Middle East and North Africa Study Guide
1. People live where it’s the easiest to live. What are some reasons that people choose to live near rivers?
a. Drinking water and water for irrigation for crops
b. Transportation and trade
c. Fish and other animals that are attracted to the water.
2. Why are the Tigris and Euphrates rivers important to this region?
a. Major transportation route for oil and other products
b. Land is extremely fertile because of the silt from the rivers flooding
c. Large source of drinking water to support larger populations
3. What are some environmental issues that the Middle East is facing today?
a. Extreme scarcity of water
b. Land is infertile in most areas, thus needs fertilization techniques
c. Pollution from cities and factories in the river.
4. How is agriculture affected? Fewer crops can be grown. It may be necessary to import food.
5. Why would it be important to build a dam on rivers in the Middle East?
a. Build a reservoir to store drinking water
b. Keep the land downstream from flooding, thus more people can live closer to the river
c. Creates the reservoir that is beneficial for tourism, fishing, and transportation
d. Creates hydro-electricity
e. It can be used as a weapon
6. Why is the population of the Sahara desert lower than in the Egyptian Nile River Delta?
It is harder to get water from an oasis or well than getting it from the river. Water in an oasis or well is more
scarce, not replenished except through rain, which is unpredictable.
7. What are some reasons that dams could be harmful to the land?
a. Keeps the rivers from flooding, thus the land isn’t naturally fertilized by the silt
b. Dams could lower the amount of water that flows downstream, thus cutting the amount of accessible
water for populations downstream.
c. Since it’s one of the only sources of drinking water, it could be contaminated/polluted, thus harming
people who drink it.
8. Why was the Suez Canal built? Shorter trade route from the Med Sea, Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean.
9. Why do the people of the Sahara desert raise goats and camels instead of farming? The animals eat the local
vegetation and drink little water, and it makes it possible for people to migrate. If you farm, you are tied to the
land. Camels are also used as transportation across deserts.
10. Why are oil and water the two most important resources in the Middle East? Water is needed due to the scarcity
of it and necessity to sustain life. Oil is important because the sale of it provides a large profit which is used to
purchase other resources that is needed.
11. If a country put an embargo on oil, what are they doing? Refusing to buy or sell oil with the other country
12. What does that do to the price of oil? It raises the overall price
13. What does it mean when a country has a tariff on oil? It put a tax on the oil. It raises the price to encourage to buy
locally.
14. What is a resource that would be considered scarce in Southwest? Fresh water, fertile land Why?_Lack of
rainfall, lack of flooding due to dams
15. What is OPEC’s job or function? To regulate the price and supply of oil on the world market.
16. How is the US and Saudi Arabia economically interdependent? The United States purchases oil from Saudi
Arabia. Saudi Arabia uses the profits to purchase food items and other resources they need from the US
17. Describe each group:
Religious Group
Cultural Group
Ethnic Group
Political Group___
18. What are the four major ethnic groups in the Middle East? Where are they predominantly found?
#1: Arabs-majority of the people in the ME. North Africa and ME
#2:Persians-Iran
#3: Kurds- Mts of Iraq, Turkey, Syria, and Iran. (Nomadic)
#4:Hebrews- Israel
19. What are some reasons that Islam is more worshipped in the Middle East than Judaism or Christianity?
a. Jews migrated away (Diaspora)
b. Christians and Jews were converted by force during 600’s+
c. Many of the countries follow Sharia (Islamic law) and it’s against the law to be anything other than Islam
20. Explain why there is conflict between Sunni and Shia Muslims. They disagree who should be the leaders of the
Islamic religion. Sunni believe it should be the religious rulers (Caliphs) and Shia believe it should be a bloodline
descendant of Muhammad.
21. Why is the Suez Canal economically important to countries around the World? Faster trade route, makes
shipping cheaper and more profitable.
a. Why is it important to Egypt? Fees are a good source of income to the Egyptian economy
22. Why did the U.N. get involved in Kuwait in 1990 against Iraq?The UN was asked by Saudi Arabia for
help. Saddam invaded Kuwait over oil and beachfront property (for shipping) US was part of the UN tha
23. Why has there been so much conflict over Palestine/Israel? Both the Palestinians and Israelis claim
Jerusalem as their holy city and that they have a right to the land through their deity’s promise
RELIGIONS:
Approx. Establishment
Date
Deity (Name of God)
Judaism
2000ish BC
Christianity
32ish AD
Islam
610AD
Yahweh
God
Allah
Founder or important figure
Name of place of worship
Abraham
Temple and Synagogue
Jesus and Disciples
Church
Muhammad
Mosque
Name of Holy Text
Torah
Bible
Koran/Quran
Holy City or Cities
Why?
Jerusalem: City of holy
temple
Jerusalem: Places that are
important in the life of
Jesus’ birth and death
Mecca: Allah spoke to
Muhammad here,
Medina: Where he raised an
army and started conquest
Jerusalem: Where Muhammad
ascended into Heaven
Monotheistic or
Polytheistic
Monotheistic
Monotheistic
Monotheistic
Similarities of all 3 religions: All claim Holy Land, All believe in the God of Abraham, all 3 see their religion
as the one true religion and path to Heaven
Differences of all 3 religions (What makes them unique?): who the founder claimed to be, pathways to heaven,
customs and rituals.