Review Guide for Southwest Asia Test
Directions: Fill out the following review guide using your notes on Southwest Asia and North
Africa.
1. What are the two most common climates in Southwest Asia?
Arid and semiarid
2. What is the name of the desert that covers North Africa?
Sahara
3. What is an oasis?
Area with water and vegetation in the desert
4. What is the name of a dry riverbed found in the desert?
Wadi
5. What is desertification?
The expansion of the desert
6. List three strategic waterways found in Southwest Asia.
Suez Canal, Bosporus, Dardanelles
7. The Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea
8. What is another name for the Persian Gulf?
Arabian Gulf
9. What is the name of the region located south of the Sahara Desert that is vulnerable to
desertification?
Sahel
10. What is the name of the river that flows into the Dead Sea?
Jordan
11. The fertile crescent is located between what two rivers?
Tigris and Euphrates
12. Where would you find a Mediterranean climate in Southwest Asia?
Coast of Turkey and Israel
13. What is the name of a small island located in the eastern Mediterranean?
Cyprus
14. What countries are members of OPEC in Southwest Asia?
Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar
15. Most of the countries around the Persian Gulf export oil
16. What does OPEC do?
Regulate the price and production of oil
17. What is the most important resource in Southwest Asia and North Africa?
Water
18. When salt is taken out of seawater or ocean water it is called desalinization
19. The economies in Southwest Asia rely heavily on __________ economic activity.
Primary
20. List three primary economic activities in Southwest Asia.
Drilling for oil, nomadic herding, farming
21. Why was the Aswan Dam built on the Nile River?
Stop the annual flooding of the river and provide hydroelectric power
22. What is the name for unskilled laborers that immigrate to Southwest Asia to work?
Guest Worker
23. What is the name of the overland trade route that linked Southwest Asia and East Asia?
Silk Road
24. What is the situation of Timbuktu, Mali?
Located on the Trans-Saharan trade route
25. What is the situation of Istanbul, Turkey?
Controls land route between Europe and Asia
26. What is the site of Alexandria, Egypt?
Harbor
27. What is the site of Jerusalem, Israel?
Hilltop
28. List three major religions that began in Southwest Asia.
Judaism, Christianity, Islam
29. What religion considers the Western Wall to be a holy place?
Judaism
30. What religion considers the Koran to be a holy book?
Islam
31. List the five pillars of Islam.
See book
32. What is the holiest place in the religion of Islam?
Mecca
33. What city is considered sacred by Judaism, Islam, and Christianity?
Jerusalem
34. What are the major unifying characteristics of North Africa and Southwest Asia?
Islam and Arabic
35. What is the only Jewish country in Southwest Asia?
Israel
36. List three non-Arab countries in Southwest Asia and North Africa.
Turkey, Iran, Israel
37. What is the name of the island divided between people of Greek ethnicity and people of
Turkish ethnicity?
Cyprus
38. What type of people live on the fringes of the Sahara and Arabian Deserts?
Nomadic
39. What items reflect the cultural landscape of Southwest Asia and North Africa?
Prayer rugs, mosaics, Arabic calligraphy
40. What areas are heavily populated in Southwest Asia and North Africa?
Areas near rivers or fresh water
41. What are the names of two areas where Palestinians live in Southwest Asia?
West Bank and Gaza Strip