southwest asia unit guide by jullianne pondanera

Southwest Asia Unit Guide

By Jullianne Pondanera

Section 1 Physical Geography

• What are the two most valuable resources in the region?

• The two most valuable resources are oil and water.

Wadi

• A riverbed that remains dry except during the rainy seasons

Tigris River

• One of the most important rivers of Southwest Asia; it supported several ancient river valley civilizations, and flows through Turkey, Syria, and Iraq

Euphrates River

• A river of Southwest Asia, which supported ancient civilizations and flows through parts of Turkey, Syria, and Iraq and empties into the Persian Gulf

Jordan River

• A river that serves as a natural boundary between Israel and Jordan, flowing from the mountains of Lebanon with no outlet to the Mediterranean Sea

Dead Sea

• A landlocked salt lake between Israel and Jordan that is so salty that almost nothing can live in it’s waters; it is 1,349 feet below sea level, making it the lowest place on the exposed crust of the Earth

Section 2 Human-environment Interaction

• What industry is most important in the region?

• Oil and water are the most important industry.

Drip Irrigation

• The practice of using small pipes that slowly drip water just above ground to conserve water to use for crops

Desalinization

• The removal of salt from ocean water

Crude Oil

• Petroleum that has not been processed

Section 3 Religions

• Israel is the birth place of what 3 religions?

Crusades

• A series of wars launched by European Christians in 1096 to capture the Holy Land (Palestine) from Muslims

Arab

• A member of a Semitic people originally from the Arabian peninsula and neighboring territories, inhabiting much of the Middle East and North Africa

Palestine

• A geographic region in Western Asia between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River

Mecca

• The holiest city of Islam, located in Saudi Arabia, where people make pilgrimages to fulfil Islamic religious duty

Christianity

• The religion based on the person and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, or beliefs and practices

Judaism

• The monotheistic religion of the Jews

Islam

• A monotheistic religion based on the teachings of the prophet Muhammad, and the biggest cultural an religious influence in North Africa

Jerusalem

• A holy city for Jews, Christians, and Muslims; the capital of the ancient kingdom of Judah and of the modern state of Israel

Hinduism

• The dominant religion of India

Buddhism

• A religion that originated in India about 500 B.C. and spread to China, where it grew into a major religion by A.D. 400

Taoism

• A philosophy based on the book Tao Te Ching and the teachings of Lao-Tzu, who lived in China in the sixth century B.C. and believed in preserving and restoring harmony in the individual, with nature, and in the universe, with little interference from the government

Shintoism

• The indigenous religion of Japan consisting chiefly in the cultic devotion to deities of natural forces and veneration of the Emperor as a descendant of the sun goddess

Atheist

• A person who disbelieves or lacks in the existence of God or gods

Section 4 Effects of Colonization/Palestine-Israel Conflict

Important Countries• Israel • Egypt • Syria• Iraq

• Saudi Arabia

Palestine

• Is a geographic region in Western Asia between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River

Jerusalem

• A holy city for Jews, Christians, and Muslims; the capital of the ancient kingdom of Judah and of the modern state of Israel

Zionism

• A movement for (originally) the re-established and (now) the development and protection of a Jewish nation in what is now Israel. It was established as a political organization in 1897 under Theodor Herzl, and was later led by Chaim Weizmann