Southwest Asia Geography Study Guide
Know the Vocabulary
Bedouins- nomad
Caliph- leader
Culture (see ethnic group)
Diversity- differences
Ethnic group- share a culture—traditions, language, history, music, foods, possibly religion
Hereditary- of or passed down by inheritance from an ancestor
Kurds- an ethnic group with no specific homeland or government. They live in the mountainous regions
of Syria, Turkey, Iran and Iraq. Kurds speak Kurdish
Monotheistic- belief in one god
Obsolete- no longer in use
OPEC- Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. Controls the flow and price of oil worldwide.
Patriarch- the father figure – founder
Persians- an ethnic group- live in present day Iran- They speak Farsi which uses the Arabic alphabet
Religious group- shares a belief in a god or gods with the rituals and literature of that belief- basically
shares a religion
Rub al Khali- a large desert in southern Saudi Arabia. Also known as the “Empty Quarter”
Shatt al Arab- Where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers come together in southern Iraq before emptying
into the Persian Gulf
Subsistence agriculture- growing crops for one’s own use (one’s own family); not for commercial sales
Be able to place the following on a map of the Middle East: The countries of Turkey, Iran, Iraq,
Afghanistan, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. The Euphrates, Tigris, and Jordan Rivers. The Arabian, and
Red Seas, the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, the Gaza Strip and the Suez Canal.
SS7G7 The student will explain the impact of location, climate, physical characteristics,
Distribution of natural resources and population distribution on Southwest Asia (Middle East).
a. Explain how the distribution of oil has affected the development of Southwest Asia (Middle
East).
Oil and natural gas are the two most valuable natural resources in SW Asia. In fact about 50% of
the world’s oil supply is found in this region. The discovery of oil has brought great wealth to
those countries lucky enough to have oil. Those countries that do not have oil have had to find
other things that they can market. The four countries with the most oil in this region are Iran,
Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. OPEC is an organization that was formed in the 1960’s so that
they could have more control over the price of oil on the world market.
b. Describe how the deserts and rivers of Southwest Asia (Middle East) have affected the population in
terms of where people live, the type of work they do, and how they travel.
There are three major rivers in SW Asia- the Tigris, Euphrates and Jordan Rivers. It is around these
major rivers that the largest cities can be found. These rivers become a political issue because water is
scarce in SW Asia (which is mostly hot and dry) and some countries dam up the rivers thereby cutting
off or limiting the amount of water that flows to countries downstream. People who live along these
rivers have devised different methods of irrigating their fields, such as water wheels, canals and qanats.
Many people in this region practice subsistence farming. Mountains along the coast block the winds
coming from the ocean causing them to drop their moisture and leaving interior (inside) areas to be
deserts. Bedouins are a group of people who live in the desert. They are nomads which means that they
have no real permanent homes. They live in tents that they can pack up and move when they need to.
Bedouins have traditionally made their living by herding/trading animals and selling/trading handmade
goods with people in towns on the edge of the desert. This way of life is gradually disappearing.
SS7G8 The student will describe the diverse cultures of the people who live in Southwest Asia
(Middle East).
a. Explain the differences between an ethnic group and a religious group. (see definitions)
b. Explain the diversity of religions within the Arabs, Persians, and Kurds.
Most Arabs are Muslims although there are some who are Christians. Muslims are divided into two
groups; the Sunni and the Shia. Arabs speak Arabic. Persians (the people who live in modern day Iran)
are mostly Shia Muslims (90% of all Persians). Persians speak Farsi which uses the Arabic alphabet.
Their ancestors were Indo-Europeans from Central Europe and Southern Russia. Kurds are a group of
people who live in the mountainous areas of Turkey, Syria, Iran, and Iraq. They have no homeland or
government of their own. They speak Kurdish and have their own culture. Most are Sunni Muslims
although there is a minority of Shia Muslims.
c. Compare and contrast the prominent religions in Southwest Asia (Middle East): Judaism, Islam, and
Christianity.
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all trace their roots back to Abraham. They are all monotheistic
(believing in one god) Before Abraham the people in this region believed in many different gods.
Judaism According to the Torah (the holy book of Judaism) Abraham made an agreement (covenant)
with God. Abraham would be the head of a new nation if he would dedicate himself and the Hebrew
people to the worship of one God. The Hebrew people lived surrounded by more powerful kingdoms
and were forced into slavery in Egypt. After many years of slavery they escaped and Abraham led them
into the Sinai desert to avoid capture. This is known as the “Exodus” and is remembered every year by
the celebration of Passover. About 1000 BCE King Saul built a magnificent temple in the city of
Jerusalem which the Romans destroyed around 70 AD although a portion of the Western Wall of the
Temple remained. The Jewish people were forced out of the lands around Jerusalem and were scattered
to other parts of the world. This is known as the “Diaspora” However they still believed that the ancient
land of Israel was part of the covenant they made with God.
Christianity Grew out of Judaism during the time of Roman rule in Palestine. The founding father is
Jesus, a Jew who began preaching of a more personal relationship with a loving and forgiving God. His
followers became known as disciples. Their writings become the first four books of the New Testament.
The Jewish and Roman leaders were threatened by Jesus. The Jews considered his teachings to be
crimes against the religion and the Romans saw him as a threat to their authority. The Roman emperor,
Pontius Pilate, had Jesus crucified. According to Christianity Jesus rose from the dead and walked
among the living before going to heaven. The belief is Jesus creates the division between Judaism and
Christianity. The followers of Jesus called him Messiah which in Greek is “Christos” which was
shortened to Christ. At first the followers of Christianity were persecuted and often put to death by the
Romans. However by 313 AD the Roman emperor Constantine recognized Christianity as a valid
religion. The sacred text of Christianity is the Bible.
Islam began in the city of Mecca in the Arabian Peninsula around 600 AD. The patriarch (founding
father) is Muhammad. Mecca was a major trading center in an area where people worshiped many
different gods. Muhammad believed the angel Gabriel spoke to him and asked him to spread the word
of God to the people. ONE GOD, Allah- Merchants in Mecca were afraid that this idea of only one God
would offend the traders who came to Mecca and Muhammad and his followers began to receive threats
of violence. Muhammad moved 200 miles to the north (to Medina- “city of the prophet”) where he and
his followers were welcomed. About 8 years later Muhammad returned to Mecca with an army and the
city surrendered. In the center of Mecca was a large rectangular building which according to Islam had
been built by Abraham and his son as a tribute to God for saving them from dying in the desert after
they escaped from slavery in Egypt (EXODUS). Over the years, traders filled the building (the Ka’aba)
with statues of pagan gods. When Muhammad returned to Mecca, the first thing he did was to throw out
all of those statues and rededicated the Ka’aba to Allah. After Muhammad’s death, Islam spread quickly
as Muslim armies conquered empires that had weakened over the years. The holy book of Islam is the
Quran which is a handbook for leading a respectable life. It contains part of the Old and New
Testaments as well as the teachings of Muhammad and is therefore considered to be the last word of
God. Muslims consider Jews and Christians to be the “People of the Book” because the Old and New
Testaments are about the Jews and Christians. Muslims have 5 basic obligations known as the Five
Pillars. They are 1) a belief that there is but one God, Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet. 2) pray 5
times a days facing Mecca 3) charity to the poor 4) eating and drinking nothing during the daylight
hours of Ramadan, the 10th month of the Islamic calendar and 5) a pilgrimage (journey) to Mecca at
least once in a lifetime.
d. Explain the reason for the division between Sunni and Shia Muslims.
When Muhammad died, his four best friends became the leaders of Islam (Caliphs) and were known as
the “Four Rightly Guided Caliphs”. After their deaths however the question of who would lead the
religion again became a problem. A small group of Muslims believed that the next Caliph should be a
direct descendent of Muhammad. They are known as Shia Muslims and make up about 15% of Muslims
worldwide. A larger group of Muslims believed that any Muslim who could hold the community
together could become the Caliph. This group is known as the Sunni Muslims. They make up about
85% of the world’s Muslim population. Although the Shia are a very small portion of the Muslim
community, the countries of Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon are primarily Shia Islamic countries. Nearly 90%
of all Persians (people who live in present day Iran) are Shia Muslims.
e. Evaluate how the literacy rate affects the standard of living.
Literacy is the ability to read and write. Countries with the highest literacy rates usually have the
highest gross domestic product (the total value of all goods and services produced within a nation in a
given year) per capita (per person) and also the highest standard of living. The ability to read and write
allows people to become doctors, lawyers, engineers, scientists, business leaders, etc. These are jobs
that allow people to make a decent living and to live a comfortable life. Education in this part of the
world is sometimes unequal. Sometimes it is only available to those who can afford to pay and often
girls have less opportunity to go to school than boys.