SlideShare a Scribd company logo
1 of 6
Download to read offline
The Middle East and North Africa
                                                                    most Berbers today are Arabic-speaking
       Many Things in Common
                                                                    Muslims.
            The Middle East and North Africa are two
                                                                 Many of the nations of the Middle East
       regions that are often grouped together
                                                             and North Africa were once controlled by
       because they have many things in common.
                                                             colonial powers. This is why you will
       Islam is the dominant religion and almost
                                                             commonly hear many other
       everyone speaks Arabic. Most of the Middle
                                                             languages, including
       East and North Africa is a desert where very
                                                             English, French and
       little rain falls. There are, however, many
                                                             Italian in the region.
       exceptions:
       • Most Iranians are Muslims, but they are             The Arabs
         not Arabs. Until 1935, Iran was known as                People who speak Arabic
         Persia, a culture that has existed for              as their primary language
         thousands of years. Most Iranians speak             are known as Arabs. Traditionally, they lived
         Farsi.                                              on the Arabian Peninsula, but the language
                                                             and culture of the Arabs spread throughout the
       • The Turks originally came from the land
                                                             Middle East with the expansion of Islam.
         northwest of India. They are also Muslims
                                                             Arabic is the language of the Quran, the holy
         but speak Turkish rather than Arabic.
                                                             book of Islam. Today more than 250 million
       • The people of Lebanon primarily speak               Arabs live throughout the world. Arabs
         Arabic, but more than one-third are                 constitute the substantial majority of people in
         Christian. Lebanon has traditionally been           Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain,
         a Christian Arabic nation, but Muslims              Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait,
         now outnumber Christians because                    Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Sudan, Egypt, Libya,
         Muslims have tended to have more                    Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco.
         children. Most Arabs living in the United
         States are Lebanese.
                                                               Where is the Middle East?
       • Most people in Israel speak Hebrew and
         practice Judaism. After World War II                      The lands around the southern and
         ended, the United Nations created Israel as           eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea are
         a homeland for Jews.                                  often called the Middle East or the Near
                                                               East. The term came from the first
       • About twenty-five million Kurds live in               geographers in ancient Greece, for whom
         the mountains between Iran, Iraq, Syria,              the region was both near and east. China
         and Turkey. The Kurds are Muslims, but                and Japan are part of the Far East.
         they have the own language and culture.
                                                                   The west referred to Western Europe,
         Many Kurds want to keep their traditional
                                                               but later included the American continents
         lifestyle and resist assimilating into the
                                                               once they were discovered. Australia and
         population of their host nations.
                                                               New Zealand are often considered western
       • A minority of the people of Morocco and               nations. This is because most people in
         Algeria are Berbers. The Berbers are the              those nations have more in common with
         descendants of the people who lived in                people in Western Europe and America
         North Africa before the Arab invasion.                than they do with China or Japan.
         The Berbers have their own traditions, but

©2003-2005, Mike Dowling, www.mrdowling.com. All rights reserved.                                  Page 1 of 6
A century after Mohammad’s death, Islam           life forms have adapted to even the most
spread as far as Spain in the west to northern        severe desert environment. Camels are able to
India in the east. The Arabs were great traders       survive long periods without food or water.
whose influence reached as                                               Many desert plants have
far as Southeast Asia. Today                                             long, shallow root systems.
more Muslims live in                                                     This allows the plants to
Indonesia, far from the Arab                                             reach out to collect water
world, than in any other                                                 over great distances. Other
nation.                                                                  desert plants have taproots.
    The Arabs were                                                       Taproots grow very deep so
interested in learning and in                                            they can tap sources of
other cultures. Western                                                  underground water. Plant
Europe was in a period often                                             life in the desert is usually
called the “Dark Ages”                                                   spread out over great
because the civilizations of Greece and Rome          distances. This is why deserts are often
had been extinguished, but the Arabs made             described as barren, or lifeless.
great advances in mathematics, medicine, and               When many people think of a desert they
physical science. They replaced clumsy                often think of endless miles of hot sand, but a
Roman numbers with Arabic numerals we use             desert does not have to be hot or sandy. Most
today. Algebra and Chemistry are both                 of the land of the Middle East and North
Arabic words.                                         Africa is hot, dry desert land, but some deserts
                                                      look very different. Most of Antarctica is a
Deserts
                                                      desert but there is no sand on the continent
    The Middle East and North Africa are one          and the climate of Antarctica is the coldest on
of the driest regions on earth. Nearly two-           earth.
thirds of the region is desert. A desert is land
that receives an average of less than ten inches      Bedouins
of rain per year. The Sahara Desert of                    Bedouins are nomads who inhabit the
northern Africa is the largest desert in the          Middle East and North Africa. Bedouin is an
world. It stretches across 3.5 million square         Arabic word that means “desert dweller.” Like
miles, a area larger than the United States if        the plants and animals, the Bedouins have
you excluded Alaska and Hawaii. The Rub               adapted the lifestyle to the severe desert
‘al-Khali, or “Empty Quarter” is a large desert       climate. They use their extensive knowledge
in Saudi Arabia. It is the largest area of            of the location of water and seasonal weather
continuous sand in the world.                         changes to survive.
    Desert air contains little moisture, so few          Traditionally, Bedouins avoid farming or
clouds form over the land. Without clouds to         any kind of settled life. They prefer to herd
block the sun, temperatures may reach as high                           animals such as camels,
as 125oF during the day. At night,                                      sheep, and goats. Bedouins
without the clouds to contain the                                       generally travel in extended
heat, the temperature can fall to                                       family units headed by a
as low as 40oF.                                                         sheik, a position handed
   Extreme temperatures                                                 down from father to eldest
combined with little rainfall make                                      son. They generally live in
desert life difficult for people,                                       tents so they can move
plants, and animals. Yet, some                                          easily. As oil wealth and
                                             A Bedouin family           strong government evolved
©2003-2005, Mike Dowling, www.mrdowling.com. All rights reserved.                           Page 2 of 6
in the Middle East and                                                          Oil has changed the Middle
North Africa, many                                                          East and North Africa. Many
Bedouins have given up                                                      leaders in the region have used the
their traditional lifestyle and                                             wealth from oil to modernize their
settled on the outskirts of                                                 nations, while others kept the
villages.                                                                   wealth or used it to buy weapons
   Almost all Bedouins are                                                  and build armies. Saddam Hussein
Muslims who speak Arabic.                                                   ruled Iraq from 1979 to 2003.
                                   It’s easy to float in the Dead Sea.
Bedouins constitute a small                                                 Saddam and other dictators in the
minority of the population of the Middle East                   region used their nations’ oil wealth to build
and North Africa, but they live across a wide                   strong armies to control their nations.
area of land.                                                        Petroleum is a non-renewable resource, so
Oil                                                                oil-producing nations must prepare for a time
                                                                   when their petroleum wealth no longer exists.
    Petroleum is the world’s most important
                                                                   Experts believe that the price of oil will
energy resource. Industrialized nations such
                                                                   continue to rise as supplies are used up in
as the United States depend on
                                       NATIONS WITH                     easily accessible areas. The world will
petroleum oil to power their
                                       THE LARGEST                      likely prepare for the exhaustion of
factories, and developing nations            PROVEN                     petroleum reserves by switching to other
such as China and India are              PRETOLEUM
                                          RESERVES                      sources of energy. Bahrain is a small
require an increasing share of the
                                              Nation            oil*    nation in the Persian Gulf that used its oil
world’s oil production as their
                                                Saudi          262      wealth to develop a diversified economy.
nations industrialize. Some
                                               Arabia                   Today Bahrain has little oil left, but it is a
nations have a great deal of
                                                   Iran        132      commercial and financial center and
petroleum reserves, while other                    Iraq        115      Bahrain’s refineries process oil from
nations have none.                             Kuwait            99
                                      United Arab                98     other nations in the region.
    More than forty percent of the        Emirates
world’s oil reserves are spaced        Venezuela                 77
                                                                        The Dead Sea
unevenly among the nations of the              Russia            72         The Dead Sea is not a sea, but a 50-
Middle East and North Africa.         Kazakhstan                 40     mile long by 11-mile wide salt lake
                                                 Libya           39
America’s relationship with the               Nigeria            35     between Israel and Jordan. We call it a
Middle East and North Africa has               United            29     sea because it is salty like a sea or the
changed since the discovery of oil             States                   ocean.
in the region. In 1960, many of              Canada              17
                                                China            17         The Dead Sea is the lowest body of
the oil producing nations agreed              Mexico             15     water on Earth, nearly one-quarter mile
to form a cartel. A cartel is an                Qatar            15     below sea level. Water from the Jordan
international organization formed                                       River flows in, but because the Dead Sea
                                              Algeria            12
to regulate prices and production.              Brazil           11     is lower than the land around it, no water
The cartel, called OPEC                      Norway              10     can drain out. The hot desert sun
(Organization of Petroleum             *oil is measured in billion
                                                 barrels.               evaporates the water about as fast as it
Exporting Countries), increased      Nations of the Middle East and
                                                                        flows in from the river, leaving behind
                                       North Africa are shown in
prices by 70% in 1973. American                  italics.
                                                                        salt and other minerals from the Jordan.
                                       Source: BP Statistical
gasoline prices more than doubled     Review of World Energy
and people waited for gasoline in              June 2005.                   People can easily float on the surface
lines sometimes over a mile long.                                       of Dead Sea because it about seven times
                                                                   saltier than the ocean. When they get out of
                                                                   the water, they have a salty crust left on their
©2003-2005, Mike Dowling, www.mrdowling.com. All rights reserved.                                         Page 3 of 6
skin. Any fish carried in from the Jordan die          Great Britain. Soon after, the British sent
instantly when they reach the Dead Sea.                soldiers into Egypt, saying they were
    Other salty lakes exist in dry areas around        concerned for their property. For many years,
the world. The Caspian Sea is the world’s              the English controlled the Suez Canal.
largest lake. The Romans thought they had                  In 1956, Egyptian president Gamel Abdel
reached the ocean upon finding the Caspian             Nasser seized the canal and declared it to be
because it was salty. Utah’s Great Salt Lake           the property of the Egyptian people. Egypt
and the Aral Sea in Asia are also salty lakes.         fought three bitter wars with Israel during this
                                                       period, and denied Israel the use of the
The Suez Canal
                                                       waterway. Egypt and Israel agreed to a peace
    The Suez Canal is one of the most                  treaty in 1979, and since then the Suez Canal
important waterways in the world. The 101-             has been open to every nation.
mile waterway connects the Mediterranean
Sea to the Red Sea. The Suez Canal is often            The Aswan Dam
called the “crossroads to Europe, Africa, and              For thousands of years the Nile River
Asia” because the route is used to transport           overflowed its banks every spring as the snow
goods to and from all three continents.                in the mountains transformed into a torrent of
    The idea of connecting the Mediterranean           water. The annual floods carried dead and
Sea to the Red Sea is as old as the pharaohs.          decaying plants in its muddy solution. The
The first canal in the region seems to have            muddy water is called silt, and silt creates
been dug about 1850 BC, but many attempts to           excellent farmland.
complete the task failed. Desert winds blew                   Since 1970, the Aswan Dam has
into the canal and clogged it. About 150 years            controlled the annual flood. By holding back
ago, Great Britain had a thriving trade with              water, the Aswan Dam created the world’s
India, but without a canal, British ships                     largest man-made lake: Lake Nassar. The
had to make a long journey around the                           water from Lake Nassar provided new
entire continent of Africa. A canal                             fishing areas and provides much needed
through the Isthmus of Suez would cut                          water for agriculture. The Aswan Dam
the journey by 6,000 miles. An isthmus                          also makes it possible to grow an extra
is a narrow strip of land connecting two                        crop each year by holding back the
larger pieces of land.                     Ferdinand deLesseps summer flood that covers the banks of the
    A French company led by Ferdinand                          Nile River.
deLesseps made a deal with Egypt to build the              Critics charge that building the Aswan
Suez Canal. After ten years of work, the canal         Dam was unwise. The project was far more
opened in 1869. The Egyptian ruler, Ismail,            expensive than expected. Further, the annual
celebrated by building a huge palace in Cairo.         floods carried silt, which created the topsoil
Ismail treated royalty from around the world           needed for plants. Since the creation of the
to a celebration in honor of the new canal.            Aswan Dam, the farms on the formerly
The heavy spending for the celebration came            flooded banks have had to use expensive
at a time when the price of Egyptian cotton            fertilizers in place of the silt. Formerly, fish
plunged. Egypt had gone into debt to pay for           have fed on the silt, and the people
the Suez Canal. Ismail took out loans from             downstream depended on fishing from the
European banks, but he was unable to repay             river.
them. Egypt was forced to sell the canal to



©2003-2005, Mike Dowling, www.mrdowling.com. All rights reserved.                             Page 4 of 6
The Nations of the Middle East and North Africa
                                                             as of November 3, 2005
The density of a nation is the number of people per square mile. Crowded nations have higher densities than less crowded nations.
Arable land is land that is farmable. Desert land is generally not farmable. The percentage of Muslims in each nation is an estimation.
               Population     Area         Density        arable   Muslim       Description
Afghanistan     29,928,987     251,825           119        12%          99%    The Islamic fundamentalist Taliban movement controlled mountainous
                                sq. mi.     per sq. mi.                         Afghanistan until 2002. The Taliban is believed to have harbored
                                                                                Osama bin Ladin, the accused mastermind of the attacks on the World
                                                                                Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.
Algeria          32,531,853    919,595             35        3%          99%    At one time, Algeria was part of France, but the Algerians asked
                                sq. mi.     per sq. mi.                         the French to leave.
Bahrain             688,345         268         2568         3%         100%    Bahrain was one of the first Persian Gulf nations to produce oil,
                                 sq. mi.    per sq. mi.                         but by the 1970s it had used almost all of its reserves.
Egypt            77,505,756    385,229           201         3%          94%    Almost all of Egypt’s population is concentrated in the Nile
                                sq. mi.     per sq. mi.                         River Valley.
Iran             68,017,860    632,457           108         9%          98%    Iran was once known as Persia. Iranians are Muslims, but they
                                sq. mi.     per sq. mi.                         are not Arabs. Iranians speak Farsi.
Iraq             26,074,906    167,975           155        13%          97%    Iraq has been controlled by a group of nations led by the United States
                                sq. mi.     per sq. mi.                         since the overthrow of dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003. Iraq includes
                                                                                the land once known as Mesopotamia.
Israel            6,276,883       7,876          797        16%          16%    Israel is a homeland to Jewish people who had lived as minorities
                                 sq. mi.    per sq. mi.                         in other lands until 1948.
Jordan            5,759,732     34,342           168         3%          92%    Jordan is an Arab and Muslim nation, but Jordan’s then King
                                sq. mi.     per sq. mi.                         signed a peace agreement with Israel in 1994.
Kuwait            2,335,648       6,880          339         1%          85%    The United Nations declared war on Iraq in 1991 after Iraqi dictator
                                 sq. mi.    per sq. mi.                         Saddam Hussein attempted to “annex” or take over Kuwait.
Lebanon           3,826,018       3,950          969        17%          60%    Clashes among Christians, Muslims, and Israel have made
                                 sq. mi.    per sq. mi.                         Lebanon an unstable nation.
Libya             5,765,563    678,400               8       1%          97%    Libya has been controlled by Muammar al-Qaddaffi since 1967. It is a
                                sq. mi.     per sq. mi.                         strict Muslim nation where gambling and eating pork are forbidden.

Morocco          32,725,847    177,117           185        20%          99%    One-third of the people of Morocco are Berbers. The Berbers, who lived
                                sq. mi.     per sq. mi.                         in North Africa before the Arab invasion, have their own language and
                                                                                customs.
Oman              3,001,583    118,150             25        0%          92%    Oil has made this sultanate a rich nation. A sultanate is a nation
                                sq. mi.     per sq. mi.                         ruled by a sultan.
Qatar               863,051       4,412          196         2%          95%    Qatar is a tiny nation that has used its oil wealth to create a
                                 sq. mi.    per sq. mi.                         diversified economy. It is a center of banking in the Arab world.
Saudi Arabia     26,417,599    865,000             31        2%         100%    Saudi Arabia includes Mecca and Medina, the two holiest cities
                                sq. mi.     per sq. mi.                         of Islam. It has the largest oil reserves in the world.
Syria            18,448,752     71,498           258        25%          90%    Syria has the best farmland of the region. When irrigated, the
                                sq. mi.     per sq. mi.                         land produces crops of cotton, wheat, and various vegetables.
Tunisia          11,074,951     63,378           175        18%          98%    Tunisia was once home to the ancient civilization of Carthage, an
                                sq. mi.     per sq. mi.                         advanced sea-faring city. The Romans defeated Carthage, burned the
                                                                                city and poured salt over the land so that it would no longer be arable and
                                                                                the people would be forced to leave.
Turkey           69,660,559    300,948           231        31%          99%    Most of Turkey is in Asia, but the western tip of the nation is in Europe.
                                sq. mi.     per sq. mi.                         The European section of Turkey includes Istanbul, Europe’s second most
                                                                                populated city after Moscow.
United Arab       2,563,212     32,280             79        1%          96%    Seven small emirates, or Arab kingdoms, combined to form this
Emirates                        sq. mi.     per sq. mi.                         small nation in 1971.
West Bank         2,385,615      2,200          1084        17%          75%    The territory along the West Bank of the Jordan River has been
                                 sq. mi     per sq. mi.                         controlled by Israel, but the Palestinian Arabs in the region have
                                                                                limited self-rule.
Yemen            20,727,063    205,356           101         3%          97%    Yemen is an isolated, mountainous nation. Its most famous
                                sq. mi.     per sq. mi.                         export is rich-tasting coffee called mocha.



©2003-2005, Mike Dowling, www.mrdowling.com. All rights reserved.                                                                          Page 5 of 6
The Nations of the Middle East and North Africa




B=Bahrain
I=Israel
K=Kuwait
L=Lebanon
Q=Qatar
UAE=United Arab Emirates




©2003-2005, Mike Dowling, www.mrdowling.com. All rights reserved.   Page 6 of 6

More Related Content

What's hot

Arabic Islamic World
Arabic Islamic WorldArabic Islamic World
Arabic Islamic Worldthomasbu
 
ch.18,sec.1
ch.18,sec.1ch.18,sec.1
ch.18,sec.1jokamin
 
Africa, Land of Contrasts
Africa, Land of ContrastsAfrica, Land of Contrasts
Africa, Land of Contrastsarturofonseca
 
Rise of islam
Rise of islamRise of islam
Rise of islamlinda0906
 
Persians Phoenicians Hebrews
Persians Phoenicians HebrewsPersians Phoenicians Hebrews
Persians Phoenicians Hebrewsjauntingjen
 
Ethnic group versus religious group
Ethnic group versus religious groupEthnic group versus religious group
Ethnic group versus religious groupjohnharrell
 
Iraq civilization modren
Iraq civilization modrenIraq civilization modren
Iraq civilization modrenabbasmo87
 
Asian geography( PEOPLE, LANGUAGE AND RELIGION)
Asian geography( PEOPLE, LANGUAGE AND RELIGION)Asian geography( PEOPLE, LANGUAGE AND RELIGION)
Asian geography( PEOPLE, LANGUAGE AND RELIGION)Emilyn Gupong
 
Contrasting cultures ethnic and religious groups
Contrasting cultures ethnic and religious groupsContrasting cultures ethnic and religious groups
Contrasting cultures ethnic and religious groupssonyameverett
 
Africa for kids
Africa for kidsAfrica for kids
Africa for kidsnivaca2
 
Subcontinent before bin qasim invasion
Subcontinent before bin qasim invasionSubcontinent before bin qasim invasion
Subcontinent before bin qasim invasionsanaan umar khan
 
Region 4 SOUTHEAST ASIA
Region 4 SOUTHEAST ASIARegion 4 SOUTHEAST ASIA
Region 4 SOUTHEAST ASIAShadina Shah
 

What's hot (20)

Arabic Islamic World
Arabic Islamic WorldArabic Islamic World
Arabic Islamic World
 
ch.18,sec.1
ch.18,sec.1ch.18,sec.1
ch.18,sec.1
 
Africa, Land of Contrasts
Africa, Land of ContrastsAfrica, Land of Contrasts
Africa, Land of Contrasts
 
Jordan by Sharanya
Jordan by SharanyaJordan by Sharanya
Jordan by Sharanya
 
Rise of islam
Rise of islamRise of islam
Rise of islam
 
Hausa eng5
Hausa eng5Hausa eng5
Hausa eng5
 
Afghanistan
AfghanistanAfghanistan
Afghanistan
 
Africa
AfricaAfrica
Africa
 
SEA handout
SEA handoutSEA handout
SEA handout
 
Persians Phoenicians Hebrews
Persians Phoenicians HebrewsPersians Phoenicians Hebrews
Persians Phoenicians Hebrews
 
Ethnic group versus religious group
Ethnic group versus religious groupEthnic group versus religious group
Ethnic group versus religious group
 
Jordan presentation
Jordan presentationJordan presentation
Jordan presentation
 
Iraq civilization modren
Iraq civilization modrenIraq civilization modren
Iraq civilization modren
 
Asian geography( PEOPLE, LANGUAGE AND RELIGION)
Asian geography( PEOPLE, LANGUAGE AND RELIGION)Asian geography( PEOPLE, LANGUAGE AND RELIGION)
Asian geography( PEOPLE, LANGUAGE AND RELIGION)
 
Contrasting cultures ethnic and religious groups
Contrasting cultures ethnic and religious groupsContrasting cultures ethnic and religious groups
Contrasting cultures ethnic and religious groups
 
Jordan - HH
Jordan - HHJordan - HH
Jordan - HH
 
Africa for kids
Africa for kidsAfrica for kids
Africa for kids
 
Religious and ethnic groups of sw asia
Religious and ethnic groups of sw asiaReligious and ethnic groups of sw asia
Religious and ethnic groups of sw asia
 
Subcontinent before bin qasim invasion
Subcontinent before bin qasim invasionSubcontinent before bin qasim invasion
Subcontinent before bin qasim invasion
 
Region 4 SOUTHEAST ASIA
Region 4 SOUTHEAST ASIARegion 4 SOUTHEAST ASIA
Region 4 SOUTHEAST ASIA
 

Viewers also liked

8th Constitution Project/PPT
8th Constitution Project/PPT8th Constitution Project/PPT
8th Constitution Project/PPTHeather Wanshon
 
7th grade Middle East WebQuest
7th grade Middle East WebQuest7th grade Middle East WebQuest
7th grade Middle East WebQuestHeather Wanshon
 
Your First Day Of Computers Class
Your First Day Of Computers ClassYour First Day Of Computers Class
Your First Day Of Computers ClassHeather Wanshon
 
Industria cine
Industria cineIndustria cine
Industria cinemari9ac
 
Industria de Cine
Industria de CineIndustria de Cine
Industria de Cinemari9ac
 
Estudio de mercado cineplanet
Estudio de mercado  cineplanetEstudio de mercado  cineplanet
Estudio de mercado cineplanetghillo
 

Viewers also liked (9)

ME Conflicts
ME ConflictsME Conflicts
ME Conflicts
 
Middle East Pretest
Middle East PretestMiddle East Pretest
Middle East Pretest
 
8th Constitution Project/PPT
8th Constitution Project/PPT8th Constitution Project/PPT
8th Constitution Project/PPT
 
7th grade Middle East WebQuest
7th grade Middle East WebQuest7th grade Middle East WebQuest
7th grade Middle East WebQuest
 
Your First Day Of Computers Class
Your First Day Of Computers ClassYour First Day Of Computers Class
Your First Day Of Computers Class
 
Constitution Worksheets
Constitution WorksheetsConstitution Worksheets
Constitution Worksheets
 
Industria cine
Industria cineIndustria cine
Industria cine
 
Industria de Cine
Industria de CineIndustria de Cine
Industria de Cine
 
Estudio de mercado cineplanet
Estudio de mercado  cineplanetEstudio de mercado  cineplanet
Estudio de mercado cineplanet
 

Similar to ME NA Study Guide

Africa, Land Of Contrasts
Africa, Land Of ContrastsAfrica, Land Of Contrasts
Africa, Land Of ContrastsKauferEditores
 
West African Civilizations [PDF]
West African Civilizations [PDF]West African Civilizations [PDF]
West African Civilizations [PDF]William Hogan
 
Kingdoms and trading_states_of_africa
Kingdoms and trading_states_of_africaKingdoms and trading_states_of_africa
Kingdoms and trading_states_of_africaAaron Carn
 
Central & western africa
Central & western africaCentral & western africa
Central & western africatcshistory
 
Presentation10
Presentation10Presentation10
Presentation10rbbrown
 
World History Ch. 10 Section 1 Notes
World History Ch. 10 Section 1 NotesWorld History Ch. 10 Section 1 Notes
World History Ch. 10 Section 1 Notesskorbar7
 
Ethnic groups of soithwest asia
Ethnic groups of soithwest asiaEthnic groups of soithwest asia
Ethnic groups of soithwest asiaklgriffin
 
Tuareg presentation
Tuareg presentationTuareg presentation
Tuareg presentationDrew Ralston
 
Africa
AfricaAfrica
Africamgdean
 
Chapter 21 blog notes
Chapter 21 blog notesChapter 21 blog notes
Chapter 21 blog notessummersmn
 
Africa (Customs&Tradtions)
Africa (Customs&Tradtions)Africa (Customs&Tradtions)
Africa (Customs&Tradtions)Angel Adducul
 
187The World of Inner Africa Geography, Race, and Langua
187The World of Inner Africa Geography, Race, and Langua187The World of Inner Africa Geography, Race, and Langua
187The World of Inner Africa Geography, Race, and LanguaAnastaciaShadelb
 

Similar to ME NA Study Guide (20)

Africa, Land Of Contrasts
Africa, Land Of ContrastsAfrica, Land Of Contrasts
Africa, Land Of Contrasts
 
West African Civilizations [PDF]
West African Civilizations [PDF]West African Civilizations [PDF]
West African Civilizations [PDF]
 
Kingdoms and trading_states_of_africa
Kingdoms and trading_states_of_africaKingdoms and trading_states_of_africa
Kingdoms and trading_states_of_africa
 
Central & western africa
Central & western africaCentral & western africa
Central & western africa
 
Presentation10
Presentation10Presentation10
Presentation10
 
World History Ch. 10 Section 1 Notes
World History Ch. 10 Section 1 NotesWorld History Ch. 10 Section 1 Notes
World History Ch. 10 Section 1 Notes
 
Geography
GeographyGeography
Geography
 
Africa
Africa Africa
Africa
 
African culture
African cultureAfrican culture
African culture
 
Chapter 24
Chapter 24Chapter 24
Chapter 24
 
Ethnic groups of soithwest asia
Ethnic groups of soithwest asiaEthnic groups of soithwest asia
Ethnic groups of soithwest asia
 
Tuareg presentation
Tuareg presentationTuareg presentation
Tuareg presentation
 
8.1
8.18.1
8.1
 
Africa
AfricaAfrica
Africa
 
Chapter 21 blog notes
Chapter 21 blog notesChapter 21 blog notes
Chapter 21 blog notes
 
Africa unit 1 study game
Africa unit 1 study gameAfrica unit 1 study game
Africa unit 1 study game
 
Africa (Customs&Tradtions)
Africa (Customs&Tradtions)Africa (Customs&Tradtions)
Africa (Customs&Tradtions)
 
187The World of Inner Africa Geography, Race, and Langua
187The World of Inner Africa Geography, Race, and Langua187The World of Inner Africa Geography, Race, and Langua
187The World of Inner Africa Geography, Race, and Langua
 
African Literature
African LiteratureAfrican Literature
African Literature
 
African Literature
African LiteratureAfrican Literature
African Literature
 

Recently uploaded

In - Vivo and In - Vitro Correlation.pptx
In - Vivo and In - Vitro Correlation.pptxIn - Vivo and In - Vitro Correlation.pptx
In - Vivo and In - Vitro Correlation.pptxAditiChauhan701637
 
M-2- General Reactions of amino acids.pptx
M-2- General Reactions of amino acids.pptxM-2- General Reactions of amino acids.pptx
M-2- General Reactions of amino acids.pptxDr. Santhosh Kumar. N
 
What is the Future of QuickBooks DeskTop?
What is the Future of QuickBooks DeskTop?What is the Future of QuickBooks DeskTop?
What is the Future of QuickBooks DeskTop?TechSoup
 
Philosophy of Education and Educational Philosophy
Philosophy of Education  and Educational PhilosophyPhilosophy of Education  and Educational Philosophy
Philosophy of Education and Educational PhilosophyShuvankar Madhu
 
Diploma in Nursing Admission Test Question Solution 2023.pdf
Diploma in Nursing Admission Test Question Solution 2023.pdfDiploma in Nursing Admission Test Question Solution 2023.pdf
Diploma in Nursing Admission Test Question Solution 2023.pdfMohonDas
 
UKCGE Parental Leave Discussion March 2024
UKCGE Parental Leave Discussion March 2024UKCGE Parental Leave Discussion March 2024
UKCGE Parental Leave Discussion March 2024UKCGE
 
Practical Research 1: Lesson 8 Writing the Thesis Statement.pptx
Practical Research 1: Lesson 8 Writing the Thesis Statement.pptxPractical Research 1: Lesson 8 Writing the Thesis Statement.pptx
Practical Research 1: Lesson 8 Writing the Thesis Statement.pptxKatherine Villaluna
 
CAULIFLOWER BREEDING 1 Parmar pptx
CAULIFLOWER BREEDING 1 Parmar pptxCAULIFLOWER BREEDING 1 Parmar pptx
CAULIFLOWER BREEDING 1 Parmar pptxSaurabhParmar42
 
How to Add a New Field in Existing Kanban View in Odoo 17
How to Add a New Field in Existing Kanban View in Odoo 17How to Add a New Field in Existing Kanban View in Odoo 17
How to Add a New Field in Existing Kanban View in Odoo 17Celine George
 
General views of Histopathology and step
General views of Histopathology and stepGeneral views of Histopathology and step
General views of Histopathology and stepobaje godwin sunday
 
Easter in the USA presentation by Chloe.
Easter in the USA presentation by Chloe.Easter in the USA presentation by Chloe.
Easter in the USA presentation by Chloe.EnglishCEIPdeSigeiro
 
How to Use api.constrains ( ) in Odoo 17
How to Use api.constrains ( ) in Odoo 17How to Use api.constrains ( ) in Odoo 17
How to Use api.constrains ( ) in Odoo 17Celine George
 
Drug Information Services- DIC and Sources.
Drug Information Services- DIC and Sources.Drug Information Services- DIC and Sources.
Drug Information Services- DIC and Sources.raviapr7
 
Quality Assurance_GOOD LABORATORY PRACTICE
Quality Assurance_GOOD LABORATORY PRACTICEQuality Assurance_GOOD LABORATORY PRACTICE
Quality Assurance_GOOD LABORATORY PRACTICESayali Powar
 
Clinical Pharmacy Introduction to Clinical Pharmacy, Concept of clinical pptx
Clinical Pharmacy  Introduction to Clinical Pharmacy, Concept of clinical pptxClinical Pharmacy  Introduction to Clinical Pharmacy, Concept of clinical pptx
Clinical Pharmacy Introduction to Clinical Pharmacy, Concept of clinical pptxraviapr7
 
How to Add Existing Field in One2Many Tree View in Odoo 17
How to Add Existing Field in One2Many Tree View in Odoo 17How to Add Existing Field in One2Many Tree View in Odoo 17
How to Add Existing Field in One2Many Tree View in Odoo 17Celine George
 
Patient Counselling. Definition of patient counseling; steps involved in pati...
Patient Counselling. Definition of patient counseling; steps involved in pati...Patient Counselling. Definition of patient counseling; steps involved in pati...
Patient Counselling. Definition of patient counseling; steps involved in pati...raviapr7
 
2024.03.23 What do successful readers do - Sandy Millin for PARK.pptx
2024.03.23 What do successful readers do - Sandy Millin for PARK.pptx2024.03.23 What do successful readers do - Sandy Millin for PARK.pptx
2024.03.23 What do successful readers do - Sandy Millin for PARK.pptxSandy Millin
 

Recently uploaded (20)

In - Vivo and In - Vitro Correlation.pptx
In - Vivo and In - Vitro Correlation.pptxIn - Vivo and In - Vitro Correlation.pptx
In - Vivo and In - Vitro Correlation.pptx
 
Prelims of Kant get Marx 2.0: a general politics quiz
Prelims of Kant get Marx 2.0: a general politics quizPrelims of Kant get Marx 2.0: a general politics quiz
Prelims of Kant get Marx 2.0: a general politics quiz
 
M-2- General Reactions of amino acids.pptx
M-2- General Reactions of amino acids.pptxM-2- General Reactions of amino acids.pptx
M-2- General Reactions of amino acids.pptx
 
Personal Resilience in Project Management 2 - TV Edit 1a.pdf
Personal Resilience in Project Management 2 - TV Edit 1a.pdfPersonal Resilience in Project Management 2 - TV Edit 1a.pdf
Personal Resilience in Project Management 2 - TV Edit 1a.pdf
 
What is the Future of QuickBooks DeskTop?
What is the Future of QuickBooks DeskTop?What is the Future of QuickBooks DeskTop?
What is the Future of QuickBooks DeskTop?
 
Philosophy of Education and Educational Philosophy
Philosophy of Education  and Educational PhilosophyPhilosophy of Education  and Educational Philosophy
Philosophy of Education and Educational Philosophy
 
Diploma in Nursing Admission Test Question Solution 2023.pdf
Diploma in Nursing Admission Test Question Solution 2023.pdfDiploma in Nursing Admission Test Question Solution 2023.pdf
Diploma in Nursing Admission Test Question Solution 2023.pdf
 
UKCGE Parental Leave Discussion March 2024
UKCGE Parental Leave Discussion March 2024UKCGE Parental Leave Discussion March 2024
UKCGE Parental Leave Discussion March 2024
 
Practical Research 1: Lesson 8 Writing the Thesis Statement.pptx
Practical Research 1: Lesson 8 Writing the Thesis Statement.pptxPractical Research 1: Lesson 8 Writing the Thesis Statement.pptx
Practical Research 1: Lesson 8 Writing the Thesis Statement.pptx
 
CAULIFLOWER BREEDING 1 Parmar pptx
CAULIFLOWER BREEDING 1 Parmar pptxCAULIFLOWER BREEDING 1 Parmar pptx
CAULIFLOWER BREEDING 1 Parmar pptx
 
How to Add a New Field in Existing Kanban View in Odoo 17
How to Add a New Field in Existing Kanban View in Odoo 17How to Add a New Field in Existing Kanban View in Odoo 17
How to Add a New Field in Existing Kanban View in Odoo 17
 
General views of Histopathology and step
General views of Histopathology and stepGeneral views of Histopathology and step
General views of Histopathology and step
 
Easter in the USA presentation by Chloe.
Easter in the USA presentation by Chloe.Easter in the USA presentation by Chloe.
Easter in the USA presentation by Chloe.
 
How to Use api.constrains ( ) in Odoo 17
How to Use api.constrains ( ) in Odoo 17How to Use api.constrains ( ) in Odoo 17
How to Use api.constrains ( ) in Odoo 17
 
Drug Information Services- DIC and Sources.
Drug Information Services- DIC and Sources.Drug Information Services- DIC and Sources.
Drug Information Services- DIC and Sources.
 
Quality Assurance_GOOD LABORATORY PRACTICE
Quality Assurance_GOOD LABORATORY PRACTICEQuality Assurance_GOOD LABORATORY PRACTICE
Quality Assurance_GOOD LABORATORY PRACTICE
 
Clinical Pharmacy Introduction to Clinical Pharmacy, Concept of clinical pptx
Clinical Pharmacy  Introduction to Clinical Pharmacy, Concept of clinical pptxClinical Pharmacy  Introduction to Clinical Pharmacy, Concept of clinical pptx
Clinical Pharmacy Introduction to Clinical Pharmacy, Concept of clinical pptx
 
How to Add Existing Field in One2Many Tree View in Odoo 17
How to Add Existing Field in One2Many Tree View in Odoo 17How to Add Existing Field in One2Many Tree View in Odoo 17
How to Add Existing Field in One2Many Tree View in Odoo 17
 
Patient Counselling. Definition of patient counseling; steps involved in pati...
Patient Counselling. Definition of patient counseling; steps involved in pati...Patient Counselling. Definition of patient counseling; steps involved in pati...
Patient Counselling. Definition of patient counseling; steps involved in pati...
 
2024.03.23 What do successful readers do - Sandy Millin for PARK.pptx
2024.03.23 What do successful readers do - Sandy Millin for PARK.pptx2024.03.23 What do successful readers do - Sandy Millin for PARK.pptx
2024.03.23 What do successful readers do - Sandy Millin for PARK.pptx
 

ME NA Study Guide

  • 1. The Middle East and North Africa most Berbers today are Arabic-speaking Many Things in Common Muslims. The Middle East and North Africa are two Many of the nations of the Middle East regions that are often grouped together and North Africa were once controlled by because they have many things in common. colonial powers. This is why you will Islam is the dominant religion and almost commonly hear many other everyone speaks Arabic. Most of the Middle languages, including East and North Africa is a desert where very English, French and little rain falls. There are, however, many Italian in the region. exceptions: • Most Iranians are Muslims, but they are The Arabs not Arabs. Until 1935, Iran was known as People who speak Arabic Persia, a culture that has existed for as their primary language thousands of years. Most Iranians speak are known as Arabs. Traditionally, they lived Farsi. on the Arabian Peninsula, but the language and culture of the Arabs spread throughout the • The Turks originally came from the land Middle East with the expansion of Islam. northwest of India. They are also Muslims Arabic is the language of the Quran, the holy but speak Turkish rather than Arabic. book of Islam. Today more than 250 million • The people of Lebanon primarily speak Arabs live throughout the world. Arabs Arabic, but more than one-third are constitute the substantial majority of people in Christian. Lebanon has traditionally been Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, a Christian Arabic nation, but Muslims Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, now outnumber Christians because Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Sudan, Egypt, Libya, Muslims have tended to have more Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco. children. Most Arabs living in the United States are Lebanese. Where is the Middle East? • Most people in Israel speak Hebrew and practice Judaism. After World War II The lands around the southern and ended, the United Nations created Israel as eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea are a homeland for Jews. often called the Middle East or the Near East. The term came from the first • About twenty-five million Kurds live in geographers in ancient Greece, for whom the mountains between Iran, Iraq, Syria, the region was both near and east. China and Turkey. The Kurds are Muslims, but and Japan are part of the Far East. they have the own language and culture. The west referred to Western Europe, Many Kurds want to keep their traditional but later included the American continents lifestyle and resist assimilating into the once they were discovered. Australia and population of their host nations. New Zealand are often considered western • A minority of the people of Morocco and nations. This is because most people in Algeria are Berbers. The Berbers are the those nations have more in common with descendants of the people who lived in people in Western Europe and America North Africa before the Arab invasion. than they do with China or Japan. The Berbers have their own traditions, but ©2003-2005, Mike Dowling, www.mrdowling.com. All rights reserved. Page 1 of 6
  • 2. A century after Mohammad’s death, Islam life forms have adapted to even the most spread as far as Spain in the west to northern severe desert environment. Camels are able to India in the east. The Arabs were great traders survive long periods without food or water. whose influence reached as Many desert plants have far as Southeast Asia. Today long, shallow root systems. more Muslims live in This allows the plants to Indonesia, far from the Arab reach out to collect water world, than in any other over great distances. Other nation. desert plants have taproots. The Arabs were Taproots grow very deep so interested in learning and in they can tap sources of other cultures. Western underground water. Plant Europe was in a period often life in the desert is usually called the “Dark Ages” spread out over great because the civilizations of Greece and Rome distances. This is why deserts are often had been extinguished, but the Arabs made described as barren, or lifeless. great advances in mathematics, medicine, and When many people think of a desert they physical science. They replaced clumsy often think of endless miles of hot sand, but a Roman numbers with Arabic numerals we use desert does not have to be hot or sandy. Most today. Algebra and Chemistry are both of the land of the Middle East and North Arabic words. Africa is hot, dry desert land, but some deserts look very different. Most of Antarctica is a Deserts desert but there is no sand on the continent The Middle East and North Africa are one and the climate of Antarctica is the coldest on of the driest regions on earth. Nearly two- earth. thirds of the region is desert. A desert is land that receives an average of less than ten inches Bedouins of rain per year. The Sahara Desert of Bedouins are nomads who inhabit the northern Africa is the largest desert in the Middle East and North Africa. Bedouin is an world. It stretches across 3.5 million square Arabic word that means “desert dweller.” Like miles, a area larger than the United States if the plants and animals, the Bedouins have you excluded Alaska and Hawaii. The Rub adapted the lifestyle to the severe desert ‘al-Khali, or “Empty Quarter” is a large desert climate. They use their extensive knowledge in Saudi Arabia. It is the largest area of of the location of water and seasonal weather continuous sand in the world. changes to survive. Desert air contains little moisture, so few Traditionally, Bedouins avoid farming or clouds form over the land. Without clouds to any kind of settled life. They prefer to herd block the sun, temperatures may reach as high animals such as camels, as 125oF during the day. At night, sheep, and goats. Bedouins without the clouds to contain the generally travel in extended heat, the temperature can fall to family units headed by a as low as 40oF. sheik, a position handed Extreme temperatures down from father to eldest combined with little rainfall make son. They generally live in desert life difficult for people, tents so they can move plants, and animals. Yet, some easily. As oil wealth and A Bedouin family strong government evolved ©2003-2005, Mike Dowling, www.mrdowling.com. All rights reserved. Page 2 of 6
  • 3. in the Middle East and Oil has changed the Middle North Africa, many East and North Africa. Many Bedouins have given up leaders in the region have used the their traditional lifestyle and wealth from oil to modernize their settled on the outskirts of nations, while others kept the villages. wealth or used it to buy weapons Almost all Bedouins are and build armies. Saddam Hussein Muslims who speak Arabic. ruled Iraq from 1979 to 2003. It’s easy to float in the Dead Sea. Bedouins constitute a small Saddam and other dictators in the minority of the population of the Middle East region used their nations’ oil wealth to build and North Africa, but they live across a wide strong armies to control their nations. area of land. Petroleum is a non-renewable resource, so Oil oil-producing nations must prepare for a time when their petroleum wealth no longer exists. Petroleum is the world’s most important Experts believe that the price of oil will energy resource. Industrialized nations such continue to rise as supplies are used up in as the United States depend on NATIONS WITH easily accessible areas. The world will petroleum oil to power their THE LARGEST likely prepare for the exhaustion of factories, and developing nations PROVEN petroleum reserves by switching to other such as China and India are PRETOLEUM RESERVES sources of energy. Bahrain is a small require an increasing share of the Nation oil* nation in the Persian Gulf that used its oil world’s oil production as their Saudi 262 wealth to develop a diversified economy. nations industrialize. Some Arabia Today Bahrain has little oil left, but it is a nations have a great deal of Iran 132 commercial and financial center and petroleum reserves, while other Iraq 115 Bahrain’s refineries process oil from nations have none. Kuwait 99 United Arab 98 other nations in the region. More than forty percent of the Emirates world’s oil reserves are spaced Venezuela 77 The Dead Sea unevenly among the nations of the Russia 72 The Dead Sea is not a sea, but a 50- Middle East and North Africa. Kazakhstan 40 mile long by 11-mile wide salt lake Libya 39 America’s relationship with the Nigeria 35 between Israel and Jordan. We call it a Middle East and North Africa has United 29 sea because it is salty like a sea or the changed since the discovery of oil States ocean. in the region. In 1960, many of Canada 17 China 17 The Dead Sea is the lowest body of the oil producing nations agreed Mexico 15 water on Earth, nearly one-quarter mile to form a cartel. A cartel is an Qatar 15 below sea level. Water from the Jordan international organization formed River flows in, but because the Dead Sea Algeria 12 to regulate prices and production. Brazil 11 is lower than the land around it, no water The cartel, called OPEC Norway 10 can drain out. The hot desert sun (Organization of Petroleum *oil is measured in billion barrels. evaporates the water about as fast as it Exporting Countries), increased Nations of the Middle East and flows in from the river, leaving behind North Africa are shown in prices by 70% in 1973. American italics. salt and other minerals from the Jordan. Source: BP Statistical gasoline prices more than doubled Review of World Energy and people waited for gasoline in June 2005. People can easily float on the surface lines sometimes over a mile long. of Dead Sea because it about seven times saltier than the ocean. When they get out of the water, they have a salty crust left on their ©2003-2005, Mike Dowling, www.mrdowling.com. All rights reserved. Page 3 of 6
  • 4. skin. Any fish carried in from the Jordan die Great Britain. Soon after, the British sent instantly when they reach the Dead Sea. soldiers into Egypt, saying they were Other salty lakes exist in dry areas around concerned for their property. For many years, the world. The Caspian Sea is the world’s the English controlled the Suez Canal. largest lake. The Romans thought they had In 1956, Egyptian president Gamel Abdel reached the ocean upon finding the Caspian Nasser seized the canal and declared it to be because it was salty. Utah’s Great Salt Lake the property of the Egyptian people. Egypt and the Aral Sea in Asia are also salty lakes. fought three bitter wars with Israel during this period, and denied Israel the use of the The Suez Canal waterway. Egypt and Israel agreed to a peace The Suez Canal is one of the most treaty in 1979, and since then the Suez Canal important waterways in the world. The 101- has been open to every nation. mile waterway connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. The Suez Canal is often The Aswan Dam called the “crossroads to Europe, Africa, and For thousands of years the Nile River Asia” because the route is used to transport overflowed its banks every spring as the snow goods to and from all three continents. in the mountains transformed into a torrent of The idea of connecting the Mediterranean water. The annual floods carried dead and Sea to the Red Sea is as old as the pharaohs. decaying plants in its muddy solution. The The first canal in the region seems to have muddy water is called silt, and silt creates been dug about 1850 BC, but many attempts to excellent farmland. complete the task failed. Desert winds blew Since 1970, the Aswan Dam has into the canal and clogged it. About 150 years controlled the annual flood. By holding back ago, Great Britain had a thriving trade with water, the Aswan Dam created the world’s India, but without a canal, British ships largest man-made lake: Lake Nassar. The had to make a long journey around the water from Lake Nassar provided new entire continent of Africa. A canal fishing areas and provides much needed through the Isthmus of Suez would cut water for agriculture. The Aswan Dam the journey by 6,000 miles. An isthmus also makes it possible to grow an extra is a narrow strip of land connecting two crop each year by holding back the larger pieces of land. Ferdinand deLesseps summer flood that covers the banks of the A French company led by Ferdinand Nile River. deLesseps made a deal with Egypt to build the Critics charge that building the Aswan Suez Canal. After ten years of work, the canal Dam was unwise. The project was far more opened in 1869. The Egyptian ruler, Ismail, expensive than expected. Further, the annual celebrated by building a huge palace in Cairo. floods carried silt, which created the topsoil Ismail treated royalty from around the world needed for plants. Since the creation of the to a celebration in honor of the new canal. Aswan Dam, the farms on the formerly The heavy spending for the celebration came flooded banks have had to use expensive at a time when the price of Egyptian cotton fertilizers in place of the silt. Formerly, fish plunged. Egypt had gone into debt to pay for have fed on the silt, and the people the Suez Canal. Ismail took out loans from downstream depended on fishing from the European banks, but he was unable to repay river. them. Egypt was forced to sell the canal to ©2003-2005, Mike Dowling, www.mrdowling.com. All rights reserved. Page 4 of 6
  • 5. The Nations of the Middle East and North Africa as of November 3, 2005 The density of a nation is the number of people per square mile. Crowded nations have higher densities than less crowded nations. Arable land is land that is farmable. Desert land is generally not farmable. The percentage of Muslims in each nation is an estimation. Population Area Density arable Muslim Description Afghanistan 29,928,987 251,825 119 12% 99% The Islamic fundamentalist Taliban movement controlled mountainous sq. mi. per sq. mi. Afghanistan until 2002. The Taliban is believed to have harbored Osama bin Ladin, the accused mastermind of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Algeria 32,531,853 919,595 35 3% 99% At one time, Algeria was part of France, but the Algerians asked sq. mi. per sq. mi. the French to leave. Bahrain 688,345 268 2568 3% 100% Bahrain was one of the first Persian Gulf nations to produce oil, sq. mi. per sq. mi. but by the 1970s it had used almost all of its reserves. Egypt 77,505,756 385,229 201 3% 94% Almost all of Egypt’s population is concentrated in the Nile sq. mi. per sq. mi. River Valley. Iran 68,017,860 632,457 108 9% 98% Iran was once known as Persia. Iranians are Muslims, but they sq. mi. per sq. mi. are not Arabs. Iranians speak Farsi. Iraq 26,074,906 167,975 155 13% 97% Iraq has been controlled by a group of nations led by the United States sq. mi. per sq. mi. since the overthrow of dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003. Iraq includes the land once known as Mesopotamia. Israel 6,276,883 7,876 797 16% 16% Israel is a homeland to Jewish people who had lived as minorities sq. mi. per sq. mi. in other lands until 1948. Jordan 5,759,732 34,342 168 3% 92% Jordan is an Arab and Muslim nation, but Jordan’s then King sq. mi. per sq. mi. signed a peace agreement with Israel in 1994. Kuwait 2,335,648 6,880 339 1% 85% The United Nations declared war on Iraq in 1991 after Iraqi dictator sq. mi. per sq. mi. Saddam Hussein attempted to “annex” or take over Kuwait. Lebanon 3,826,018 3,950 969 17% 60% Clashes among Christians, Muslims, and Israel have made sq. mi. per sq. mi. Lebanon an unstable nation. Libya 5,765,563 678,400 8 1% 97% Libya has been controlled by Muammar al-Qaddaffi since 1967. It is a sq. mi. per sq. mi. strict Muslim nation where gambling and eating pork are forbidden. Morocco 32,725,847 177,117 185 20% 99% One-third of the people of Morocco are Berbers. The Berbers, who lived sq. mi. per sq. mi. in North Africa before the Arab invasion, have their own language and customs. Oman 3,001,583 118,150 25 0% 92% Oil has made this sultanate a rich nation. A sultanate is a nation sq. mi. per sq. mi. ruled by a sultan. Qatar 863,051 4,412 196 2% 95% Qatar is a tiny nation that has used its oil wealth to create a sq. mi. per sq. mi. diversified economy. It is a center of banking in the Arab world. Saudi Arabia 26,417,599 865,000 31 2% 100% Saudi Arabia includes Mecca and Medina, the two holiest cities sq. mi. per sq. mi. of Islam. It has the largest oil reserves in the world. Syria 18,448,752 71,498 258 25% 90% Syria has the best farmland of the region. When irrigated, the sq. mi. per sq. mi. land produces crops of cotton, wheat, and various vegetables. Tunisia 11,074,951 63,378 175 18% 98% Tunisia was once home to the ancient civilization of Carthage, an sq. mi. per sq. mi. advanced sea-faring city. The Romans defeated Carthage, burned the city and poured salt over the land so that it would no longer be arable and the people would be forced to leave. Turkey 69,660,559 300,948 231 31% 99% Most of Turkey is in Asia, but the western tip of the nation is in Europe. sq. mi. per sq. mi. The European section of Turkey includes Istanbul, Europe’s second most populated city after Moscow. United Arab 2,563,212 32,280 79 1% 96% Seven small emirates, or Arab kingdoms, combined to form this Emirates sq. mi. per sq. mi. small nation in 1971. West Bank 2,385,615 2,200 1084 17% 75% The territory along the West Bank of the Jordan River has been sq. mi per sq. mi. controlled by Israel, but the Palestinian Arabs in the region have limited self-rule. Yemen 20,727,063 205,356 101 3% 97% Yemen is an isolated, mountainous nation. Its most famous sq. mi. per sq. mi. export is rich-tasting coffee called mocha. ©2003-2005, Mike Dowling, www.mrdowling.com. All rights reserved. Page 5 of 6
  • 6. The Nations of the Middle East and North Africa B=Bahrain I=Israel K=Kuwait L=Lebanon Q=Qatar UAE=United Arab Emirates ©2003-2005, Mike Dowling, www.mrdowling.com. All rights reserved. Page 6 of 6