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Southwest Asia

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.

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Southwest Asia

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  1. Southwest Asia Human Geography Chapters 22 & 23

  2. Leading countries according to GDP • Kuwait • United Arab Emirates • Qatar • Israel

  3. Leading countries according to Land size • Algeria • Saudi Arabia • Libya

  4. Leading countries according to population • Iran • Turkey • Egypt

  5. 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

  6. 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.

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

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

  9. 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

  10. Examples : • Persian Gulf/Arabian Gulf • Strait of Hormuz • Arabian Sea • Red Sea

  11. 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

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

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

  14. 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)

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

  16. 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

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

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

  19. 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

  20. 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)

  21. 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

  22. 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

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

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

  25. 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

  26. Sahara desert

  27. Oasis

  28. Stained Glass/Mosaics

  29. Prayer Rugs

  30. Oil Rigs

  31. Kaaba

  32. Dome of the Rock

  33. Hagia Sophia

  34. Church of the Holy Sepulcher

  35. Pyramids

  36. Western Wall

  37. Western Wall

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

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

  40. Five Pillars of Islam • Faith • 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.

  41. 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.

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

  43. 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

  44. 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

  45. 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.

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