THE MIDDLE EASTOverview of the Middle East
Northern Tier
AnatolianPlateau
IranianPlateau
Fertile Cresce
nt
Arabian Peninsula
Nile River Valley
•Region of mountains and plateaus•Mountains create defenses•A.P. has fertile soil and large pop.•I.P. is dry and has low pop.•Persian and Ottoman Empires
•Cultural hearth•Tigris & Euphrates Rrs. flood depending on snow – unpredictable•Lack natural defenses•Control shifted often
•Lots of land (1/3 size of US)•Low population scattered around oases•10% arable land•Vast oil fields
•Cultural Hearth (Egyptians)•Nile floods predictably•Continuity in Kingdoms•Natural defenses (desert)
Maghreb
•Founded by Islamic invasions•Arab term means “Western Isle”•Atlas Mts. to N and Sahara D. to S•Population along Med. Sea coast•Invasion launching point
COPING WITH THE CLIMATE
Lack of rainfall and scarcity of water
Early peoples built irrigation systems
Improved upon through history
Desalination plants invested in
OIL
Salt, phosphate, copper resources
Oil is most important Oil fields are
unevenly distributed across the Middle East
How has this led to disparity and conflict in the region?
DIVERSITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST
Seven major languages Thousands of local
languages/dialects Three major
religions, each divided into many sects
19 countries and over 400 million people
“Arabs” are main group
WHAT IS AN “ARAB”? Arabs are majority group in most Middle East countries
In 600’s, Arabs conquered others
Assimilation To conform or adjust to
the customs, attitudes, etc., of a group, nation, or culture
Diffusion Movement of customs or
ideas from one culture to another
Today, anyone who’s main language is Arabic
RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY AND CONFLICT Islam is dominant religion Jerusalem considered
holy by three religions How can these problems
be solved? List five things you know
about the conflicts in the Middle East
Explain in a brief paragraph explaining why location has affected the cultural diversity of the region