Middle East and North Africa

The culture of SW Asia (Middle East), North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa is diverse and different based on the geography.

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​Culture in SW Asia & Africa

This is often called "The Arab World." Why? What culture is share in this part of Asia and Africa?

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North Africa & Middle East

With the exception of Israel, this region is mostly Muslim, and although some countries like Iran have a different language, most are Arabic speaking.

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​Arabic & Islam

Israel is an exception

It is common for women to cover their hair and for men to dress modestly, with long sleeves and long pants or other dress that covers the whole body.

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​People dress modestly

The Sahara Desert covers north Africa. Most people in north Africa live on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and the basin of the Nile River. Saudi is also mostly desert, but Iran and Turkey has some diversity in their geography.

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​Dry Climate

Multiple Choice

How do people dress in the Middle East and North Africa?

• Most women cover their hair and men dress modestly.

• T-shirts and shorts are common because it is so hot.

• Swimwear is the most common because they have a lot of beaches.

• Due to the cold, most people wear hats and coats.

Multiple Choice

What is a common landform in the region?

• Lakes

• Rain Forest

• Hills

• Deserts

Multiple Choice

Most of North Africa is part of the

• Nile River

• Sahara Desert

• Congo Rainforest

Multiple Choice

Which is true about the culture of Southwest Asia and North Africa?

• Most people there speak English and are Christians.

• The majority religion is Islam and the most common language is Arabic.

• Most people eat Fried Fish and dance around fires.

• The majority religion is Jewish and most of them speak Hebrew.

​Israel was formed after World War II to give Jews a nation of their own. Though Judaism is the most religion, many Muslims and some Christians live in Israel too. Most of the Palestinians that live there speak Arabic and practice the religion of Islam.

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Israel: A Jewish State

​Israel is home to some of the most holy sites of the Jewish religion, Islam and Christianity. It has also been a land that has seen a lot of conflict, especially between its government and Palestine, which held the land that later became Israel.

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Holy sites of 3 religions

Multiple Choice

Which three religions have holy sites in Israel?

• Jewish, Islam and Christian

• Jewish, Islam and Hindu

• Jewish, Islam and Buddhism

• Arabic, English and Hebrew

Multiple Choice

Israel was formed after World War 2 to give

• Christians their own nation

• Jews a nation after The Holocaust

• Land to the winners of the war

• Nazis a place to go to after they lost the war

Sub-Saharan Africa is different from North Africa in both geography, climate and culture. It is more Christian has more language diversity than NA.

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​Sub-Saharan Africa

The Berlin Conference and Imperialism had a big impact on contemporary Africa. It robbed Africa of resources and change culture. How?

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​Imperialism had impact

Multiple Choice

Which statement is true about cultural differences between North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa?

• North Africa is more Jewish, while Sub-Saharan Africa is more Muslim.

• Both regions are largely Jewish.

• Sub-Saharan Africa has more Christians, while North Africa more Muslims.

• Both regions are predominately Christian.

Multiple Choice

The colonization or imperialization of Africa by European Empires was negotiated at

• The Berlin Conference

• The Afro-European Conference

• The Columbian Exchange

• The Colonization Conference