Transcript Eastern Medditerranean

Eastern Mediterranean
Chapter 18
Section 2
The People
• 7.6 million Israelis live in Israel, of those 80% follow judaism.
Historically they were the first people to inhabit the land where
modern day Israel sits. Following WW2, the Jewish state of Israel
was founded.
• Arabs are the major religious group in the region and they were
not in favor of the creation of a Jewish state.
- Palestinians are Arabs that live within the territory of
Palestine.
Density & Distribution
• Population centers in this sub region center along the
Mediterranean coast and in the Euphrates River Valley. This is due
to the small amount of water in the area, people will live around
were the fresh water is.
• The majority of the people living on the coast will live in a city.
Beirut and Tel Aviv are 2 examples.
Early Civilzations
• 3 major religions are deeply rooted in this geographic area.
• Judaism-one of the oldest monotheistic faiths. The ancient Israelites
created a kingdom along the Mediterranean coast. The main text is the
Hebrew Bible.
• Christianity- based of the teaching of Jesus, a Jew. The basis of Jesus’
teaching lead to the creation of a new religion, Christianity. main
scriptures include the Hebrew Bible (Old testament) and new Testament.
• Islam- Based on the teaching of the prophet Muhammed, who said
people should turn away from sin and follow 1 true God. Texts include
the Quran
Israel and Palestinian territories
Independence and Conflict.
• Arab-Israeli- Conflict began after WW2, when modern day Israel
was a territory of Britain. The original plan was to divide the
territories into a Jewish state and an Arab state. The Arabs
refused and once Britain left the territory the Jews claimed all the
land and established a Jewish State.
• Israelis-Palestinians- Palestinians want an independent state in
this region, specifically territory held by Israel. Palestinanian and
Israelis were negotiating for a peaceful resolution, but once
Hamas, a terrorist organization won elections, they openly called
for attacks on Israel and any chance of a deal was lost. Fighting
continues today.
Yasser Arafat