Name: ___________________
Date: _______
WEBQUEST: PEOPLE and GEOGRAPHY OF THE
MIDDLE EAST
PEOPLE
Over ______ million people live in the Middle East. People of the Middle
East can be differentiated based on these 3 criteria: ______________,
______________, or _____________________________. The largest ethnic group in
the Middle East is _______________. About ______% of the people in the Middle
East speak Arabic and consider themselves Arab.
In terms of religion, most of the people in the Middle East practice
____________. There are different sects of Islam, and most people in the
Middle East belong to the _____________ sect. Two other religions practiced in
the Middle East are ______________, which is the dominant religion in Israel, and
_________________.
Many people in the Middle East have a stronger connection to their
nation than to their ethnicity or religion. A strong attachment to one’s
state/country is known as _________________________.
GEOGRAPHY
1. True/False – there is an agreed upon definition of the Middle East,
everybody agrees exactly what it is.
2. Is the physical geography of the Middle East varied? ________
3. This desert runs across North Africa. _________________
4. What is the “Empty Quarter”? _____________________________________________
____________________________
5. What areas of the Middle East have rich agriculture? ______________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
6. True/False - there is snow in the Middle East.
--- for #s 7-8 use the “physical” map --7. The __________ Sea separates the Arabian Peninsula from the African
continent.
8. Describe the relative location of the Zagros Mountains. __________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
9. This man made structure links the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.
____________________________
10. The Strait of ________________ links the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean.
11. About how much rain per year do the deserts of the Middle East get? ____
12. Why is the climate along the Mediterranean, Black and Caspian Seas similar
to that of southern Italy and California?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
--- for # 13 use the “space” map --13. Based on this map, in which color would you want to live and why? In which
color would you not want to live and why?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
--- for #14 use the “population” map --14. Does your answer to number 13 agree or disagree with the population
patterns shown on this map? Why or why not?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
--- for #s 15-17 use the “land use” map --15. Based on this map, in which Middle Eastern country would you want to live
and why?
______________________________________________________________________________
16. What natural feature explains the presence of irrigated crops in Egypt?
_________________________
17. What basic natural resource is lacking in the Arabian Peninsula?
______________ How do you think this might have affected the development of
culture in this part of the world?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
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SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA
1. The dominant religion in both regions is ______________ and most people
speak _______________
2. Geographically speaking, both areas are covered primarily by _______________
3. There are some exceptions to these similarities:
- Most Iranians are Muslim, but not _______________
- About 1/3 of the people in Lebanon practice _________________________, not
Islam
- Most people in Israel speak ___________________ and practice the religion of
______________
4. Briefly describe who the Kurds are, where they live, and why they might have
some trouble in Middle Eastern nations.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
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5. Briefly describe who the Berbers are.
______________________________________________________________________________
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