MT4: Middle East Flashcards
What 3 continents is the Middle East a made of?
Africa, Europe, Asia
Describe the Persian Gulf.
An arm of water almost surrounded by land
600 miles long and 125 miles wide.
Describe the Caspian Sea.
the largest inland body of water
home to salt and freshwater fish.
What are the two large peninsulas of the Middle East?
Arabian and Anatolia.
Describe the Tigris-Euphrates Valley.
Most fertile river valley of the ancient world.
Describe the Dead Sea.
Inland sea between Israel and Jordan.
Lowest and saltiest place on Earth: nothing can live in the salty waters.
How high does the Hindu Kush rise?
over 25,000 feet above sea level.
North Africa has the longest river, the ____ _____, and the largest desert, the ______ ______.
Nile River
Sahara Desert.
What climate type is very dry with little to no rainfall a year? Sometimes goes years without rain.
Arid
What climate type has some rain every now and then but mostly is very dry?
Semi-Arid
What climate type has warm and dry summers and mild rainy winters?
Mediterranean
Why do temperatures in the desert vary so greatly in one day?
There is little moisture in the air.
What is desert scrub?
mostly small trees and shrubs that can survive without rain for a while.
How do plants adapt to the arid conditions of the desert?
They rarely grow close together
The roots grow really far into the ground to find groundwater.
They store water in their leaves, stems, or roots.
They can reduce the amount of water lost by having small leaves that can shed during very dry periods.
Where are temperate grasslands found?
Central Anatolia Plateau.
Where are mixed forests found?
Hills and river valleys.
Where are chaparral found?
Mediterranean coastline.
Where is desert scrub found?
Deserts in southern Isreal and much of the Arabian Penisula.
Holy Book, Leader/Founder, Name of the people in the religion Judaism.
Torah, Abraham, Jews.
Holy Book, Leader/Founder, Name of the people in the religion Christianity.
Christian Bible, Jesus, Christians.
Holy Book, Leader/Founder, Name of the people in the religion Islam.
Qur’an, Muhammad, Muslims.
Describe the Ottoman Empire.
Islam is the main religion.
Other religions are welcome
Collapsed in 1922.
What is the cause of deep conflicts in the Middle East?
Religious differences.
define rural
found in or living in areas not close to major cities.
The Middle East has one of the ______-_______ and ________ population
fastest-growing and youngest.
What is the dominant religion of the Middle East?
Muslim
Name two resources that shape the middle east economic activity and why.
Petroleum/oil: lots of it
Water: so little of it
Define nomadic herding
people move with their animals to find them food and water, then they use them to sell, use or eat.
What animals are herded in the Middle East?
Camels, sheep, and goats
What is oil used for?
Oil fuels cars, trucks, planes; great demand=$$$$
What is coal used for?
heats homes and generates electricity.
What is the capital of Algeria?
Algiers
What is the capital of Afghanistan?
Kabul
What is the capital of Cyprus?
Nicosia
What is the capital of Egypt?
Cairo
What is the capital of Iran?
Tehran
What is the capital of Iraq?
Baghdad
What is the capital of Isreal?
Jerusalem
What is the capital of Jordan?
Amman
What is the capital of Lebanon?
Beirut
What is the capital of Libya?
Tripoli
What is the capital of Morocco?
Rabat
What is the capital of Oman?
Muscat
What is the capital of Pakistan?
Islamabad
What is the capital of Saudi Arabia?
Riyadh
What is the capital of Syria?
Damascus
What is the capital of Tusnia?
Tunis
What is the capital of Turkey?
Ankara
What is the capital of the United Arab Emirates?
Abu Dhabi
What is the capital of Yemen?
Sanaa
What ancient civilization did the Nile River give rise to?
Ancient Egypt
Egypt was nicknamed what?
The gift of the Nile
What are the two main branches of the Nile river?
White and Blue Nile
What do people rely on the Nile River for?
Almost everything
What is the source of the White Nile?
Lake Victoria
What is the source of the Blue Nile?
Lake Tana
What city do the Blue and White Nile meet at?
Khartoum, Sudan
What percent of Egyptians live along the Nile River?
95%
Where is the richest farming land in Africa?
The Nile River delta.
Define river basin
the area drained by a river or its tributaries
Define perennial irrigation
A system that allows for the year-round watering of crops.
Define hydro-electronic power
the electricity that is generated from the power of moving water
Define headwater
a stream or streams that make up the beginnins of a river
Define confluence
the flowing together of 2 or more streams
Define cataract
a series of rapids and low waterfalls on a river
Define reservoir
an artificial lake where water from a dam is stored.
Define delta.
the triangle shaped deposit of sand and sediment that occurs where a river flows into an ocean.
Define desert
a geographic region with too little rainfall to support much plant life: also a vegetation zone.
Define arid
dry or laking rainfall; climate or climate zone- hot all year round with very little rain
Define oasis
an isolated spot in the desert where water is found
Define drought
an unusually long period of time in which little to no rain falls
Define marginal land
land that is not well suited for crops
Define pastoral nomads
groups of herders who move with their animals from place to place in search of pasture and water
Define desertification
The process by which land becomes drier until it turns to desert; may be caused by climate change or human activity or both
How big is the Sahara Desert?
About the size of the United States.
Define oil reserves
oil that has been discovered but remains unused in the ground
How much of the world’s proven reserves are in Southwest Asia?
1/2
What are the uses of oil?
Modern forms of transportation and electricity.
Define nonrenewable resources and give an example.
A resource that takes so long to form that it can’t be replaced. Oil
Define renewable resource and give an example.
A resource that can be replaced as quickly as it is used. Wood and sunlight.
Explain how oil is formed.
- remains of plants and animals fall to the ocean floor.
- sand covers the remains and pressure made the remains turn to oil
- cap rock forms over and seals the oil in
What is a cap rock?
impenetrable rock that keeps the oil safe from water and other things.
Why do scientist think that there are more reserves in Southwest Asia than anywhere else?
The area used to be covered in water; the movement of earths crusts.
What is the difference between gross domestic product (GDP) and GDP per capita?
GDP: measure of all goods and services produced by a country in a year
GDP per capita: Measures the average income of all the people in the country.
What was the reason for the Persian Gulf war of 1991?
Iraq invades Kuwait in order to take over their oil reserves.
What are the 5 pillars of Islam? Briefly explain them.
Faith: belief in the oneness of an all-powerful god
Prayer: Offered 5 times a day, sunrise, sunset, noon, afternoon, evening.
Alms Giving: giving to the poor or to charity
Fasting: no eating or drinking from sunrise to set during the month of Ramadan.
Hajj/pilgramage: Annual pilgramage to Mecca.
