

IslamMuhammad as 1 true prophet, but belief in other prophets

Qur’an – words of God; Hadith – words of Muhammad

5 pillars of Faith6 Articles of Faith

Effects of Islam on SW Asia1. Major religion for

Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Syria, Lebannon, Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Yemen – many are theocratic govts.

2. Mecca: holiest city of Islam (where Muhammad spend much of his life)

3. 5 Pillars of Faith: (Faith, Prayer 5x a day, Charity, Fasting- Ramadan, Pilgrimage to Mecca)

4. Mosques: Muslim place of worship

Islam in North AfricaMost N. Africans are Muslim

1st brought to Africa in 632 CE

All N. African coast Muslim by 750 CE

By 1500 extended through the Sahara

Mostly Sunni

Jerusalem: Holy for 3 Religions

Basic Beliefs of JudaismOne God, no form, creator, pray to him alone

Moses as chief prophet

Torah as Law from God, passed down through Moses, can’t be changed

Coming of the MessiahRewards good, punishes bad

Food must be Kosher

Jerusalem: Holy for Jews

1. Capital of Israel

2. Temple Mount: site of King Solomon’s 1st temple and the spot where Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son to God

3. Site of the 2nd temple

4. Western Wall: Wailing Wall- last pieces of the 2nd wall that was destroyed by Romans in 70 CE

Christianity Breakaway sect of Judaism, followers of Jesus Christ

12 disciples, Virgin Mary, son of God, original sin

Bible – Old (before Jesus) & New (after Jesus) Testament

Beliefs:1. God2. Trinity3. Bible4. Death & Resurrection of Jesus

5. Return of Jesus6. Salvation & Punishment

Jerusalem: Holy for Christians

1. Crusades: Christians fought for control of the city from Muslims – lost

2. Site of Jesus’ crucifixion

Jerusalem: Holy for Muslims

1. Dome of the Rock: houses the spot where Muhammad ascended to heaven, located on the Temple Mount

2. Al-Aqsa: mosque

Creation of the State of Israel

1. Balfour Declaration: UN divides Palestine into 2 states: 1 for the Jews and 1 for the Arabs

2. Arabs did not agree, but Israel was formed anyway in 1948

3. Surrounding Arab nations launched war against Israel and lost b/c Israel was supported by the UN (aka USA & UK)

Palestinian Mandate

Who does the land belong to?1. Ottoman Empire: 1520 –

1922, Muslim based, Turkish govt., fell at the end of WWI, lands split between France and England

2. French: Syria (1946) & Lebanon (1943)

3. British: Israel & Jordan (called Palestine)

4. Zionism: goal to create a Jewish homeland

5. By 1914: 12% of Palestine was Jewish

6. Jews poured into Palestine to escape the Holocaust

7. British stopped immigration in 1939

Palestinian Loss of Land

West Bank and the Gaza Strip1. The West Bank and

Gaza Strip were under Israeli control until 1960s

2. Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was formed to regain the land for the Arabs

3. West Bank and Gaza Strip are now under Arab control and are a safe zone for Palestinian Arabs

Palestinian Refugees

1. In 1949 the UN created 53 Palestinian refugee camps

2. They were supposed to be temporary

3. Each camp holds b/w 35,000 – 50,000 people

4. Israeli govt. controls all movement in and out of the camps

5. Education, money, food, health care provided by the UN

Life in Israel Today1. School from 5-15 years2. At 15 choose b/w tech

school or academic school or the workforce

3. Drive & get married at 17 yrs

4. Enter the military at 18: 3 yrs for men; 2 years for women, but women no active combat

5. Some restaurants have separate dining areas for men and women (Arab)

6. Most ethnically diverse country in the world

Kurds1. Stateless nation2. 1988 Iraq dropped

mustard gas bombs on Kurdish settlements killing 5,000 ppl

3. Kurdistan: in parts of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria

4. Kurds make up 20% of Turkey are majorly repressed

Sunni vs Shi’iteSunni: 83 % of Muslims Shi’ite: most Iranians

Persian Gulf War1. War for control over

the oil fields2. 1990 Iraq (under

Saddam Hussein) invaded Kuwait

3. US and 32 other countries fought to expel Iraq

4. Iraq set fire to 700 oil wells

5. US and UN won

Cyprus1. Inhabited since 6000

BCE2. Has been occupied by

Phoenicians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Ottoman Turks, and Great Britain

3. Independence in 19604. Tensions b/w Greek-

Cypriot majority and Turkish-Cypriot minority

5. Only Turkey recognizes Northern Cyprus as the independent country – the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

Arab vs. Muslim (they are NOT synonymous!)Arabic is a cultural group.

Muslims are a religious group

Characteristics of an Arab

1. Arabic is a language of many dialects

2. Many, NOT ALL, are Muslim

3. They feel a responsibility to care for the poor

4. Strong family loyalty5. Use heavy spices when

cooking and many meals feature wheat or rice

6. Tend to be VERY conservative

7. Reject Western culture because of the fear they will loose their values

Terrorism1. Taliban- held

Afghanistan from 1996-2001

2. Launched 9/11 attacks

3. Believe in VERY strict Sharia Law

4. TV, internet & music banned

5. Men MUST wear a beard

6. Osama bin Laden and al-Queda

Taliban Control of Women1. Women cannot go to

school2. Women may not work

outside of the home3. Women may not leave

their homes without a male escort

4. Women must be fully covered by a Burka

5. Women may not wear fingernail polish

6. All of this was to safeguard women’s honor

Women in North Africa most women are housewives

In Tunisia it is illegal to have more than 1 wife, divorce is possible, no more arranged marriage before 13, equal pay

Rai• 1st used to communicate Algerian resentment of the French govt.

• Islamic fundamentalists have tried to ban Rai

• Still used in rebellion especially by women against Islamic fundamentalism

Directions: Choose a song from the last 30 years (1980 –

present) that you feel is a protest song. It can be protesting anything, but you must identify what the song is protesting. You must provide: 1.Name of the song and artist of the song (15 points)2.Provide the lyrics of the song (school censored please!) (35 points)3.Write at least one paragraph explaining what the song is protesting and if you agree or disagree with what the song is protesting. (50 points)

Afghanistan ConflictWanted by Russia and the UK – UK won, but USA also had interest

Taliban took over in 1990s – Bin Laden in control

2001 – 9/11 attacks on the US – go to war with USA

2011- Bin Laden found and killed

Egyptian Revolution1. Jan. 2011: protest against poverty, unemployment, government corruption and the rule of president Hosni Mubarak, who has been in power for three decades.2. Internet, cell service, schools, stock market – all shut down.3. Feb. 2011 – Hosni resigns – new democratic elections are in play

The SudanNorth – desert, Muslim Arabs

South – clay plains & a lg swamp called “The Sudd”, diff. ethnic groups, practice animalism or Christianity

N & S cont. at war since independence in 1956

Millions in danger of starvation

Sudan TodayGeorge Clooney and the Enough Project

Darfur DiscriminationIn July 2011 – Sudan officially split into North Sudan and South Sudan

Future is uncertain – world maps have not been updated and most countries do not yet recognize the split

LibyaOil is 99% of exports, imports 2/3 of its food

Muammar Gaddafi est. unique form of socialism that combines with strict Islam fundamentalismGoal: equal distribution of wealth

Goal: root out Western influence

Banned jeans for men and any pants or short skirts for women

Libyan Revolution Revolution to oust Gaddafi

NATO attacks Libya (US is a member of NATO)

Oct 2011 – Gaddafi is killed

Democratic elections of a new Prime Minister