Turkey is located in both Eastern Europe and Western Asia, bordered by seas to the north, west and south. It has a temperate climate and the largest population in the Middle East. Istanbul is the largest city and Anatolia is the Asian section of Turkey. There is opposition to Turkey joining the EU due to its weaker economy, conflicts with Greece, human rights issues, and cultural differences from Europe. Cyprus is an island divided between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. The Levant region has a Mediterranean climate and was part of the Fertile Crescent. Israel, Lebanon, Syria and Palestine are in the Eastern Mediterranean with various geographical features and religious differences causing conflicts.

1. C U L T U R A L G E O G R A P H Y
CHAPTER 16
EASTERN
MEDITERRANEAN

2. TURKEY
•Climate – Temperate. It has hot
dry summers and mild wet winters.
Conditions are more harsh in the
interior regions and in areas of
greater elevation.

3. •Bordered on three sides by water:
• North – Black Sea
• West – Aegean Sea
• South - Mediterranean Sea
To the east is Georgia, Armenia and
Iran. Northwest borders Bulgaria and
part of Greece.

4. • Turkey has sought to become a
secular – non religious – state.
• Often called Asia Minor because of
its size and influence on history.
• Turkey has the largest population of
any country in the Middle East and
the second largest in Europe.

5. •Turkey is a chokepoint at the
crossroads of Asia, Europe and the
Middle East.
•The two straits that separate the
Asian and European portions of
Turkey are the Bosporus and the
Dardanelles.

6. •The Kurds are an ethnic minority
that populate the southeastern
border of Turkey.

7. •Istanbul is the largest city of the
Middle East.
•The mainland (Asian) section of
Turkey is called Anatolia.
•The Pontic Mountains stretch
across the northern part of Turkey
from the Dardanelles eastward.

8. • The southern coast of Turkey is so
scenic that it has earned the name
the “Turquoise Coast.”
• Mount Ararat is mentioned in the
Bible.
• Religious differences are the primary
cause of trouble in the Eastern
Mediterranean.

9. •The Father of Modern Turkey – is
Kemal Ataturk.
• Reforms include:
• Non Arabic alphabet
• Western Laws
• Right of women to vote
• Ban on polygamy
• Ban on veils and turbans
• Western Solar calendar

10. •Thrace
• Small part of Turkey on the Balkan
Peninsula.

11. WHY IS THERE OPPOSITION TO TURKEY
JOINING THE EUROPEAN UNION?
•Turkey’s economy is relatively
weak in contrast to the economies
of most EU members.
•Historically in conflict with Greece
•History of human rights abuses
•It is Muslim and shares more in
common with Asia or the Middle
East than Europe.

12. CYPRUS
•Cypress is the third largest island in
the Mediterranean Sea. (Behind
Sicily and Sardinia)
•Most inhabitants of Cyprus are
Greek Cypriots (Greek Orthodox,
the rest are Turkish Cypriots who
are Muslim…the rest are a mixture
of Christians and Jews.

13. •Mandates are areas of control in
the Middle East that the League of
Nations gave to France and Great
Britain following World War I.
•French mandate – Syria
•British mandate - Palestine

14. •Levant – lowlands and mountain
ranges have a mediterranean
climate. The Levant and the river
valleys of Mesopotamia form a
crescent shaped area called the
Fertile Crescent. .

15. SYRIA
•The government of Syrian ruler
Bashar al-Assad strictly controls
both the economy and personal
liberties.
•Capital and largest city is
Damascus. It claims to be the
oldest continuously inhabited city
in the world.

16. •The Golan Heights are a highland
area that has been a point of
frequent dispute between the
border states of Israel and Syria.

17. LEBANON
• Tyre – major city in Lebanon built on
an island.
• Modern capital of Lebanon is Beirut.
• Most modern Christians in Lebanon
are Maronites. Just under 40% of the
Lebanese are some type of Christian.

18. •Lebanon has two mountain
ranges running north and south
with the Bekaa Valley between.

19. ISRAEL
•Shephelah is an area of low hills in
Israel between the Plain of Philistia
and the Lebanese Mountains.
•Negev is a desert, but irrigation
helps it produce abundant crops
of fruits and vegetables.

20. •The Valley of Jezreel is mentioned
in the Bible. The valley of Megiddo
and Jezreel are to be the site of
the last great battle. The Battle of
Armageddon.
•The Jordan River empties into the
Dead Sea.

21. •Tel Aviv is the largest port and
second largest city.
•The Mount of Olives is the main
mountain, rising above Jerusalem,
in the mountains of Judah, west of
the Jordan river.

22. •The flat topped, steep sided
mountain fortress on which the
Jewish Zealots held out against
the Romans before eventually
committing suicide is Masada.

23. PALESTINE
•The long time leader of the
Palestine Liberation Organization
was Yasir Arafat.
•Hamas is the terrorist group most
closely associated with Palestine.

24. •The narrow, arid area of southern
Israel bordering the
Mediterranean Sea that Israel
captured during the Six Day War
but later turned over to the
Palestinians is called the Gaza
Strip.

25. •Because most of the events
recorded in the Scripture took
place in the region often called
Palestine, both Jews and
Christians called the area The Holy
Land.

26. RELIGION
•Judaism – Religion of the Jews.
•Zionism – name of the nineteenth-
century Jewish movement
dedicated to returning Jews to
their God-given land.

27. CAPITALS
•Cyprus – Nicosia
•Israel – Jerusalem
•Jordan – Amman
•Lebanon – Beirut
•Syria – Damascus
•Turkey - Ankara