Transcript The Middle East North Africa & SW Asia

The Middle East:
North Africa &
Southwest Asia
The Land and Climate



Desert climate dominate the region.
Covers ½ of the Middle East.
Major desert areas:
• Sahara: largest desert in the world (3.5
million sq. mi.); in northern Africa.
• Rub’al-Khali (Empty Quarter):
(250,000 sq. mi) located on the Arabian
Peninsula


Rain falls a few times each year.
Temperatures in summer can reach
120°F in the day and 30°F at night.
Frost occurs often during the winter.


Springs, where water rises naturally
from cracks in rocks, have formed
oases.
Surface water is rare
• Nile River: longest river in the world
(4187 mi.). It flows from south to north
because the elevation in the south is
higher than in the north.
• Tigris River in Iraq
• Euphrates River in Iraq
Nile River
Agriculture



Despite the climate, agriculture is a
major occupation in the area.
Fertile soils are found only in river
valleys, on high plateaus, and in a
few oases.
Overuse and overgrazing has led to
countries conserving soil and plant
resources.


Most agriculture is subsistence
agriculture.
Barley and wheat are important
grains. Citrus fruits, olives, figs,
nuts, and grapes are grown on the
Mediterranean coast.

Irrigation first developed in the
Middle East.
• Most is small scale in which water is
diverted into a small canal leading
directly to a field.
• Deep wells also
provide
irrigation.
Natural Resources

Oil is the region’s richest mineral resource.
• Middle East contains 60% of the world’s oil
reserves.
• Main deposits lie along the shores of the
Persian Gulf and in Iraq.


Economies of the oil-exporting countries
rise and fall with the price of oil.
These countries have joined with other oilrich countries around the world to form
the Organization of Petroleum
Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Israel is considered the only
developed country in the region
because it does not depend upon
only one resource for its income.
• Though the oil-rich countries have high
incomes, it is limited
mainly to oil-refining.


Middle East also contains 50% of the
world’s natural gas reserves.
Morocco is a leading producer of
phosphate (chemical used in
fertilizers).
Ethnicity

Main ethnicity – Arab

Israel – Jewish

Iran – Persian

Turkey – Refer to themselves as
Turks not Arabs
Language

Main language – Arabic

Israel - Hebrew

Iran - Farsi
Middle Eastern
Religions
The Middle East is the birthplace
of 3 world religions.

All are similar in 3 ways
• All are monotheistic (one god)
• All deal with a covenant between God
and the people.
• All share the same patriarch: Abraham.
Judaism





Flourished between 3500 B.C. and
600 B.C. in an area called Palestine.
First major religion to center around
the belief in one god.
Holy Book: Torah (laws of the Old
Testament)
Followers are called Jews.
Israel - 99% Jewish
Christianity

Developed from Judaism

Based on the teachings of Jesus Christ who is
believed to be the Son of God by Christians

Spread during the Roman era


Split into two parts after the fall of the Roman
Empire
• Eastern Orthodox Church in Constantinople
• Roman Catholic Church in Rome
In the 1500s, the Roman Catholic Church was
split into two parts: Protestantism and
Catholicism.



Followers are called Christians
Holy Book: Bible
(especially New Testament)
Lebanon - 50%
Christian
Islam



Dominate religion in the Middle East
2nd largest in the world and fastest
growing
Founder: Mohammed (571 – 632 A.D.)
• He had a revelation in Mecca about a one god
religion and told to preach this to the Arabs
• He was laughed at and forced to flee Mecca.

This is called the Hejira or “The Flight.”
• Marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar
2009 = 1430 AH (After Hejira)

He went back to Mecca years later and
preached.

Holy Book: Koran
• Written in Arabic and is said to contain the
exact words of God



Muslims pray in mosques.
Worshippers use prayer mats on the floor.
Five Pillars of Islam
• Must state there is no god but Allah and
Mohammed is his prophet
• Prayer: Must pray 5 times daily facing the
holy city of Mecca. On Fridays at noon, pray at
a mosque if available.
• Giving of alms (charity) to the poor
• Fasting: special time is during the month of
Ramadan for the daylight fast
• Pilgrimage (the Hajj) to Mecca at least once in
their lifetime.

Two major types of Muslims:
• Shia– A minority division of Islam
estimated at 10–15%, found mostly in
Iran and surrounding countries. They
practice a more conservative form of
Islam.
• Sunni – The mainstream body of
Muslims. They are scattered throughout
the world. Sunnis maintain that
revelations from God ended with the
death of Mohammed.
Culture Regions of
the Middle East
North Africa

Berbers – indigenous people before Arab
invasion.
• 15 million in region today
• Mostly farmers

Arabs migrated to north Africa in 600s.
• Bedouins are Arabic-speaking people who migrated to
north Africa from deserts in southwest Asia.
• Nomadic herders



Water is scarce in the area. Most people live near
the coast and around rivers.
Egypt is the key power because of the Suez Canal
(shipping lane that connects Mediterranean Sea
to Red Sea).
Most people are Sunni Muslims and speak Arabic.
East Mediterranean


Arabs & Jews live in this region.
7.1 million Israelis
• ½ Israel’s Jews born in Israel
• Other ½ immigrated from other places
especially Europe

Israel became a country in 1948
replacing the country of Palestine.
• Palestinians (Arabs) did not want Jews
in their country.
• Resulting in 6 wars over the years

Palestinians are Arabs living in
Palestine which is now Israel.
• Many were displaced and had to live in
refugee camps in Arab countries (such
as Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan).
• Many refugee camps are becoming
permanent.


Most people live along the coast and
in Euphrates River Valley.
Mostly urban.
• 75% urban in Israel, Jordan, &
Lebanon.
• 50% urban in Syria & Palestine.
Petra, Jordan
Jerusalem, Israel
Lebanon
Arab-Israeli Conflict



Jews were expelled from their
homeland by the Romans.
Late 1800s, Zionists called for a
return to Palestine.
After WWII, war broke out.
• 1947 – United Nations divided Palestine
into Jewish and Arab nations.
• 1948 – Jews proclaimed independence.



Next 25 years, six wars with Israel
victorious in all.
Palestinians want independent state
of their own.
1990s peace talks begin.
• Palestine began to acknowledge Israel
and to limit self-rule.
• Israeli troop withdraw and begin giving
authority to Palestinians in the West
Bank and Gaza Strip.
• By 2002, negotiations stall.


2006 – Islamic group, Hamas, won
elections in the West Bank & Gaza
Strip.
Hamas opposes Israel’s right to exist
and supports armed attacks on
Israeli territory.
Israeli forces
Hamas forces
The Northeast
(Turkey, Iran, & Iraq)

Turks migrated in 1000s from central Asia.
• Practice Islam & speak Turkish
• About 70 million in population

Iran, once called Persia, means “land of
the Aryans.”
• Believe they are descendants of Aryans (IndoEuropeans who migrated from southern Russia
around 1000 BC)
• Speak Farsi and 90% are Shia Muslims
• About 67 million in population

Majority of people in Iraq are Arab.
• Most are Shia Muslims with 35% Sunnis.
• Arabic is spoken.

Home of ancient civilizations and empires
• Mesopotamia between the Tigris & Euphrates
Rivers in modern Iraq.
• Phoenicians along the Mediterranean coast.
• Persian Empire (modern Iran) during the 500s
BC.
• Ottoman Empire (centered in modern Turkey)
lasted for 600 years.



Western Europe controlled the area
by late 1800s.
Great Britain controlled Iraq until
1932 and fell into turmoil.
Iran set up a secular (non-religious)
government in 1979.
• Overthrown during the Islamic
Revolution
• Religious clerics came to power and
continue to dominate Iran.


Oil discovered in the early 1900s.
OPEC formed in the late 1950s.
Blue
Mosque,
Turkey
US soldiers in Iraqi market
Iranian Mosque
Great Minaret Samarra
Mosque, Iraq
Arabian Peninsula



Most people live on the coast
because most of the land is desert.
56% Arab; most are Muslims; some
Christians
United Arab Emirates
• Only 15-20% are citizens
• Foreign oil workers make up the rest of
the population.

50% of Qatar & 60% of Kuwait are
foreigners




Local families took control of the peninsula
around 1750 and formed the United
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932.
Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, & Yemen had
treaties with Great Britain for protection in
the 1800s and early 1900s.
Kuwait became independent in mid 1900s.
UAE formed a group of sheikdoms
(territories ruled by Islamic religious
leaders) in 1971.


Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, & Oman
became monarchies that follow
shari’ah (Islamic law) based on the
Koran.
Kuwait & Qatar became
constitutional emirates which are
ruled by emirs (princes).
Pres. Obama with Saudi King Abdullah
Qatar Emir with Wife
Sheikh Mohammed leads UAE
equestrian team to victory
Afghanistan
Afghanistan


Historically invaded
1979 – Soviet Union invaded hoping to
spread communism.
• US, Great Britain, & China provided arms to
the rebels.
• 1988 – Soviet Union withdrew.

After Soviet withdrawal, the rebel group,
Mujahadeen, overthrew the government
creating the Islamic Republic of
Afghanistan.

1995 – the Taliban (Islamic military
group) promised to restore order and
rose to power.
• Cracked down on crime and drugs
• Severely limited women’s rights and
used violence to enforce law

After 9/11, US attacked and ousted
the Taliban.
• American forces have worked with the
country to stabilize the government.
• 2004 – Hamid Karzai named president
in country’s first successful election.