Geography: Middle East

Destification

environmental problem, expansion of dessert like conditions because of overuse.

Migration Magnet

oil rich countries around the Persian golf, can import low wage workers.

Other Basic Beliefs

taboo on pork and alcohol, mosque= place of worship on Fridays, Jihad= internal/ external struggle--> internal perfection and external refusal. Sharia= Islamic law, personal, social, and economic life. Fatwa= legal ruling, religious opinion issued by an Islamic scholar/ cleric.

Population Distribution/ Growth

uneven (highly clustered), close relationship between population density and water resources, Nile River Valley and Delta= most densely populated. Iran, Egypt, and Turkey are largest countries.

Major Geographic Qualities

dry climate, arabic language, Islamic religion, surplus of oil, political instability, fast growing population, regional contrast in economic development.

Deforestation

environmental problem, historical event, none exists now.

Salinzation

environmental problem, outcome of irrigation, need water but climate is too dry, creates useless soil..

Jewish- Arab Conflict (Shatterbelt)

ethnic and religious confrontation, conflicting historical- territorial claims, Isreal's right to exists (new-ish country), Isreal's control of occupied territories, right's to Palistinian's in occupied territories, Jeruselam question, Jordan river question.

Climate

high temperature in summer, low humidity throughout the year, great daily temperature changes because the clear sky doesn't trap the heat, small and irregular precipitation, periodic sand storms, Sahara (largest) and Empty Quarter (Rub' al Khali) desserts.

Choke Points

internationally significant waterways, economic and strategic, used by most countries, transfer of oil, US needs access to oil, Suez canal, Straits of Hormuz, Bosphorus, and Bab- el- Mandab.

Oasis

isolated areas with available water and vegetation is found, water is underground- aquifers or surface streams, critical for transportation and trade routes.

Islamic Calender

lunar system, 354/355 days, months aren't tied to seasons. Starting date= 11 days prior. 622= 0 AD when Mohammad's flight from Mecca to Medina was. Official in Saudi Arabia (1434).

Landforms

mountains and plateaus, river plains. Atlas Mountains= in North Africa, seismically active. Zargos Mountains= in Iran, seismically active. Antolian Plateau= in Turkey. Nile and Delta River= fertile and densely populated. Tigris- Euphrate River Plain.

Pastoral Nomadism

movement of livestock from place to place in search of pastures for food, horizontal, vertical, and semi- nomadic, importance of date palms/ camels.

Divisions: Shia

only someone of Mohammad's family can be leaders, 15% of all Muslims, majority in Iran, Iraq, Baharian, and Azerbajian.

Status of Women

polygamy (no more than 4 wives), dress specific (cannot show hair to potential marriage partner), arranged marriages, not much inheritance.

Future Problems and Prospects

population pressure, 2nd fastest growth, extremes of wealth, oil prices are high demand and is increasing, authoritarian rule, some progress (Arabic Spring), Islamic fundamentalism, no signs of disappearing, Jewish- Arab conflict, long way to go, shortage of water, declining amounts.

Economic Development

regional contrast in development, oil rich= Persian Gulf, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Barhian, and Oman. rich and small populations, poorer countries have higher populations= Iran, Iraq, Algeria, Libya. Small pop with no oil= Morocco, Lebanon, Syria, Tunsia, and Cyprus. Poor with little or no oil= Egypt, Yemem, Jordan, and Palestine.

High Fertility and Mortality

resistance to family planning, religious and political reasons, Islam is the dominant religion, political instability, Western orgin.

Agriculture

small proportion of farmland (coastal areas, river valleys), importance of irrigation, major crops= wheat, dates, cotton, grapes, and citrus fruit, livestock= sheep, cattle, no pigs, most of countries imports of various agriculture commodities.

Kibbutz

collective community based on agriculture, originally Utopian concepts, based on Zionist movement and socialist ideas, 270 (2010): 40% of agriculture production and 9% of industrial production.

Water Disputes

Tirgrus- E.--> Turkey, Syria, and India use this water. Jordan River--> Isreal, Syria, and Jordan. Nile River--> Egypt and Sudan. West Bank--> underground water access. decreasing water supplies, but increasing population. Population goes where water is.

World Importance

cradle of civilization, agriculture revolution in fertile crescent, urban revolution (3000 bc). Origin of 3 monotheistic religions= Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, large deposits of oil (65%), political instability (shatterbelt), geographic location= middle of trade routes, choke points (international waterways)

Camels

adaptive to dry climate, transportation (caravans), military, source of food like milk and meat, declining way of life.

Divisions: Sunni

anyone of good character with leadership skills can be leaders, 85% of all Muslims, majority among Muslims in most countries.

Petroleum Economy

67% of the world's reserve discovered after WWII, 2 areas= Persian Gulf and North Africa, PG= coastal areas, production cost is low, easily accessible. NA= interior location, high production costs, connected by seaports with pipelines; gave region more political power. Gulf States= very rich, small pop but high income, dependence on foreign labor, investment in manufacturing.

Relation to Judaism and Christianity

Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Mohammad= true prophets, old/ new testaments are basically accurate but incomplete.

Linguistic Diversity:Semitic

Arabic (280 million) over half of population, language of Islam (political status), Hebrew recieved after formation of Isreal in 1948 (4 million people, mostly Jews).

Modern Cities

Cario (Egypt)- 11 million people, Instanbul (Turkey)- 11 million people, and Teheran (Iran) are the largest modern cities. Jerusalem, Algers, and Dubai have ethnic diversion in cities.

5 Pillars of Islam

basic beliefs; confession of faith, public Allah/ Mohammad, frequent prayer 5 times a day, Almsgiving= 2.5% of income goes to charitable causes, fasting= one month no food or water for a majority of the day, pilgrimage to Mecca (at least once in a lifetime).

Isreal: A Different Country

best developed in the region, GDP by sector; agriculture, industry, services; like any Western region, productive industry and agriculture, self- sufficient in food (expect grains and meat), importer of fossil fuels, raw materials, and military hardware. Exporters of fruits and veggies, pharmaceuticals, computer software, military technology, and diamonds, tourism (religious sites).

Middle Eastern Cities

Islamic cities were built by religious influence (morphology), main mosque which is usually the tallest building, marketplaces (suq) for trade, citadel= seat of power, residential quarters have ethnic division, streets are narrow and irregular with walls used as defense (like Europe).

Major Differences in Religion

Judaism- concept of a chosen nation. Christianity- divinity of Jesus, strict monotheist.

Religion Common Roots

Judaism= 1st, Moses founder, 15th cent. BC, Sinai Peninsula, Isreal. Christianity= 2nd, Jesus founder, 1st cent. BC. Islam= 3rd, Mohammad founder, Mecca and Medina Saudi Arabia, 7th cent. BC. Adam and Ever, Abraham and Sarah (parents) were all common in these religions.

Holy Places

Mecca= birthplace of Mohammad, Kabba. Medina= Mohammad's tomb, first mosque. Jerusalem= Mohammad's journey to heaven, place of Last Judgement.

Exteriors in Cities

cemeteries, weekly market places, private gardens, and fields.

Water Resources: Major Rivers

Nile (in Africa), Tigris- Euphrates (Iraq), and Jordan. Quanats= underground water tunnels. Dead Sea= high salt water content so nothing can live and you can float.

Urban Revolution

Surplus food (division of labor), Large population, Social stratification (ruling class), Monumental public architecture, System of writing Development of science (arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, calendar),Long-distance trade,The state (government)

Orgins of Islam

dominant in Middle East, 5 pillars, divisions, Islamic calender, and holy places.

Linguistic Diversity: Altacic

Turkish- (63 million) Latin script, same alphabet as US. Indo- European: Persian (43 million) and Kurdish (20 million) these people do not speak Arabic.

3 Major Jewish- Arab Wars

War of independence= 1948-48, Isreal- Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon, Isreal won rights to new territories. Six Day War= 1967, Isreal- Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Isreal won new territories. Yom- Kippur War= 1973, Isreal- Egypt and Syria, Isreal not recognized by most Arabs.

Jewish- Arab Conflict: History

Zionism: 1890s, call for a Jewish state in Palestine, Jewish migration to Palestine in 20th cent. Partition of Palestine: 1947, United Nations took control, Isreal's independence in 1948.

Date Palm

adaptive to dry climate, domesticated in Middle East, important source of food.