Chapter 17 Lesson 4 Geography Lebanon, Syria, & Jordan

Bashar al-Assad

Hafiz's son that became president after his dad's death; he was elected president in 2000; main goal is to improve Syria's economy

Hafiz al-Assad

the Syrian dictator; as a president he increased the size of Syria's military; he wanted to match Israel's military strength & protect his rule from his political enemies within Syria

Amman

the capital of Jordan; the largest city

Maronites

the largest of the Christian groups in the country; always a president

90%

the percent of Arab people in Syria

10%

the percent of Kurds & Americans in Syria

Syrian troops

these people stayed in Lebanon until they were pressured to leave in 2005

British

they controlled Jordan & named an Arab prince as the monarch of the new country

farmers

they grow fruits & vegetable & raise sheep & goats

Muslims

this religion is divided into Sunni, Shia, & Druze groups

1990

warfare lasted till this time; after this time Syria continued to maintain a strong influence to Lebanon

Christian

10% are this religion

Druze & Alawites

16% are this; members of small religious groups related to Islam

Sunni Muslim

75% of Syrians are this religion

Bedouins

Arabic- speaking nomads who mostly live in the deserts of Southwest Asia

economic aid

Jordan depends on this from oil-rich Arab nations & the US

phosphates , cement, & potash

Jordan produces these resources

Arab

Lebanon's people are overwhelming this but are divided by religion

1970

a civil war broke out; Muslims, Palestinian refugees, fought against Christians

Lebanon

a small mountainous country on the Mediterranean coast; it is home to several different groups of people; during the Ottoman period many religious & ethnic groups settled here; after WWI France controlled this place; independence in 1940s; France influenced the country's culture; Syria strong influence; Syrian's stayed here until they were pressured to leave

Syria, Lebanon, & Jordan

all of these countries have Arab as the majority of their population; they have been in conflicts w/ Israel; they also share a similar history, religion, & culture

Syria

became part of the Ottoman empire in 1500s; after WWI France controlled this country; became independent in 1940s ; 1971-2000, was led by a dictator; socialist government; own the countries oil refineries, large electronic plants, railroads, & some factories; manufacturing goods- textiles, food products, & chemicals

Beirut

capital of Lebanon; it was badly damaged by the religious civil war

Damascus

capital of Syria; it is believed to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world; leading regional trading center

2006

cross border attacks by Lebanese guerrillas against Israel led to fighting between the 2 countries during this time

Jewish communities

has some of these in some cities in Syria

King Hussein

he led from 1952-1999 in Jordan; enacted some democratic reforms in the 1990s

Jordan

history has been full of conflict; few resources; powerful neighbors; created after WWI; became independent in the 1940s; population is small; people lived a nomadic or semi-nomadic life; hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arab refugees fled to Israel & came here

Arabic & French

many Lebanese speak this language

Muslim & Christian

most Lebanese are these religions; they shared power in Lebanon

iron ore, basalt, & phosphates

rich mineral resources