Agenda

1. Agenda • Opening: JE#4 • Work Session: 5 Pillars Notes, Venn Diagram, Unit Notes • Close: Rev. EQ: Ticket Out the Door • Homework: Study for test, notebook check

2. Unit 1 The Geography of the Middle EastNotes Essential Questions: How does the physical geography of Southwest Asia contribute to its culture? How do the presence of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam within the same region influence the development of the region?

3. The rivers of Southwest Asia (Middle East) are important because much of the region is dry and desert. One of the longest rivers in the region is the Euphrates. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers provide water for drinking and farming. The Persian Gulf is one of the main ways oil is shipped from oil producing countries to other countries. All ships must navigate the narrow Strait of Hormuz.

4. Ships can sail east into the Red Sea and enter the man-made Suez Canal to get to the Mediterranean Sea. The Jordan River is one of the main sources of water for Israel, Jordan, parts of Syria, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The water in the Jordan River is being used-up quickly.

5. Water is a natural resource that is distributed unevenly in Southwest Asia. Some countries have plenty of water, while others do not. Water is in short supply in most parts of Southwest Asia and irrigation is necessary for farming and raising animals. A lot of work has been put into the process of desalination, removing salt and chemicals from sea water, to use for drinking water and irrigation. The process is expensive and requires complex technology.

6. As countries modernize agriculture, water pollution has increased from overuse of rivers, chemical fertilizers, garbage and untreated sewage. Access to water is also a source of conflict, especially in countries that share a river system. Dams built along a river to create lakes for irrigation and the production of hydroelectric power in one country reduces the amount of water available to other countries downstream.

7. Two of the most important natural resources in Southwest Asia are natural gas and oil. These two resources bring wealth into the region because they are needed for much of the world’s economy. Over half of the world’s known oil reserves are found in the region and has made these countries rich and giving them control of the global economy.

8. Some countries have used their wealth to improve their standard of living, while others have struggled to help their populations make a decent living. This difference in wealth in some of these countries has led to conflicts among the nations.

9. Besides drinking water and irrigation, rivers also provide transportation and trade routes. Many of the major cities in Southwest Asia are located on or near these rivers. These cities and towns are also centers of industry. The climate is hot and dry. Southwest Asia has a large number of deserts that have provided natural barriers against invasion.

10. They have also led to a way of life that developed around the need to survive in such harsh surroundings. Bedouins, desert nomads, live in tentcamps, are sheep and camel herders, and make a living trading animals and handmade goods. Their way of life is slowly disappearing.

11. An ethnic group is a group of people who share cultural ideas and beliefs that have been a part of their community for generations, such as a language, religion, history, and customs. A religious group shares a beliefsystem in a god or gods, with a specific set of rituals and literature. People from different ethnic groups may share the same religion, though they may be from very different cultures.

12. Arabs believe they are descendants of Abraham, in the bible, through his son Ishmael. They make up the majority of those living in the region; but there are differences among them. Most Arabs practice the religion of Islam and are called Muslims. Many are also Christians and speak Arabic. Persians are Iranians from Iran and their ancestors were Indo-Europeans from Central Europe and Southern Russia. They speak Farsi, most are Shia Muslims.

13. The Kurds see themselves as a distinct ethnic group from other in the area, speak their own language, have their own history, literature, music, and set of traditions. Most Kurds are Sunni Muslims, though there is a small minority who are Shia Muslims.

14. Ticket Out the Door On a half sheet of paper, write your name, date, block/color. Choose one of the Essential Questions and write you answer. 1. How does the physical geography of Southwest Asia contribute to its culture? 2. How do the presence of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam within the same region influence the development of the region?