Located between Europe, Africa, and Asia, the region has been influenced by many cultures and is the birthplace of Christianity, _____, and Islam

The mix of ethnicities and religions, however, has caused major conflicts in the subregion, including civil wars and _______ wars.

The oldest monotheistic religion is ______.

A Jewish teacher named Jesus brought new ideas to the religion, and after his death, those teachings gave rise to oil _____.

As Islamic empires rose and fell in the Eastern or _______, some civilizations made great the achievements.

Western European powers began conquering and colonizing the subregion, but over time, Lebanon, Syria, and ____ gained independence.

Due to the dry, desert climate of the Eastern Mediterranean, population density tends to be concentrated in the _____ coastal areas that are more suitable for human habitation.

A range of ethnicities and religious sects struggle to live _____ despite their differences.

The hot, dry Arabian _____ was once a land of nomadic herders and tribal settlers.

Despite attempts at foreign interference, the people have remained largely united in ______, ethnicity, and culture.

Today, it is a land of great _____.

Today, the majority of the governments are absolute ______ or constitutional ________.

Once almost exclusively Arab, the population is changing due to _______ workers attracted to jobs in the oil industry.

In some countries, the wealth from oil has been used to improve _________ and education.

The Northwest is comprised of many different ethnic groups, including Arabs, Persians (Iranians), Turks, and _____.

This diversity, along with the power struggles over its most valuable natural resources and leading exports, _________, sometimes leads to conflicts within the subregion.

The land and its resources have influenced early to modern civilizations, and likewise, the population has posed challenges to the _______.

The Ottoman Empire once ruled the modern day regions of _____ and Iraq.

Many peoples have occupied the subregion through history, leaving behind mixed cultural ______.

Central Asia has long served as a trade route between Asia and ______.

The mix of ethnicities and the struggles for power have led to _____ in the subregion.

Located in an arid climate, the land is rugged, with rocky highlands and deserts that create further hardship for a population that depends on farming and ______.

More than 2000 years ago, Armenia and Georgia formed ______ that were Christianized under the Roman Empire.

In the early 1800, the ____ Empire began invasions, conquering nearly all the eastern subregion.

Central Asia remained under ____ control for decades

Many different ethnic groups live in _____ Asia

Education is universal, with literacy at ____ in all Central Asian countries except Afghanistan.