Transcript North Africa/Middle East

SSWG3 The student will describe the interaction of physical and human systems
that have shaped contemporary North Africa/Southwest Asia.
Importance of North Africa
and the Middle East’s Features
The Mighty Nile River:
“Longest River in the World”
Egypt: The “Gift of the Nile”
Nile Delta
Annual Nile Flooding
95% of the Egyptian
people live on 5% of
the land!
The Tigris & Euphrates
River System
Mesopotamia:
”Land Between the Two
Rivers”
aka the Fertile Crescent
Sinai Peninsula
in between Egypt and Arabian
Peninsula
Dead Sea: Lowest Point on Earth
2,300 feet below sea
level
Highest
Salt
Content
(33%)
*9x saltier
than
ocean
Suez Canal
• Links Med to Red Sea
Suez Canal
Completed by the British in
1869
Strait of Hormuz
-Most important strait in WORLD
b/c only way to LOTS of OIL
Rub al-Khali:
“The Empty Quarter”
Importance of Mountains & Rivers
• Why are mountains important to people?
–
–
Are NATURAL barriers of protection
Deserts can also be natural boundaries
• Why are rivers of great importance?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Supply water to drink
Supply Food
Good source of water for crops
Transportation
Climate, Vegetation, and
Resources of North
Africa/SW Asia
North Africa/Middle East:
Climate Regions
Climate
• Desert Climate
– 50% of N. Africa & S.W.
Asia
– Semi-Arid (not as dry as
desert)
– Mediterranean
– Highland
The Sahara
• Largest desert in the world = 3.5 million
sq. miles
• The size of the US
Mediterranean Climate
• Hot, dry summers, & cool rainy winters
• Found primarily in countries that border
bodies of water
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Highland Climates
• Tops of mountains and plateaus
• Areas where major food crops are grown
 cereals
• Most rainfall of the region
• Oasis = places in the
desert where water is
present
• Desertification = land
becoming more dry
and so turns into
desert
North Africa/Middle East:
Vegetation
Desert
• The #1 vegetation region throughout
North Africa and the Middle East
Steppe/Grasslands
• Area surrounding deserts
• Grassy areas where people can live and
where animals can be raised 
Pastoralism (domesticating and raising animals
and living off them)
The Natural Resources of the
North Africa/Middle East
Natural Resources
• Petroleum &
Natural Gas
• 60% of the
world’s
known
petroleum
reserves
World Oil Flow Routes
World Oil Reserves
Leading U. S. Oil Suppliers
The U. S. imports 30% of its oil needs from the
Middle East.
Human Geography
The Culture of North Africa and
the Middle East
North Africa/Middle East:
Population Density
Cairo, Egypt:
Most Populated City in the Middle East
17,000,000+
People!
Desert Bedouins – people who have no permanent
home and live off of the land.
Arabs
• Speak Arabic
• Mostly Muslims
• Most trace ancestry back to
the Arabian Peninsula
– Civilizations
such as
Egyptians &
Babylonians
Israelis
• 6 million people in the region
• Citizens of the country of Israel
• Of the people 5 million are Jewish, 1
million Arab (Palestinians)
• Fighting between Jews and
Palestinians is a constant occurrence
because both claim rights to the land
and want to be in control
Turks
• Ottoman Turks – ruled an empire in eastern
Mediterranean (modern day Turkey)
• Not Arab, but most practice Islam
• Unique culture that blends Turkish, Islamic,
and Western elements
TURKEY
NOT
TURKEY
Iranians
• Speak Farsi, an Indo-European language
that is related to English
• Practice a form of Islam known as Shi’ite
• A religious state  the
religious leaders run the
government
Islam
Islam An Abrahamic Religion
 Muslims are strict monotheists.

They believe in the JudeoChristian God, which they call
Allah.

Muslims believe that the Torah
and the Bible, like the Qur’an,
is the word of God.
The Prophetic Tradition
Adam
Noah
Abraham
Moses
Jesus
Muhammad
1. Faith

The declaration of faith:
There is no god worthy of
worship except God, and
Muhammad is His
Messenger [or Prophet].
1
2. Prayer
 The mandatory prayers
performed 5 times a day:
* dawn
* noon
* late afternoon
* sunset
* before going to bed

Wash before praying.

Face Mecca and use a prayer rug.
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3. Giving to the poor
 Almsgiving (charitable
donations).

Muslims believe that all things
belong to God.

way to both “purification”
and “growth.”

About 2.5% of your income.
3
4. Fasting
 Fasting during the holy month
of Ramadan.

Considered a method of selfpurification.

No eating or drinking from
sunrise to sunset during
Ramadan.
4
5. The Hajj (pilgrimage)
 The pilgrimage to Mecca.

Must be done at least once in a
Muslim’s lifetime.

2-3 million Muslims make the
pilgrimage
every
year.
5
Judaism Beliefs
• Monotheistic
• Holy Book=Torah
• Prophet=Abraham
• 10 Commandments (Laws)
• Holidays/Celebration:
– Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)
– Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year)
– Bar/Bat Mitzvah (becoming an adult)