2. KNOWWANT to KNOWL

3. Geography & People

4.  Identify importance of the region.  Describe diversity of Middle Eastern peoples.  Locate key nations, waterways, and land forms in the Middle East

5.  What is the Middle East?  Arabian Peninsula, SW Asia, North Africa, Near East  Mostly desert  Coasts & river valleys support populations  Adapt to scarcity  Resources  Oil (60%)  Salt, copper, phosphate  Regions  Northern Tier, Arabian Peninsula, Fertile Crescent, Nile Valley, Maghreb

6.  Strategic Location  Vital Waterways  Valuable Oil Resources  Religious Sites

7.  Historical Diffusion  Traders, conquerors, nomads cross ME  Spread/share ideas  Today 18 - 38 countries, 350 – 384 million people  Ethnic Diversity  Religious Diversity

8. GroupHomelandLocationReligionLanguage Arabs (190m ppl) Arabian Peninsula20 Countries in ME & Europe 90% Muslim 10% Christian Arabic Iranians (50m) Persia (S.Russia – Iran) IranMuslimPersian- Farsi Turks (56m) Asia MinorTurkeyMuslimTurkish Israelis (5m) “Canaan” (Egypt – Iraq) Israel (1948)JudaismHebrew Palestinians (4.8m) “Palestine” (Egypt, S.Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Leb) Israel, W. Bank, Gaza Strip, (Refugee Camps) MuslimArabic Armenians (5m) TurkeyArmenia (Turkey & Russia) ChristianArmenian Kurds (20m) “Kurdistan” Turkey, Iran, Iraq,Syria, Russia MuslimKurdish

12. The history of the Middle East is polluted with conflict and turmoil. How does geography and location play a role in the recent troubles in the Middle East?  Think about religion, ethnic diversity, scarcity of resources, cultural diffusion, and “strategic location” Share your response with your elbow partner, person with a birthday closest to January 10 goes first.

13.  With your elbow partner:  Read The Geography of the Middle East  Continue taking notes on binder paper  Make sure you include information about  Levant (know what countries/area make up this region)  Arabian Peninsula  Mesopotamia  Fertile crescent  Significance of geography

14. You and your elbow partner will work to complete the activity Countries Special Territories Waterways Deserts Mountains Cities

18.  Why is the M/E and Southwest Asia an important region?  Strategic Importance  Economic Interests  Religious Diversity