Middle East Country test Flashcards
Saudi Arabia has no permanent _______.
Surface water
What is desalination?
Taking salt out of water.
All SA gov’t positions are held by ______.
members of the royal family.
Current king of Saudi Arabia.
King Abdullah
What is SA’s constitution?
Qur’an
Who is the world’s leading oil exporter?
SA
How much of the world’s oil is in SA?
24%
What is OPEC?
Organization of petroleum exporting countries. They control the supply of oil.
Oil $ belongs to who?
Royal family, and is used for civil projects. (Roads, airports.)
Name the strict Islamic laws in SA.
No pork, alcohol, dancing, public movie theaters. Modest clothing, women must cover body, women can’t drive cars or ride bikes. Men and women only speak in public if they are close relatives.
Name the 3 major cities in SA and their purpose.
Mecca: Holy city and pilgrimage site.
Medina: Second holy city
Riyadh: Capital
Where is the good Iraqi farmland?
Tigris and Euphrates river valley
Describe the climate in Iraq
Mild in the North, hot in the South
Capital of Iraq and pop. of both cap. and country.
Baghdad- 6 million
Iraq: 26 million
What % Muslim is Iraq? Which group of Muslims is dominant?
95%, slight Shi’ite majority
What % of the pop. is the Kurds? Where do they live?
19%, in the North
Iraq is the biggest in what out of all the Middle Eastern countries?
Farming
When was ancient Mesopotamia?
4000 BC
After the Monarchy in Iraq, what was the government?
One party dictatorships.
When did Saddam Hussein take power?
1979 with he support of the Bath party.
Saddam attacked ______.
Kurds, Iran, and later Kuwait in 1990.
Reasons for Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait.
- Persian Gulf Access
- Could control 20% of the world’s oil.
- Owed Kuwait Billions from wars w/ Iran
- Kuwait had a lot of money in banks.
- Many Arabs hated Kuwait for being so rich.
Reasons why US should get involved with Iraqi invasion of Kuwait
- Loyalty to allies
- Stop further conquests.
- Could build new alliances
- We needed oil to keep running
- A strong Iraq poses a threat to SA and Israel
- Had to protect US citizens in the region
Reasons why US should not have become involved
- Risk lives
- The leaders we were helping were not elected democratically.
- Possible long term involvement
- Endanger citizens who could be terrorized
- Expensive
When was desert storm?
1991
2 main purposes of desert storm?
Protect SA and force Iraq out of Kuwait
Who contributed to the cost of Desert Storm?
SA and Japan and US
After the brief 1991 war, what was the resolution?
Iraq disarmed and submitted to weapons inspections.
Cause of 2003 Iraq war
Saddam interfered with UN weapons inspections
During 2003 war, the US was not supported by the ____
UN
2003 invasion did what?
Quickly captured Iraq and forced Saddam out of power
More soldiers have died during the _____ than during the ____.
Occupation than during the war
US began to give power back to Iraq in ____.
2004, but people didn’t cooperate very well.
Reasons for 2003 US invasion of Iraq?
- Find and destroy WMD ( None found)
- Prevent spread of terrorism (We thought Al Queda was there)
- Remove an evil dictator (Accomplished)
- Bring democracy to the region (Not quite)
- Protect Israel (Somewhat accomplished)
How many US deaths was the 2003 War? Injuries?
4374 deaths, 30.000 injuries
How much $ did the 2003 war cost?
$700B, set to exceed $1T. $200B for medical costs for soldiers
Amount of Iraqi deaths?
Around 200,000
Egypt is 90%________________
Unfarmable
The Nile river is ________________ along it’s banks
Fertile
Egypt became a civilization ____ years ago
5,000
Egypt won independence from Britian in ____
1922
Nile river provides…
Electricity and Irrigation
What is the main export of Egypt?
Cotton
Can’t grow enough ____
Food
The Suez Canal ____
Provides income
What % of Egyptians are not educated?
40%
Hosni Mubarak was overthrown in ____
Feb 2011 part of Arab Spring
Egypt is currently run by ____
The Military
The capital of Egypt is
Cairo
Population of Cairo is ____
6 million, 19 million in metro area
What was Iran called?
Persia
When did the name change from Persia to Iran?
1935
Who put the Shah of Iran in power?
USA’s CIA
Who removed the Shah from power?
Islamic Revolution, 1979
When did Iraq attack Iran?
1980 for Persian Gulf Access
Iran is run by ____
Religious leader, Ayatollah
Iran population
68 million, largest in middle east
Whats Iran capital?
Tehran - 6 million
Iran is what percent muslim? what’s the majority?
90% shi’ite muslim
Iran produces ____
Oil, rugs, crops - farming and grazing
What are the main parts of Israel?
Golan heights, gaza strip, west bank of Jordan River.
Until when was Israel known as Palestine and part of Ottoman Empire?
WWI
Became a Jewish homeland in ____
1948 with UN support
How much does the US give in aid to Israel each year?
$3 Billion
When was Iraq’s attack on Israel? What changes have been made since then?
1991 w/ scud missiles. Homes now can’t be penetrated by chem. or bio. weapons
Capital of Israel?
Jerusalem (religious city for 3 faiths)
