Transcript Why “Middle East”?

FrontPage: What is the most important resource in the Middle
East?
The Last Word: Map
activity due tomorrow
The Middle East
Land and People
The Middle East
General Facts
A.k.a., “Southwest Asia”
**Why “Middle East”?

Has
been called the “crossroads of the
world”
Connects
Often
three continents – which 3?
includes North Africa
Strong
ties to MidEast
Contains
5 major geographic regions
The Middle East
5 Major Geographic Regions



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
The Northern Tier
The Arabian Peninsula
The Fertile Crescent
The Nile Valley
The Maghreb
The Northern Tier

Includes the nations of Turkey and
Iran


Region of mountains (Elburz and Zagros) and
plateaus (Anatolian, Iranian)
Contains fertile soil and
can support farming

Has large population
The Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula


Plateau about 1/3rd the size of the US
Lack of water = small population


Life centered around oases – fertile desert
areas
Major resource – oil

Has brought great wealth to certain nations
**Birthplace of Islam – most people in the
Middle East are Muslims
The “Fertile Crescent”
The “Fertile Crescent”

Arc-shaped fertile region of the MidEast


Also known as “Mesopotamia” (the land
between the rivers)
Flooding of the Tigris/Euphrates rivers
carries fertile soil to nearby areas
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

Form the “Fertile Crescent”
One
of world’s oldest civilizations
emerged here
**Called the “birthplace of civilization”
The “Maghreb”
The Maghreb

The “Western Isle” of Islamic civilization

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Consists of the nations of Morocco, Tunisia,
Algeria and Libya
Connected geographically and culturally with
the Middle East – Islam and Arabic
Most people live along the Mediterranean
coast
People of the Middle East

350 million people in 19 different countries


Arabs (those who speak Arabic) are the
majority group
3 major religions:



Islam – most Arabs, many non-Arabs
Judaism – centered in Israel
Christianity – located in various nations
Questions for Discussion:


Why does the Middle East have strategic
(economic and military) importance?
Which resource, oil or water, do you think
is more important to people in the Middle
East?