World Geography – Unit 7 – North Africa and Southwest Asia
Enduring Understanding: North Africa and Southwest Asia is filled with cultural history and religious significance, while also being the center of violent conflicts, political instability, and major environmental concerns.
Essential Questions:
Concepts: Human-Environmental Interaction, Conflict, Resources (Renewable and Non-Renewable), Religion
(Christianity, Judaism, Islam), Settlement Patterns, Region, Ethnic Diversity, Urbanization, Colonialism, Migration,
Cultural Diffusion-Convergence-Divergence, Push-Pull Factors, Diffusion, Innovation, Political Instability,
Political Systems, Infrastructure
Topic/Take-Away: This region is located at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe and is a jigsaw puzzle of peninsulas and seas. Rivers feed the inland seas and supply irrigation to parched land while the alluvial soil deposits enrich the land, especially in the Nile River Valley and delta. Tectonic plates affect the region. The region contains much of the world’s oil and natural gas service.
Topic/Take-Away: Rainfall varies widely while most of the region contains arid areas. Desert, steppe, Mediterranean and highlands make up the different climates. Natural vegetation also varies widely and is closely related to rainfall and irrigation patters.
Topic/Take-Away: Movement and interaction of people have created the region’s ethnic diversity. People settle in coastal and river valley areas where water is readily available. Urbanization has affect the region.
Topic/Take-Away: Early people in the region were among the first to domesticate plants and animals. Two of the world’s earliest civilizations arose in Mesopotamia and the Nile River valley. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam also trace their origins to
Southwest Asia.
Topic/Take-Away: Islam and Arabic language have been unifying forces in this region. Many people speak Arabic however other languages are dominant as well. Tradition, especially religious observance, plays an important role in everyday life.
Topic/Take-Away: While this region has limited arable land, a large percentage work in agriculture. Oil producing countries have experienced greater economic growth than other countries in the region. Technology has helped the region with connectivity. Interdependence is increasing among the counties of the region, especially in controlling oil production and prices.
Topic/Take-Away: Pending – Migration
Topic/Take-Away: Pending – Political Systems in the Middle East
Topic/Take-Away: Pending – Current Events
Academic Terms to Know:
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Alluvial soil
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Wadi
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Kum
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Phosphate
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Oasis
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Pastoralism
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Cereal
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Ethnic Diversity
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Infrastructure
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Domesticate
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Culture Hearth
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Cuneiform
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Hieroglyphics
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Qanat
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Monotheism
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Prophet
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Mosque
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Nationalism
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Nationalize
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Embargo
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Ziggurat
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Bedouin
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Bazaar
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Arable
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Commodity
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Petrochemical
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GDP
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Hajj
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Embargo
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Silk Road
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Genocide
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Terrorism
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Desertification
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World Geography – Unit 7 – North Africa and Southwest Asia
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Cultural Hearths
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Cradles of Civilization
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Colonialism
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Nomadic
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Agrarian
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Industrialized
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Perceptual Region
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Persian Gulf
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Suez Canal
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Strait of Hormuz
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Drought
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Sunni
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Shiite
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Al Qaeda
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Rural
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Urban
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Revolution
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Empires
Guided Reading Questions
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Exploration
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Scarcity
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Desalination
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Traditional Economies
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Ethnocentric
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Cultural Bias
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Ethnicity
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