NASWA Physical and Cultural Geography

NASWA Physical and Cultural Geography

Learning Target: I can identify the key economic and cultural characteristics of North Africa and Southwest Asia.

The Arab World

●Arabic is the primary
language across North
Africa and Southwest Asia

●Countries in green
commonly referred to as
Arab countries

●Notable exceptions: Israel,
Turkey

OPEC

●Organization of
Petroleum
Exporting Countries

●Founded in 1960

●22 member
countries

●Formed to create
stability in
international
petroleum prices

Energy Exports (oil, natural gas, coal)

How many NASWA
countries are on this
chart?

Multiple Choice

What organization, consisting of 22 countries, regulates the production and sale of oil?

• NATO

• UN

• OPEC

• EU

Multiple Choice

What NASWA country is the largest oil producer?

• Saudi Arabia

• Iran

• Iraq

• UAE

Water Stress or Water Scarcity

Water is the region’s
most valuable
resource.

Every country in the
region suffers from
water scarcity the in
dry and arid climate.

“Gulf War”
(August 1990
- Feb 1991)

Iraq invades
Kuwait

“Operation Desert Storm”

●Saddam Hussein, leader of Iraq,
invades and occupies Kuwait

●Defies UN Security Council demands to
withdraw

●United States leads a UN coalition of
39 countries and liberates Kuwait from
Iraqi control.

●Superior air power and naval
bombardment ended conflict in 42
days.

●Hussein stays in power

“Iraq War” - Round 2 (2003-2011)

●United States led coalition to invade Iraq and
overthrow Saddam Hussein

●Not sanctioned by UN security council

●Based on the premise that Iraq possessed
‘WMDs’ - Weapons of Mass Destruction. None
were found.

●Unrest in Iraq continues to the present day.

●Saddam Hussein death sentence resulted in his
hanging in 2006 (killed by Iraqis)

Multiple Choice

Saddam Hussein was the leader of ______.

• Iran

• Iraq

• Saudi Arabia

• Afghanistan

Arab
Spring

Arab Spring

Here's How the Arab Spring Started and How It Affected the World (Video)

Arab Spring

●Began with one man’s protest
against the Tunisian
government in 2010

●Anti-government protests
spread across North Africa and
Southwest Asia

●Governments overthrown in Libya, Egypt, Oman.

●Civil War in Syria began in 2011 and continues to the present. Largest refugee
crisis in the world. 5.6 refugees, 6.2 million internally displaced (lost homes).

●Movement fueled by social media (Twitter & Facebook)

Multiple Choice

In what country did the Arab Spring begin?

• Tunisia

• Saudi Arabia

• Egypt

• Syria

• Iraq

Multiple Choice

What allowed the Arab spring to spread more quickly to nearby countries than other revolutions in the past?

• social media

• geographical proxmity

• climate change

• television broadcasts

• trade routes

Multiple Choice

In what country did a civil war break out in 2011 and continues to this day?

• Syria

• Tunisia

• Egypt

• Morocco

• Israel

Religion

●Three major religions founded in this region: Judaism,
Christianity, Islam

●All three religions are monotheistic - belief in one god

●Similar beliefs and traditions

●Historical conflict due to geographical proximity; crusades

●Jerusalem is a holy city for all three religions

●Religious conflict dominates political affairs in the region

●Abraham is an important figure in all three religions

Religion

Judaism

Christianity

Islam

Founder
Founded

Abraham

~2000 B.C.E

Jesus Christ

~30 C.E.

Muhammad

~610 C.E.

Holy Book

Torah

Bible

Qu’ran (Koran)

Place of worship

Synagogue or Temple

Church or chapel

Mosque

Holy City (Cities)

Jerusalem

Jerusalem
Bethlehem
Vatican City

Mecca
Medina

Jerusalem

Divisions

Reform
Orthodox

Conservative

Roman Catholic

Protestant

Eastern Orthodoxy

Sunni
Shi’a

Global Followers
(% of global pop.)

14.7 million

0.18%

2.168 billion

31%

1.599 billion

23%

Multiple Choice

What is the most practiced religion in the world?

• Christianity

• Hinduism

• Judaism

• Islam

Multiple Choice

What is the most practiced religion in North Africa and Southwest Asia?

• Christianity

• Hinduism

• Judaism

• Islam

Multiple Select

What do Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have in common?

• They originated in the same region

• They are monotheistic

• They are polytheistic

• They are the world's three largest religions

• They have similar beliefs and traditions

Israel/Palestine Conflict

●Area under Palestinian control until
UN Mandate in 1947.

●Belief that Jews needed a homeland
following the Holocaust

●Both sides have territorial claims to
Jerusalem and its holy sites.

●Through a series of wars and
aggressive expansion, Israel has
taken the majority of the area (in
white) and occupied Palestinan land

Israel/Palestine Conflict

●Religious & language divisions

○Palestinians: Islam & Arabic

○Jews: Judaism & Hebrew

●No resolution in sight

●PLO - Palestinian Liberation
Organization aims to free Palestine
from Israeli occupation.

●Hamas is the militant wing of the PLO

Multiple Choice

What is the primary cause of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians?

• land disputes

• religious disputes

• opposing governments

• access to resources

Cultural Landmarks

Church of the Holy Sepulchre - Jerusalem, Israel

Contains the empty tomb of Jesus Christ

Western Wall (Wailing Wall) - Jerusalem, Israel

Remaining wall of the Jewish Temple of Solomon

Dome of the Rock - Jerusalem, Israel

Judaism - Where Abraham (almost) sacrificed his son

Islam - Where Muhammad ascended to heaven.

Hagia Sophia - Istanbul, Turkey

Christian church → Islamic Mosque → Museum → Islamic Mosque

Kaaba - Mecca, Saudi Arabia

Islamic shrine where all Muslims should travel and pray toward

Great Pyramids of Giza - near Cairo, Egypt

Burial sites of Egyptian Pharaohs. Important for journey to the afterlife.

Burj Khalifa

The world’s tallest building in Dubai, United Arab
Emirates

2,722 feet high

VB Westin: 508 feet

Multiple Choice

What city contains a number of important religious sites for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam?

• Jerusalem, Israel

• Mecca, Saudi Arabia

• Istanbul, Turkey

• Cairo, Egypt

Multiple Choice

Where can the Hagia Sophia be found?

• Mecca, Saudi Arabia

• Jerusalem, Israel

• Cairo, Egypt

• Istanbul, Turkey

Multiple Choice

Where can the Kaaba be found?

• Mecca, Saudi Arabia

• Jerusalem, Israel

• Cairo, Egypt

• Istanbul, Turkey

Agenda:

• Finish NASWA Map Assembly

• NASWA Vocabulary Practice