1. Southwest Asia Unit Guide By Jullianne Pondanera

2. Section 1 Physical Geography What are the two most valuable resources in the region? The two most valuable resources are oil and water.

3. Wadi A riverbed that remains dry except during the rainy seasons

4. Tigris River One of the most important rivers of Southwest Asia; it supported several ancient river valley civilizations, and flows through Turkey, Syria, and Iraq

5. Euphrates River A river of Southwest Asia, which supported ancient civilizations and flows through parts of Turkey, Syria, and Iraq and empties into the Persian Gulf

6. Jordan River A river that serves as a natural boundary between Israel and Jordan, flowing from the mountains of Lebanon with no outlet to the Mediterranean Sea

7. Dead Sea A landlocked salt lake between Israel and Jordan that is so salty that almost nothing can live in it’s waters; it is 1,349 feet below sea level, making it the lowest place on the exposed crust of the Earth

8. Section 2 Human-environment Interaction What industry is most important in the region? Oil and water are the most important industry.

9. Drip Irrigation The practice of using small pipes that slowly drip water just above ground to conserve water to use for crops

10. Desalinization The removal of salt from ocean water

11. Crude Oil Petroleum that has not been processed

12. Section 3 Religions Israel is the birth place of what 3 religions?

13. Crusades A series of wars launched by European Christians in 1096 to capture the Holy Land (Palestine) from Muslims

14. Arab A member of a Semitic people originally from the Arabian peninsula and neighboring territories, inhabiting much of the Middle East and North Africa

15. Palestine A geographic region in Western Asia between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River

16. Mecca The holiest city of Islam, located in Saudi Arabia, where people make pilgrimages to fulfil Islamic religious duty

17. Christianity The religion based on the person and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, or beliefs and practices

18. Judaism The monotheistic religion of the Jews

19. Islam A monotheistic religion based on the teachings of the prophet Muhammad, and the biggest cultural an religious influence in North Africa

20. Jerusalem A holy city for Jews, Christians, and Muslims; the capital of the ancient kingdom of Judah and of the modern state of Israel

21. Hinduism The dominant religion of India

22. Buddhism A religion that originated in India about 500 B.C. and spread to China, where it grew into a major religion by A.D. 400

23. Taoism A philosophy based on the book Tao Te Ching and the teachings of Lao-Tzu, who lived in China in the sixth century B.C. and believed in preserving and restoring harmony in the individual, with nature, and in the universe, with little interference from the government

24. Shintoism The indigenous religion of Japan consisting chiefly in the cultic devotion to deities of natural forces and veneration of the Emperor as a descendant of the sun goddess

25. Atheist A person who disbelieves or lacks in the existence of God or gods

26. Section 4 Effects of Colonization/Palestine-Israel Conflict Important Countries Israel Egypt Syria Iraq Saudi Arabia

27. Palestine Is a geographic region in Western Asia between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River

28. Jerusalem A holy city for Jews, Christians, and Muslims; the capital of the ancient kingdom of Judah and of the modern state of Israel

29. Zionism A movement for (originally) the re-established and (now) the development and protection of a Jewish nation in what is now Israel. It was established as a political organization in 1897 under Theodor Herzl, and was later led by Chaim Weizmann