GEOGRAPHICAL

DESCRIPTIONS

Fifth year Tourism and Leisure Program

SAHARA

SAHARA• Largest hot desert, third largest after Antarctica and the Arctic• Surface of 9 400 000 km2 • Ahaggar, Tiberst, Air Mountains, Libyan and Tenere Desert• Much of North Africa excluding Mediterranean regions, Nile Valley and the Atlas

Mountain Range• South of Sahara – semi-arid tropical savanna called Sahel , west of Sahara –

Atlantic Ocean• „desert“ • Sand dunes – 180 m high • Emi Koussi – 3415 m

CAIRO

CAIRO

• Capital of Egypt, largest in ME, second largest in Africa• Lower Egypt, along the Nile River• 15th largest metropolitan area in the world (Greater Cairo) – 20.5 million inh.• density: 10,400/km2• Cairo Governorate (9.437 million), Giza Governorate (7.755 million), Qalyubeya

Governorate• 528 km2, 23 m• Umm al-Dunya, Masr• 15th busiest metro in the world – 1 billion passenger rides/year

JERUSALEM

JERUSALEM• Canaanite word URU-Shalim (City of God Salem)• Arabic: Al-Quds• 2400 BC – first written record mentioning the city („URUSALIM“) – Ebla tablets• 1000 BC – city conquered by King David (previously city of Jebusites, called

Jebus)• Seat of the king of Israel and the Jerusalem Temple• 586 BC destroyed by Babylonians• 4th – 2nd century BC – part of Greek Empire• Independent kingdom: 160-64 BC, then subdued by Romans• 70 AD, 129 AD – Jewish revolts – destruction by Romans• Emperor Hadrian – AELIA CAPITOLINA (roman pagan city)

JERUSALEM• 4th century AD – visit by Empress Helena, start of Christian Pilgrimages• 7th century – Arab invasion, advent of Islam (638 AD – Khalifa Umar)• Haram ash-Sharif: Al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock by Umayads• Crusader conquest in 1099 – seat of Jerusalem Christian Kingdom till 1187• Muslim rule (12th – 20th centuries) – Umayad, Ayubid, Mameluk, Otoman

dynasties• 1948 1.Arab-Israeli war – division of the city between Israel (west) and Jordan

(east)• 1967 city united• 3rd most holy place for Muslims, 1st holy place for Jews and Christians

LEBANON• Lebanese republic, parlamentary democracy• Israel, Syria, 10,452 km2 plus 23 km2 of disputet Sheba Farms• Mediterranean basin x Arabian hinterland• physiographic regions: Lebanon Mountain Range, Anti-Lebanon Mountains,

Bekaa Valey, coastal plain• Mediterranean climate, large amount of rainfall, snow cover in the mountains• Demographics: 4,125,247 inhabitants plus 1,600,000 refugees (Iraq,

Palestine, Syria, Sudan)• 18 religious sects (Shiites 27%, Sunnites 27%, Maronites 21%, Greek

Orthodox Christians 8%, Druzes 5%, Melkites 5%, other Christian groups 6%)• Languages spoken: Arabic, French, Armenian, Kurdish