1. North Africa & Southwest Asia
5/13/2018

2. Map of North Africa

3. Map of Southwest Asia

4. Countries with Relative Importance

5. Leading countries according to GDP
Kuwait
United Arab Emirates
Qatar
Israel

6. Leading countries according to Land size
Algeria
Saudi Arabia
Libya

7. Leading countries according to Population
Iran
Turkey
Egypt

8. Physical Characteristics

9. Located at the crossroads of Europe, Africa, and Asia

10. Climate & Vegetation Primarily desert and semi-arid climates
Sahara – world’s largest desert, it stretches over most of North Africa and is growing

11. Sahara Desert

12. Sahel – semiarid region of north-central Africa south of the Sahara Desert
an area of temperate grassland (steppe) moving into sparse desert scrub-like vegetation

13. Steppes – semiarid grasslands (like the Sahel)

14. Mountains Atlas Mountains in northern Algeria and Morocco
Taurus Mountains in southern Turkey
Zagros Mountains in western Iran

15. Water Features
There are several important bodies of water which play a major role in world politics

16. Persian Gulf/Arabian Gulf
Strait of Hormuz
Arabian Sea
Red Sea
Mediterranean Sea
Black Sea

17. Bosporus Strait
Dardanelles Strait
Nile River (longest in the world)
Tigris and Euphrates (home to the world’s first civilization)
Jordan River

18. Other Physical Features
seasonal flooding – several of the rivers flood regularly which deposit rich alluvial soil for farming
alluvial soils – clay, silt ,or gravel carried by rushing streams or running water and deposited where the stream slows down

19. delta regions – alluvial deposit at the mouth of a river
oases (a place where fresh water makes it possible for life to exist in a dry area)

20. Oases

21. wadis – a valley, gully, or streambed that remains dry except during the rainy season

22. Economic Characteristics
The area has a heavy reliance on primary economic activities such as oil drilling, agriculture, and herding/grazing.

23. Many countries in the area belong to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Major producers of the world’s oil

24. Oil revenues (income)
Positive effects – jobs, money to improve infrastructures, position of power
Negative effects – reliance on one industry, pollution, unequal distribution of wealth, conflict

25. Case Study - Many “oil rich”countries The UAE (Dubai)
Extreme Wealth (due to oil) but also extreme poverty
Unequal distribution of wealth
The UAE (Dubai)
Extreme wealth due to oil

26. Water is the region’s most precious resource

27. great variation in standard of living in the region – ranges from the relatively high to the poverty stricken (gap between rich and poor)
a wide range of per capita income and differing levels of development

28. Regional conflicts and political unrest have affected trade and tourism.

29. Aswan High Dam
Positive effects – controls flooding, recreation areas, electric power, provides water for agriculture

30. Negative effects – land losing fertility from loss of flooding, need for artificial fertilizer, salt build up in soil, loss of homes and archeological sites when dam was built

31. Suez Canal enhanced shipping routes in the region

32. guest workers – foreigners who are permitted to work in a country on a temporary basis
Trade has been important to the region from the earliest time.

33. The area has contemporary trade routes (sea lanes).

34. Cultural Characteristics

35. Everyday we use something that comes from the Arabic culture
Everyday we use something that comes from the Arabic culture. What is it?

36. What do the following have in common. a. agriculture b. pharmacy c
What do the following have in common? a. agriculture b. pharmacy c. algebra d. wheel e. tambourine f. spinach

37. The cities in the area have experienced rapid urbanization.
Most modernization has centered around urban areas and more traditional life has continued in the rural areas.

38. A large percentage of the population is under the age of 15 due to conflict, disease, and the hardships associated with the region. (high death rate)

39. The population is generally unevenly distributed due to the physical environment and availability of resources (lack of water and arable land).

40. Turkey, Iran and Israel are the non-Arab countries.
All but three of the countries are Arab nations and they use the Arabic language.
Turkey, Iran and Israel are the non-Arab countries.
Israel – Speaks Hebrew
Turkey – Speaks Turkish
Iran – Speaks Farsi

41. North Africa and Southwest Asia is the birthplace to three major monotheistic religions:
Judaism
Christianity
Islam.

42. The region has been in conflict over the area known as PALESTINE – now known as Israel.

43. Many people in the region have a nomadic lifestyle – they wander from place to place for a food source or for other reasons.

44. The art of the region reflects the diversity of the religions.

45. Stained Glass in Churches
Christianity

46. Mosaics
Christianity

47. Geometric Tiles
Islam

48. Geometric Tiles on a Mosque

49. Calligraphy
Islam

50. Calligraphy

51. More Calligraphy

52. Prayer Rugs
Islam

53. Cities as centers of trade and culture
Baghdad, IRAQ
Cairo, EGYPT
Istanbul, TURKEY
Jerusalem, ISRAEL
Mecca, SAUDI ARABIA
Tehran, IRAN

54. Cultural Landscape

55. Mosques (Islam)

56. Minarets (Islam)

57. Churches (Christianity)

58. Synagogues (Judaism)

59. Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Jerusalem)
Commemorates where Jesus was crucified and buried

60. It preserves the location of Christ's tomb

61. Hagia Sophia

62. Also called the Church of the Holy Wisdom
Originally known as the Great Church, because of its large size in comparison with the other churches of the then Christian World
built in Constantinople (now Istanbul)

64. Western Wall (Wailing Wall) in Jerusalem
Located in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem
Thought to be the holiest place in Judaism
Jews come from around the world to pray

65. Many place a message (such as a list of prayers) in a crevice between the rocks

66. Praying at the Wall

67. Hasidic Jew praying

68. Dome of the Rock Most sacred Muslim site in Jerusalem
It is a mosque built over a rock where Muhammad was thought to have ascended into heaven on a white horse

69. Jews believe Abraham offered his son to God here

71. Kaaba Located in the holy city of Mecca
A cube-like black structure surrounded by a large courtyard
Muslims from all around the world gather here to worship God and honor Muhammad

72. The Black Stone set on the outside of one corner of the structure is solemnly kissed by all pilgrims who can gain access to it.

73. Muslim Hajj
Mecca grew as city because it was a pilgrim site for Muslims visiting the Kaaba.

74. PROJECT
Create a power point of 5 slides on one of THREE MONOTHEISTIC RELIGIONS!
You can choose: Judaism, Christianity or Islam
Create a colorful title page: include your name and the religion (pictures)
Page Two: Basic Beliefs, Holy book and Tenets of the religion (pictures)
Page Three: Holidays or important events of the religion (pictures)
Page Four: Religious buildings or architecture – what are they? (pictures)

75. Pyramids (Egypt)

76. Bazaars (suqs)

79. Oil Rigs

80. Walled Cities

81. Tiled Roofs along the Mediterranean

82. Tents in Southwest Asia
The Bedouin of the Arabian Desert use a black tent known as the beit al-sha'r, or 'house of hair'. These tents are woven from the hair of domesticated sheep and goats.

83. Other Cultural Characteristics

84. Kurdistan
The name of a geographic region and a cultural region in the Middle East inhabited mostly by the Kurds, who would like the region to become an independent nation-state.