Objective Examine the impact of location and geography on the people and culture of the Middle East

People and Climate/ Resources

Use page 555

Use Pages 555-556

Climate and Resources

Climate Water is scarce Desert (majority)– Semi-Arid – Mediterranean – Map Less than 10% of land enough water to farm People in well watered areas = Population scattered River valleys Fertile Crescent, Nile River Valley Coast Oasis: fertile area in desert Water is scarce Desalination Irrigation systems

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Resources Copper, salt, phosphate Oil Trade Abundant Most important Unevenly distributed = economic differences Trade Ancient until today Sea routes: Suez Canal connects Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.

People of the Middle East

Ethnic Groups Arabs Turks Iranians (Persian) Kurds Majority – Arabian Peninsula – and conquered, expanded and adopted Turks Iranians (Persian) Kurds ethnic minority – most Muslim Iraq, Turkey, Iran Nationalist Movement Later European Jews to Israel Dominant group in Israel

Language Turkish Arabic Armenian Greek Persian (Farsi) Kurdish Hebrew Latin Script Alphabet from the Romans Arabic Armenian Greek Persian (Farsi) Kurdish Hebrew Later English

Religions Islam Christianity Judaism Most Arabs, Turks, Iranians, Kurds sects Christianity Minorities in Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria Judaism Majority of Israel movements

Closure How has location and geography impacted Middle Eastern people and their culture? Over thousands of years, many groups invaded/migrated to the Middle East bringing their customs and culture.