Southwest Asia Mr. Sicilia 7 th Grade History Waverly Middle School

THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN Southwest Asia Section 1

Eastern Mediterranean: Physical Geography Physical Features ◦ The Bosporus ◦ Dead Sea ◦ Mountains, Deserts, & Plains Climate ◦ Dry/little vegetation Resources ◦ Valuable Minerals ◦ Water Availability

Eastern Mediterranean: Turkey Turkey’s History ◦ Invasion by Romans ◦ Rule by Ottomans ◦ 20 th Century Democracy People ◦ Mostly Ethnic Turks ◦ Cultural Mix of Modern and Traditional Turkey Today ◦ Democratic Nation ◦ European Union?

Eastern Mediterranean: Israel Israel’s History ◦ Ancient Hebrews ◦ Creation of the Nation of Israel ◦ Arab-Israeli War Israel Today ◦ Jewish Culture is Major Part of Daily Life The Palestinian Territories ◦ Areas Within Israel Controlled partly by Palestinian Arabs

Eastern Mediterranean: Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan Syria ◦ Once part of Ottoman Empire ◦ Arab Country Ruled by Powerful Family Lebanon ◦ Recovering From Civil War ◦ People Divided By Religion Jordan ◦ Few Resources ◦ Home to Bedouins ◦ Rely on Foreign Aid

THE ARABIAN PENINSULA, IRAQ, AND IRAN Southwest Asia Section 2

The Arabian Peninsula: Physical Geography Physical Features ◦ Deserts, Plains, and Mountains Climate ◦ Dry with Little Vegetation Oil ◦ World is Dependant ◦ Abundant in this Region

The Arabian Peninsula: Saudi Arabia and its Neighbors Islamic Culture ◦ Speak Arabic ◦ Origins of Islam ◦ Sunni Muslims Economy Based on Oil ◦ OPEC ◦ Unemployment ◦ Banking and Tourism Monarchies Persian Gulf War

Iran Iran’s History ◦ Great Empires (Persia) ◦ Islamic Republic Iran Today ◦ Persians, Speak Farsi ◦ Islamic Religious Leaders Restrict Most Iranian’s Rights