Name _____________________________________ Date ____________ Period ______
Middle East Country and Geography Notes
Key Definitions
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Sunni Muslims (Sunnis)- The largest group of Muslims in the world
Shi’i Muslims (Shiites)- The 2nd largest group of Muslims in the world that live mainly in
Iraq and Iran
al Qaeda- an Islamic extremist group that conducts acts of terror around the world against
Western targets (U.S. and Europe)
Taliban- an Islamic extremist group that operates in Afghanistan and Pakistan
ISIS- an Islamic extremist group that has taken over large parts of Syria and Iraq
Palestine- the mainly Arab and Muslim area inside of Israel that consists of the West Bank
and the Gaza Strip. (also used as the name of the area between the Mediterranean
Sea and the Jordan River)
### = A country in the Middle East that has a dictator
** = A country in the Middle East that has overthrown their dictator since the Arab Spring
1. Turkey – Almost 100 % Muslim, ally of the U.S., somewhat close to being a fully
democratic country
2. ### Syria – Criticized by the U.S. for helping terrorist groups. In the last five years, citizens
have been protesting against the dictator and he has responded with violence. (over 450,000
killed so far)
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Israel (The most powerful non-Muslim country) –
very close ally of the U.S.
the only fully democratic country in the Middle East
a wealthy country
enemy of most other countries in the Middle East
important holy sites for Jews, Christians, and Muslims
4. Palestine (Inside of Israel) – West Bank and the Gaza Strip are poor, especially compared to
Israel. They want to be their own country and control of the Muslim holy sites
5. ###*** Egypt – ally of the U.S. with a new government being controlled by the army
6. ###*** Yemen –
 the government does not control much of the country which al Qaeda uses for training
terrorists
 the government had been working with the U.S. to go after terrorists until the last few weeks
 Currently, the country is disintegrating into a religious and ethnic civil war between Shiites
backed by Iran and Sunnis backed by Saudi Arabia
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### Saudi Arabia (The most powerful Sunni country) more oil reserves than any country in the world.
they have very strict Islamic law.
the 2 holiest places for Muslims are in Saudi Arabia,
works with the U.S. fighting some terrorist groups
8. Iraq –
 U.S. invaded in 2003 because it was thought they may have had dangerous weapons
 the split between Sunnis and Shi’a Muslims trapped the American armed forces in a civil
war
 lots of oil
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### Iran (The most powerful Shi’i country) –
Often seen as the main enemy of the U.S. in the Middle East, besides terrorists
lots of oil
theocracy
threatened by the U.S. military around them.
10. Afghanistan –
 over 100,000 U.S. troops were here to get rid of the Taliban and al Qaeda (Thousands of
American troops still remain)
 very poor country and the government is very weak (does not control many parts of the
country)
11. Pakistan –
 Many terrorists are hiding along the border with Afghanistan
 the government doesn’t control parts of the country, especially along the border with
Afghanistan
 poor country
 the government has not always helped capture terrorists like they promised –the U.S. ran a
successful secret operation in Pakistan to kill Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda,
without Pakistan’s permission
 Nuclear weapons
12. ### United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) – wealthy country that has become a center of banking
and entertainment