The Land and People of the Middle East

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The Land and Peopleof the Middle East
Matthew Ripley-Moffitt World Cultures Cary
Academy Based on pages 551 556 in World
Cultures A Global Mosaic
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What is the Middle East?

• Term invented by Europeans
• Described lands between Europe and distant parts
  of Asia which they called the Far East
• Included the Fertile Crescent Arabian Peninsula
• Often also includes North Africa due to the
  cultural influence of Islam and the Arabic
  language

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What is Southwest Asia?

• Geographic location of Middle East
• Imagine continent of Asia divided into quadrants
• Fertile crescent and Arabian Peninsula are in
  the southwestern quadrant

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What isthe crossroads of the world?

• At the connection points between Africa, Asia,
  and Europe
• Connections major land and water trade routes
  cultural diffusion
• The exchange of goods and ideas when two or more
  cultures come into contact

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Cultural diffusion began in Middle East and
spread through trade routes to rest of the world

• Technology iron-making
• Language Alphabet for English and other
  languages
• Religion Judaism, Christianity and Islam

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Cultural diffusion began in Asia and spread to
Europe through trade routes of the Middle East

• Mathematics - Arabic numerals
  1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0
• Technology Lateen sail

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The Middle East a strategic position

• Some countries control important sea routes, and
  land sea connection points
• Some countries control important oil reserves
• Region is important to many countries in the
  world because of these military and economic
  reasons

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Climate and Resources

• Climate has dictated human habitation through
  most of history
• Clustered around well-watered regions, near
  oasis, and in river valleys
• Irrigation and farming gave rise to early
  civilizations especially in the fertile
  crescent
• Less than 10 of land receives enough rainfall
  for farming
• Irrigation invented to carry water from the
  rivers to the crops

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Oil an important natural resource

• Variety of natural resources
• Salt
• Phosphates used in making fertilizers
• Copper
• Most important is oil
• Uneven geographic distribution leads to uneven
  distribution of wealth among countries of the
  Middle East

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Diversity in the Middle East

• Languages Arabic, Turkish, Hebrew, Kurdish,
  Persian, Greek, Armenian
• Peoples Arabs, Turks, Iranians, and Kurds
  migrated from other parts of Asia with their own
  languages, culture, traditions
• Religions Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Bahai,
  Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Buddhism

19 different countries 350 million people
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Major Regions Northern Tier
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Major Regions Arabian Peninsula
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Major Regions Fertile Crescent
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Major Regions Nile Valley
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Major Regions The Maghreb