Exam 2: Southwest Asia & North Africa Flashcards
What does it mean to say that the term “Middle East” is Eurocentric?
What is a culture hearth?
source area for a particular culture from which innovations and ideas spread
What’s sectarian violence?
violence between different
sects of a particular ideology or religion
What areas do the Maghreb and the Levant include, respectively?
- Maghreb region includes Mediterranean coastal
areas of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and
sometimes Egypt - Levant area includes countries bordering the
eastern Mediterranean; mountains are very close to
the sea
What is salinization?
buildup of toxic salts in soil
Does the entire region consist of deserts?
What was a major cause of deforestation in the region? What has this resulted in?
- mostly due to human activity
- resulted in serious erosion problems
What are some anticipated impacts of climate change in the region?
Why is the Fertile Crescent so important?
What is physiological density?
a measurement of population that shows the number of people per unit of arable land in a region
What’s nomadic pastoralism?
camels, sheep, and goats are moved seasonally to
take advantage of suitable conditions
What kinds of ag. are typically found at oases?
support tree and cereal crops
By what point had urbanization in Mesopotamia begun?
Urbanization in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) began by 3500 BCE
Why are rates of natural increase so high?
high fertility rates
How has the number of migrants changed over time? Why have so many foreign workers moved to the
Gulf?
grew from ~25 million to ~54 million!
-
What is the general structure of traditional Islamic cities?
a mosque in the center, surrounded by the market place and then the residential areas
Where and when did Islam originate?
Mecca, 610
What is the difference between Shiite and Sunni Muslims?
their contradicting beliefs on succession after the Prophet Muhammad died. Sunni leaders, called Caliphs, are elected through voting while Shiite leaders, or Imams, are direct descendants of Muhammad.
What is the majority religion in all countries in the region besides Israel?
Muslim
Why is Jerusalem significant for several religious groups?
- Jews pray at the old Western Wall
- Christians honor the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (burial site of Jesus)
- Muslims hold sacred rites in the eastern quarter
(where Muhammad reputedly ascended to heaven)
What was the Arab Spring? What was the major precipitating event? What were some underlying
sources of discontent? What role did social media play?
The Arab Spring was a series of pro-democracy
uprisings in countries such as Tunisia, Morocco, Syria, Libya, Egypt, & Bahrain
- Major precipitating event: self-immolation of a Tunisian street vendor
- Large youth populations were dissatisfied with
governments due to human rights violations,
corruption, economic decline, unemployment,
& various other structural factors
Did the Arab Spring ultimately change the region for better or for worse?
worse
What are some major elements of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
- In 1947 the UN General Assembly passed a resolution to partition Palestine into
“independent Arab & Jewish states” - Arabs immediately rejected this but in 1948 the modern state of Israel was founded
- Conflicts continue over who the land really belongs to as well as conditions for
Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank & the Israeli construction of a security barrier
What event has been creating instability in Syria for the past decade?
- In March 2011 pro-democracy protests were violently quashed by the
Syrian government - President Bashar al-Assad has bombed, gassed, and starved Syrians
When did the Islamic State gain global prominence? What are their goals? How have they used social
media?
-2014
- Members consider themselves the only true believers of Islam & want to establish themselves as a caliphate
- used social media & apps like Telegram to recruit fighters from Western countries
How does women’s role in society in many countries in this region differ from what we might be used to
in the West?
Women’s participation in the workforce is among the lowest in the world and
women tend to lead more private lives than men
