World Geography
Southwest Asia
Study Guide
Name__________________________________
1. What is the name given to the region between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers that stretches from
modern Iraq to Israel?
2. What is the Fertile Crescent known as?
3. What happened in the Fertile Crescent around 8000 B.C.?
4. What is the event in #3 known as?
5. What are the two reasons the Fertile Crescent region has always been an area of conflict?
6. What two geographical features cover much of Central and Southwestern Asia?
7. Many of the plains of Southwestern Asia are what?
8. What type of climate does Southwest Asia have?
9. Where in Southwest Asia will you find more precipitation and cooler winters?
10. Where in Southwest Asia will you find cold, snowy winters?
11. What does “stan” mean (in regard to the names of the Central Asian nations)?
12. What does the beginning of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan’s
names refer to?
13. Although the Central Asian nations have various ethnicities and cultures living there, what is the one
major thing they have in common?
14. What did the Soviet Union do to the two rivers that flowed into the Aral Sea?
15. What happened to the Aral Sea because of the Soviet Union’s actions?
16. What was the effect on the local fishing industry of the Aral Sea?
17. What is Southwest Asia often referred to as?
18. The Middle East has a long history of what?
19. What are the three major religions that developed in the Middle East?
20. By World War I, much of the Middle East was controlled by what nation?
21. How did the Allied powers get the Arabs living in the Ottoman Empire to help them during World
War I?
22. What did France and Great Britain do in the Middle East after World War I (instead of giving the Arab
nations their independence)?
23. What is a mandate?
24. What two ethnic groups lived in Palestine after World War I?
25. Why did Jewish immigration to Palestine increase as World War II drew near?
26. After World War II, what was their support to do for the Jews in Palestine?
27. What did the United Nations decided to do with Palestine?
28. What happened when the United Nations divided Palestine and created the nation of Israel?
29. What happened to the Palestinians?
30. For many years, what was the most prosperous country of the Middle East?
31. War broke out in Lebanon between what groups?
43. What did Islamic radicals do in Lebanon in 1983 to cause the U.S. to withdraw from the country?
44. When was peace finally established in Lebanon?
45. What were two reasons for Iraq’s prosperity?
46. Why did the first Persian Gulf War start?
47. What is an embargo?
48. How did the embargo affect Iraq?
49. What led to the second Persian Gulf War?
50. Who was eventually removed from power in Iraq?
51. What problem is Iraq facing today?
52. Syria is currently involved in a civil war that is a part of a larger movement known as what?
53. Why has the Arab Spring occurred?
54. How many Middle Eastern and North African countries have been involved in the Arab Spring?
55. Why did the U.S. almost use military force against Syria this year?
56. What are the two names used for the world’s largest sand desert that can be found on the Arabian
Peninsula?
57. The Arabian Peninsula has the least amount of what resource than any large land mass on the earth?
58. How much of the world’s known oil reserves can be found in the Arabian Peninsula?
59. What have the Arabian Peninsula countries been using their wealth from their oil to do?
60. What is a major expense for these countries?
61. What organization was formed in 1960 to help control the production and prices of oil?
62. The countries of the Middle East have tried to balance modernization with what?
63. What is the most important social unit of the Middle East?
64. What problems do women face in the Middle East?
65. How many Muslims make the pilgrimage to Mecca every year?
66. Who ruled Iran after World War II?
67. What did the shah’s attempt to do in Iran?
68. Who were the people who opposed the shah’s plans, believing Iran should be governed by strict
Islamic law?
69. Who was the ayatollah who took over Iran and worked to remove all western influences in the
country?
70. What problem does Iran face today?
71. What part of Cyprus’ population is made up of Muslim Turks?
72. Who makes up the rest of Cyprus’ population?
73. Why did Cyprus split in the 1960’s?
74. What did Turkey do in response to the civil war that occurred in Cyprus?