SWANA

Southwest Asia

and North Africa

Setting –Southwest Asia & North Africa

Day 1

Identify the following on your
map:

• Countries:

• Iran
• Iraq
• Saudi Arabia
• Syria
• Israel
• Afghanistan

• Cities:

• Mecca

• Physical features:

• Tigris River
• Euphrates River
• Arabian Sea

Day 1

Setting – Southwest Asia (Middle East)

Arabian

Sea

LEBANON

ISRAEL

PALESTINE

Mecca

•The city of Mecca is found in which major
country?

•Which two rivers run through Syria and
Iraq?

Day 1

Turn and Talk

​Map Quiz

Setting – Southwest Asia (Effects of Geography)

Day 1

• Oil found in the region has

made it one of the most
important regions in the world,
since people rely on oil for
energy

• The Strait of Hormuz is the only

sea passage from the Persian
Gulf to the open ocean

• Access to the Indian Ocean has

helped trade in Southwest Asia

•What natural resource is important and
found in the region?

•What ocean helps trade in Southwest
Asia?

Assessment Link

Day 1

Turn and Talk

Day 2
Setting – North Africa

Cairo

Sahara Desert

Identify the following on your
map:

• Countries:

• Egypt
• Libya
• Sudan
• Morocco
• Algeria

• Cities:

• Cairo

• Physical features:

• Nile River
• Sahara Desert
• Red Sea
• Mediterranean Sea

•What physical feature covers almost all of
North Africa?

Map

•What physical feature starts in Egypt?

Atlas images

Map Quiz

Day 2

Turn and Talk

Setting – North Africa (Effects of Geography)

Day 2

• The mouth of the Nile River is

where large populations of
Egyptians live

• The Nile River grants people

access to water for farming and
trade

• The Sahara Desert forces the

population to live along the
coast

•Why do Egyptians settle near the Nile
River?

•Why do many North Africans lives along
the coast?

Assessment Link

Day 2

Turn and Talk

Culture – Southwest Asia & North Africa

Day 3

• Israel has a higher standard of living.

Water shortages and overcrowding are
problems that lower the standard of living
in North Africa

• The average life expectancy is 74 years

old, compared to 79 years old in the
United States

• The average GDP per capita is

approximately $8,100 compared to
$63,000 in the United States

• The literacy rate on average is about 79%,

which is lower than the United States

• Most countries have a poor quality of

education, it is estimated that 1 out of
every 5 children are not in school, and
many females do not receive an education

Country
Life

Expectancy

GDP Per
Capita

Literacy Rate

U.S.

79

$63,000

99%

Israel

83

$43,641

98%

Saudi Arabia

75

$23,140

95%

Iraq

70

$5,955

86%

Egypt

72

$3,020

71%

Syria

72

$2,033

81%

Ethiopia

66

$858

52%

Sudan

65

$442

61%

*Data from World Bank (2018)

•What are 2 major problems that lower
the standard of living in North Africa?

•How does education in the region
compare to the U.S.?

Day 3

Turn and Talk

Culture – Southwest Asia & North Africa

Day 3

• The dominant language in the

region in Arabic, however, a
variety of languages are
spoken

• Three of the world’s major

religions – Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam
originated in Southwest Asia

• The most practiced religion in

the region is Islam

•What 3 major world religions originated
in Southwest Asia?

•What is the most common language in
Southwest Asia and North Africa?

Assessment Link

Day 3

Turn and Talk

Culture – Southwest Asia (Religious Observances)

Day 4

• Muslims celebrate a month of

Ramadan, a holy period of
fasting

• Muslims are required to

participate in a hajj or
pilgrimage, to Mecca once in
their life

• Jews celebrate Rosh Hashanah,

the Jewish New Year, one of two
high holy days

• During Yom Kippur, Jews fast

and pray for forgiveness of their
sins, another high holy day

•Where do Muslims participating in a hajj
travel to?

•What is the celebration of the Jewish New
Year called?

Day 4

Turn and Talk

Culture – Southwest Asia

Day 4

• Temples and mosques are

splendid works of architecture
in the region

• Many desalinization lants are

built in the area to provide
fresh water for people

• People live in cities, rural

villages, or are nomads

•What are some common architectural
structures found in Southwest Asia

•When people desalinize saltwater in order
to get freshwater, is that an adaptation or
modification to the environment?

Assessment Link

Day 4

Turn and Talk

Day 5

• Hieroglyphics are an ancient

Egyptian writing system that
used pictures and symbols

• Ancient Egyptians preserved

bodies as mummies or they
could be used in the afterlife

• Ancient Egyptian pharaohs’

bodies and belongings were
buried in pyramids for
protection

Culture – North Africa (Ancient Egypt)

•What is the ancient Egyptian writing
system that used pictures and symbols
called?

•What happened to pharaohs once they
died?

Day 5

Turn and Talk

Day 5

Culture – North Africa

• Urban areas in North Africa

are more modern, rural areas
are more old-fashioned

• Open-air markets called souks

are where North Africans buy
and sell food and goods

Art works intended for worship
hat show animals, or
humans are forbidden

•What is the difference between most
urban and rural areas in North Africa?

•How has art been influenced by religion?

Assessment Link

Day 5

Turn and Talk

• Mesopotamia was one of the first

civilizations that grew between
the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
(Syria and Iraq today)

• Mesopotamians developed

irrigation systems that helped
control flooding of rivers, so they
could farm on fertile lands

• Islam started in the 600s A.D. by

Muhammad, and by 800 A.D., it
had spread across much of
Southwest Asia, but weakened by
the 1200s

Day 6

About the History – Southwest Asia

•What civilization developed between the
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers?

•What did Mesopotamians build so they
could live between two rivers? Is this an
adaptation or a modification?

Day 6

Turn and Talk

About the History – Southwest Asia

Day 6

• The Ottoman Empire (a group of

Muslims) conquered many lands
and spread Islam further into
Southwest Asia, parts of
southeastern Europe, and North
Africa

• After WWI, Britain and France

took control of the Ottoman
Empire’s lands, and created
issues for groups when they
drew up new boundaries

• Groups disliked European

control, and countries eventually
won their independence

•What did the Ottoman Empire spread
throughout the land they conquered?

•How did Great Britain and France create
trouble in the lands once controlled by
the Ottoman Empire?

Assessment Link

Day 6

Turn and Talk

• Like Mesopotamia, Egypt grew

out of a river valley called The
Nile

• Egyptians were ruled by a

pharaoh, and were polytheistic

• From the 200s B.C. – 100s B.C.,

Carthage was a powerful city,
and controlled much of North
Africa

• The Roman Empire defeated

Carthage, and spread
Christianity to North Africa

Day 7

About the History – North Africa

•What country grew out of the Nile River
Valley?

•What did the Roman Empire spread
throughout North Africa?

Day 7

Turn and Talk

• During the 600s A.D., the

Roman Empire fell and Muslims
conquered lands in North Africa

• From the 1500s-1900s, North

Africa was under the control of
European countries

• After WWII, many North African

countries fought for freedom
from European control

Day 7

About the History – North Africa

•After the Roman Empire fell, what religion
saw a rise in North Africa?

•What region of the world controlled
North Africa for over 500 years?

Assessment Link

Day 7

Turn and Talk

Politics – Southwest Asia & North Africa

• Countries like Turkey, Israel, and

Tunisia have limited
governments

• Iran is a theocracy there are

few left worldwide, and most
are in the West Asia region

• Saudi Arabia has an absolute

monarchy, which is an example
of an unlimited government

Day 8

Turkey

Israel

Tunisia

Saudi
Arabia

Ayatollah - Iran

•What type of government exists in Iran?

•What is something that people have and
don’t have living under an unlimited
government?

Day 8

Turn and Talk

• Jordan, Kuwait, and Morocco

are examples of a constitutional
monarchy, with limited
governmental control

• Afghanistan is a republic, and is

led by a president just like the
United States

• Women have experienced

restrictions in their daily rights

Day 8

Politics – Southwest Asia & North Africa

VOTE

Jordan

Kuwait

Morocco

•How is Afghanistan like the U.S.?

•Are women’s experiences in the region
similar or different to American women?

Assessment Link

Day 8

Turn and Talk

Economy – Southwest Asia & North Africa

Day 9

• Most countries in the region have a

free enterprise economy, however,
Iran has more of a command
economy

• Countries like Saudi Arabia and Iraq

are major exporters of oil

• Many countries in SW Asia and North

Africa are members of OPEC that
decides how much oil to produce and
what price to charge

• The Suez Canal is an important

waterway allowing ships to avoid
traveling all the way around Africa

•What group decides how much oil to
produce and what to charge?

•What waterway allows ships in the
Mediterranean Sea to avoid travelling all
the way around Africa to get to the Indian
Ocean?

Day 9

Turn and Talk

Day 9

• Most Southwest Asian and North

African countries’ level of
economic development are
considered level two

• The economy of Yemen is one of

the poorest and least developed in
the world

• A bottle of Coke costs $1.80 in the

U.S., it typically costs around $.60
in most major Southwest Asian
and North African countries,
except in Israel

Economy – Southwest Asia & North Africa

.60

$1.80

SWANA

U.S.

•What is true about poverty levels in a
country like Yemen?

•What is true about life expectancy, GDP
per capita and literacy levels in a country
like Yemen?

Assessment Link

Day 9

Turn and Talk