1. The Middle East
Chapter 25

2. Where is the Middle East?
The region was named by Europeans comparing where they lived to Asia, the far east.
Middle Eastern culture is in Northern Africa and Southwestern Asia

5. The Crossroads of the World
The region connects Africa, Asia, Europe
It became a trade crossroads over land and water
Goods would travel across Asia through the Middle East
Across the Mediterranean to Europe
Down the Red Sea to East Africa

6. Diffusion

7. What is more diverse, the United States or the Middle East?
Pre-class
What is more diverse, the United States or the Middle East?
Why?

8. People

9. Strategic Position: Even Today
Military and Economic Positions
Commands major sea routes
Suez Canal: Mediterranean to the Red Sea to Indian Ocean
Bosporus and the Dardanelles
Strait of Hormuz: mouth of the Persian Gulf
Oil

10. Outsourced
Stereotypes
American
Indian
Cultural Differences

12. The population
Ethnic Groups – Arabs, Persians, Kurds, Pakistanis, Afghans, Jews, Turks
Total in Middle East – 197,090,443
Languages – Arabic and Persian are most common

13. Religion
Islam
Judaism
Christianity

14. Goods/Trade/Inventions
Our Alphabet
Iron Making
Sails

15. Pre-Class What ethnic groups live in the Middle East?
What are the predominant language groups in the ME?
Name three monotheistic religions that began in the Middle East

16. Major Regions

17. The Northern Tier Across Turkey and Iran
Anatolian Plateau: ringed by mountains, fertile region, supports farming, large population
Iranian Plateau: ringed by mountains, dry region, no farming, small population

21. Arabian Peninsula Home of Islam
About 1/3 the size of the United States
Borders major bodies of water
Small population b/c most of it is a desert
Major role in world economy
OIL
Home of Islam

23. Fertile Crescent Arc-shaped region Mediterranean Tigris & Euphrates
Persian Gulf

24. Fertile Crescent Home to first civilizations: Mesopotamia
Few natural barriers led to being conquered often throughout history
Region floods unpredictably in spring or summer
Too much=disaster; too little=drought

25. Geographic Advantages
Nile Valley
Geographic Advantages
Ample natural barriers
Deserts in the east and west
Predictable & dependable flooding

27. The Maghreb Maghreb means ‘Western Isle’ in Arabic Northern Africa
People concentrated near Mediterranean Coast
Small population in Sahara and Atlas Mtns

28. Climate & Resources High Population Density in well-watered areas
<10% of the land is farmable
Resourceful irrigators since early civilizations
Salt, phosphate, & copper = major resources
Uneven oil distribution creates economic disparity

29. Early Civilizations

30. Early Civs Chart Civilization Location Accomplishments Sumerian
Mesopotamia; Fertile Crescent
Babylonians
Hittites
Fertile Crescent
Phoenician
Mediterranean Coast
Persian
Iran; across Fertile Crescent

31. Troupe’s & Ean’s Word of the Day
Xerox – French – unoriginal or robotic individual
Coinage – the usage of coins
Mencolek – Indonesian – touching someone lightly with one finger in order to tease them

32. Development of Religion in the Middle East
First religions – Polytheistic – animism (all parts of nature)
Judaism – monotheism – 5717 years old
10 commandments – Torah
prophets
Christianity – monotheism – 2010 years old
Based on Jesus – Bible

33. Judaism
How did Judaism differ from other early religions?
Who is the father of Judaism?
What are the best known Jewish laws?
What was promised to the Jews?
What is the remaining wall of the temple called? Why is it important?
What is a Diaspora?
Define prophet
What do Jews believe about the Messiah?
Christianity
Out of what religion did Christianity grow
How do Christian beliefs about Jesus differ from other religions?
How is the bible divided? What are the parts called?
Why are the resurrection and ascension important to Christians?
Why were Christians persecuted?
Why did Christianity appeal to people? Why did it spread?
What is the eastern Orthodox Christian Church?

34. Identifications
Oasis
Peninsula
Strait
Ziggurat
Cuneiform
Parable
Martyr
Pope
Ten Commandments
Gospels

35. Identifications Western Wall Carriers of Civilization Hittites
Byzantine Church
“First Civilization”
Torah
Abraham
Monotheism
Diaspora
Crossroads of the World