Cultural Geography of the Middle East!

Land of Many Peoples Region has remarkable ethnic diversity!  Different peoples based on language, customs, beliefs Groups of People  Arabs Majority of the people in the region are Arabs About 275 million in 16 countries Most Arabs are Muslim; followers of the Islamic faith

Groups of People  Israelis About 6.4 million living in Israel Culturally trace their heritage to ancient Israelites and Jewish faith Jewish people, had left Israel generations ago due to wars, persecution, and trade After the Holocaust of WWII millions of Jews wanted their ancestral homeland to be set aside as a haven Unfortunately, Arabs called Palestinians had moved into the area and had lived there for generations Israelis and Palestinians have had a difficult time coexisting peacefully

Groups of People  Turks Inhabit Turkey on Anatolian peninsula Blended culture of Turkish, Islamic, and Western customs

Groups of People  Iranians About 66.6 million living in Iran Speak Farsi language Mainly Shiite Muslims  Afghans Mixture of many ethnicities Mainly Islamic peoples

Groups of People  Caucasians More than 50 different ethnic subgroups Largest two are Armenians and Georgians Armenians Live mainly in Armenia Armenian Orthodox Christians Speak Armenian Suffered genocide at the hands of Turkey in 1915  Over 1 million murdered

Groups of People  Caucasians More than 50 different ethnic subgroups Largest two are Armenians and Georgians Georgians Live mainly in Georgia Georgian Orthodox Christians Speak Georgian

Groups of People  Turkic Peoples Turks who live outside of Turkey Three largest groups are Uzbeks, Kazakhs, and Tajiks Muslim peoples Occupy Central Asian republics of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan

Groups of People  Kurds People without a country Spread throughout Iraq, Turkey, Syria, and Iran Historically oppressed

Population and Resources  People cluster near water! Tigris, Euphrates, and Nile Valleys Oases in deserts Sea of Galilee Argued over by Israel and Syria  Population Growth Population is rapidly growing in the region Many people are forced to migrate looking for work

Population and Resources  Urbanization Region’s cities are growing rapidly Cairo, Egypt Istanbul, Turkey, Baghdad, Iraq Tehran, Iran Infrastructure is poor Basic urban necessities like streets, utilities, sanitation Poverty is widespread