UNIT ONE STUDY GUIDE

PEOPLE & PLACES OF SW ASIA

  1. Label the features

Political Features
Afghanistan
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Saudi Arabia
Turkey
West bank
Gaza Strip
Kuwait
Physical Features
Red Sea
Arabian Sea
Persian Gulf
Tigris River
Euphrates River
Jordan River
Strait of Hormuz
Suez Canal


2. VOCABULARY – DEFINE EACH

Monotheistic-Belief in one God

Arid- Dry Farmland

Aquifer- An underground water source, contained in rock.

Desalination- To remove salt from sea water to get fresh water

Irrigation- To use water for farming crops

Hajj- Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca

Oasis- a fertile spot in a desert where water is found.

  1. Explain how water pollution and the unequal distribution of water impacts irrigation and drinking water.
  1. What are the reasons why water is so scarce in SWA?Dry, Desert Land, Polluted Water; Population Growth
  2. What are some solutions to the water problems in SWA?Desalination, pass Pollution laws, Less water per person use.
  3. Why are some of these problems not so easy to fix?Too expensive to clean salt water or polluted water and nobody is taking responsibility for polluting water.
  1. Know the following for all three religions born in the Middle East

Judaism / Christianity / Islam
Holy book / Torah / Bible / Koran
Place of worship / Synagogue / Church / Mosque
Title of the leader of the service/prayers / Rabbi / Pastor / Imam
Name of God / God / God / Allah
Believe in how many Gods? / One / One / One
Denominations or sects / Orthodox, Conservative, Reformed / Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox / Shia and Sunni
Day of the week for worship / Saturday / Sunday / Friday
Rank oldest to youngest / Oldest / Middle / Youngest
  1. Name the Five Pillars of Islam
  1. Declaring your FAITH
  2. PRAYER 5 times a day
  3. The Hajj, Pilgrimage to Mecca
  4. Giving to CHARITY
  5. FASTING during Ramadan
  1. Be able to explain to me at least three similarities and three differences between the three religions.

similarities / differences
All Believe in ONE God (Monotheistic) / Different Founders
(Abraham, Jesus, Muhammad
Jerusalem is a Holy City / Worship on different days
Abraham is important / Different Holy Books and Different places of worship
  1. What is the difference between an ethnic group and a religious group?Ethnic groups share the same custom, race, language and culture.
  1. Explain the diversity in three of the major ethnic groups in SWA.
  • Are all people in SWA Arab?No, but they are the largest ethnic group
  • What are the different religious groups found within Arabs? Muslims, Christian and Jewish
  • What are the different religious groups found within Persians?Muslims, Christians and Jewish
  • What religion do most Kurds follow?Mostly Sunni Muslim
  • Where are most Persians found? IRAN

***Most people in SWA live near ____RIVERS______, _MOUNTAINS_____ and ____COASTS____ because it is __COOL AND THEY GET MORE RAIN______.

12. What is the main purpose of the Suez Canal? It allows ships to pass from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea.

13. Name the three main rivers in Southwest Asia. Euphrates, Tigris and Jordan

14. Which bodies of water are connected by the Strait of Hormuz? Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea

15. Why has the building of dams created problems for the people sharing rivers in Southwest Asia? Dams control the water available to other countries

16. Name one problem with desalinization and drip irrigation. Too expensive

17. What is the most valuable resource in Southwest Asia? Oil/petroleum

18. Name three countries that have the most oil in Southwest Asia. Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia

19. Define Bedouins. They are nomadic desert dwellers

20. How have the rivers in this area become a source of political conflict? Several countries have built dams, cutting off water to others downstream

21. Name a characteristic that the Kurds share. Language, religion (they are Muslims)

22. What are the three religions of the Middle East? Christianity, Islam, Judaism

23. What ethnic group is the largest in the Middle East? Arabs

24. What country do the Persians live in? Iran

25. What is the name of the holy book that the Jewish use? Christian? Muslim? Jewish-Torah, Christian-Bible, Muslim-Quran

26. What is the basic difference between Christianity, Judaism and Islam? Christians believe that Jesus was the son of God and the Messiah; Jews believe that Jesus lived but not the son of God or Messiah; Muslims, that Jesus was a prophet from God.

27. What are the three religions that originated out of the Middle East? Christianity, Islam, Judaism

28. What do these religions have in common? They all believe in the God of Abraham

29. What is a Caliph?a Muslim leader

THESE ARE SAMPLE QUESTIONS TO GUIDE YOUR STUDENT IN PREPARATION FOR THE TEST.

STUDENTS SHOULD REVIEW THEIR COPIES OF NOTES ALONG WITH THIS GUIDE.