Southwest Asia Study Guide
- Harsh and Arid Lands
A. Landforms divide the region
1. Golan Heights – a hilly region overlooking the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee
2. A number of tectonic plate boundaries cross Southwest Asia
● Makes the area prone to earthquakes
B. The Arabian Peninsula lies between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf
1. Red Sea covers a rift valley createed by divergent tectonic plates
2. The Red Sea – Suez Canal is a strategic waterway for trade
3. The Anatolian Peninsula is occupied by the country of Turkey
4. Bosporus and Dardanelles straits
● Control trade between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea
5. Straits of Hormuz: between the Persian Gulf and the Arabian
● Only waterway to the oilfields of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq
6. Straits are sometimes called “choke points” because they can be used to control, tax, or
stop sea traffic
C. Much of the region is arid or semiarid; many mountains and plateaus
1. Wadis: riverbeds that remain dry except during the rainy seasons
2. Parts of Turkey and Afghanistan are well-watered agricultural areas
3. The Hindu Kush Mountains separate the region from Pakistan and India
● The Zagros and Elburz mountains isolate Iran
● The Taurus and Pontic mountains provide water for Turkey
D. The region around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is called the Fertile Crescent
1. Was the home of several ancient civilizations
2. The Jordan River flows from the mountains of Lebanon into the salty Dead Sea
● Landlocked lake; lowest place on earth (1,349 feet below sea level)
E. Oil is the region's most abundant resource; a source of global power
1. One-half of the world’s oil reserves are found in Southwest Asia
2. The most valuable resource in parts of Southwest Asia is water
F. Most of Southwest Asia is arid (less than 18 inches of rain per year)
1. Some areas have a Mediterranean climates
2. Rub-al-Khali (sometimes called the Empty Quarter); about the size of Texas
3. Oasis: an area in the desert where vegetation is found because water is available,
usually from underground springs
4. Salt Flat: when winds evaporate theh moisture in the soil, chemical salts remain
● Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut are in Iran
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5. Semiarid lands receive enough rain to grow cotton and wheat
● In Turkey, mohair goats are raised – hair and fabric made from it are exported
6. Mediterranean coast and much of Turkey have a Mediterranean climate
● Farmers grow citrus fruits year round
7. Tigris and Euphrates valleys are rich farmland
● Rivers provide water for irrigation
G. Turkey and Iraq dam the Tigris and Euphrates to provide water for irrigation and
hydroelectric power
1. National Water Carrier Project in Israel carries water from the mountains in the north to
the central and southern parts of the country
● Agricultural projects in the Negev Desert
● Drinking water
● Source of controversy because the water sources flow through several countries
2. Drip irrigation: using small pipes that slowly drop water just above the ground to
conserve water used for crops
3. Desalinization: the removal of salt from ocean water
● May still be too salty for crops
● Very expensive
● Provides small quantities of water
4. Fossil Water: water held in aquifers for very long periods of time
● Water has very little chance of being replaced
5. Finding ways to conserve water is a top priority for the region
H. Millions of years ago a shallow sea covered Southwest Asia
1. Plants and animals died, sank to the bottom, mingled with sand and mud
2. Over time, pressure and heat turned the material into oil and gas
3. Crude Oil: unrefined petroleum
4. Refinery: facility where crude oil is converted into useful products
5. Movement: pipelines and oil tankers move the petroleum to market
● Pipelines can break or be sabotaged
● Oil tankers can run aground or have other accidents
- Religion, Politics, and Oil
A. This region is located at the intersection of three continents: Africa, Asia, and Europe
1. Many opportunities for trade and exchange of culture and religion
2. Many cities were trade centers for caravans
3. Ports where goods were exchanged from:
● Silk Road in East Asia
● Indian Ocean trade from South Asia
● Mediterranean Sea trade from Europe
4. Bedouins: nomadic herders who live in the desert
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B. Islam is a monotheistic religion based on the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad
1. Muhammad lived part of his life in Mecca (Saudi Arabia), the holiest city in Islam
2. United the people of the Arabian Peninsula
3. The Koran is the holy book of Islam; it contains the teachings of Muhammad
4. Five Pillars of Islam
● Faith: “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”
● Prayer: five times daily, facing the city of Mecca; may be in a mosque
● Charity: responsibility to support the less fortunate
● Fasting during the month of Ramadan
● Pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca if possible
5. A mosque is a Muslim place of worship
6. Diffusion: Islam was spread by trade and migration, but also by Muslim invaders
C. Lands controlled by Muslims had theocratic governments
1. Religious leaders controlled the governments
2. Rulers relied on religious law
3. In some cases (such as Iran today and the Taliban in Afghanistan) religious leaders rule
the country
D. After World War I – Ottoman Empire broke up
1. France and Britain gained control of much of Southwest Asia
2. The region was valuable because
● The Suez Canal was a vital link between European ports and Asian colonies
● Oil was discovered in 1932
3. By the late 1920s, Abdul al-Aziz Ibn Saud controlled much of the Arabian Peninsula
● 1932 – the entire area became Saudi Arabia
● Descendants of Abdul al-Aziz Ibn Saud still rule Saudi Arabia
E. The principal resource in the economy of the Arabian Peninsula is oil
1. The region is of global importance because industrialized countries depend on oil
2. OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) is a powerful force in
international trade
● Purpose of OPEC is to help members control worldwide oil prices by adjusting oil
prices and production quotas
F. The region is developing quickly with emphasis on modernizing
1. Western technology and machines undermine traditional ways of life
2. Pickups and automobiles have replaced camels for transportation
3. Less bazaars (open-air markets)
4. Changes in the economy are causing many people to move from farms and villages into
cities (push-pull factors)
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5. New types of jobs in the petroleum business
● Require workers who can read and write and have technical skills
● Many foreign workers live in the region to fill jobs
6. Some aspects of culture have not changed for centuries
● Women cover their hair and often much more
● Many women are becoming educated, but many still stay at home
● Family is viewed as very important
G. Three major monotheistic religions were founded in Southwest Asia
1. Judaism – oldest of the religions
● Jerusalem is the center of both modern and ancient homeland
● Temple Mount where King Solomon built the First Temple
● Western Wall (Wailing Wall) all that is left of the Temple
2. Christianity
● Jerusalem is were Jesus died and rose from the dead
● Christians launched the Crusades to regain Jerusalem from the Muslims
3. Islam
● After Mecca and Medina, Jerusalem is the holiest city in Islam
● Dome of the Rock: spot where Muhammad rose into heaven
H. Ottoman Empire ruled the area from 1522 to 1922
1. After World War I, Palestine was a British protectorate
● Zionism: movement to create a Jewish homeland in Palestine
● Jewish settlers started buying land there
● In the 1930s, many Jews moved to Palestine to escape the Nazis
● After World War II, thousands of Holocaust survivors wanted to settle in Palestine
2. 1947 – United Nations divided Palestine into two states
● Israel for Jews
● Palestine for Palestinian Arabs
● 1948 – the nation of Israel was officially created
● Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen invaded Israel to
prevent the establishment of the state
● Israeli troops fought back and won
I. Israel is the only democracy in the region (parliamentary system)
1. Prime Minister and Knesset (legislature)
2. Supported by the United States; opposed by many Europeans
3. Prosperous and technologically advanced
4. Many Palestinians were caught in the middle of turmoil and war.
● Fled their homes in Israel and have lived in refugee camps for generations
● “Right of return” to their former homes must be a condition for peace with Israel
● Unfortunately, it has been many years; the property belongs to someone else
● Also, Israel does not want a flood of impoverished refugees, many of whom hate
Israel and want to see it destroyed
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5. Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)
● Pursues both political and military means to regain Israel for Palestinian Arabs
● Wants to create a Palestinian state
● Wants the complete destruction of Israel
J. Most nations in the Eastern Mediterranean gained independence after World War II
1. Difficult to develop healthy economies
● Political divisions
● Refugees
● Lack of water
● Weak infrastructure
2. 3.6 million Palestinians – many still live in refugee camps
3. Civil war in Lebanon and Cyprus caused huge economic problems
K. All the nations in this region have great potential
1. Good climate for citrus crops
2. Many places for tourists to visit
3. Well located for connections to international markets
4. Many lack roads, irrigation systems, communications systems, and power sources
L. Blend of strong cultural traditions and changes brought about by modern innovations
1. Variety of cultures and religions
2. One of the most difficult problems faced by many governments in the region is changing
the way people think and act.
M. The Northeast subregion is the home of some of the oldest known cultures in the world
1. Fertile Crescent: land around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
2. Mesopotamia means “land between the rivers”
3. Fertile soil made raising crops easy
● Rivers provided transportation and water for irrigation, livestock, and humans
4. The Hittites brought innovations such as iron weapons
5. The Persians divided their huge empire into smaller regions for better control
N. This region is home to many ethnic groups including Turks, Kurds, Persians, and Assyrians
1. Language – Arabic, Turkish, and Farsi
● All Muslims much read Arabic – the language of the Koran
2. Most people in the region are Muslim
● There conflicts between the two main branches of Islam
● Sunni: the majority (83%) of Muslims
● Shi'ite: are the majority in Iran; Iran is ruled by Shi’ite imams (holy men)
● During the rule of Saddam Hussein, Iran was a refuge for Shi'ite Muslims fleeing Iraq
3. The Kurds are a stateless nation
● Claim a homeland in parts of Turkey, Iran, and Iraq
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O. Access to the oil-rich regions of the Persian Gulf is strategically important for all nations that
import oil (industrialized nations)
1. Persian Gulf War (1990-1991)
● July 1990 – the Iraqi army invaded the neighboring country of Kuwait
● President Bush forged a coalition of 32 nations to drive the Iraqis out of Kuwait
● These nations did not want Saddam Hussein to control a massive amount of world’s oil
reserves
P. The nations of this region face a number of economic challenges:
1. Most of the nations in this region have limited agricultural land
● Have oil and gas
● Need money to update and expand infrastructure
2. Turkey is making progress in modernizing
● Hydroelectric dams supply energy
● Boost production of cotton and other agricultural products
● Wants to join the European Union
● Held back by human rights record and fights with Greece over territory
3. Iran’s religious leaders are more interested in power than the economy
● Although oil-rich, the economy swings back and forth with government policy
4. Political problems and violence in Iraq and Afghanistan have prevented improvement of
their economies
● Iraq was under a United Nations embargo until 2003
● Limited the amount of oil Iraq could sell and what it could bury
5. Afghanistan is one of the poorest natons on earth
● Most people are subsistence farmers
● Landlocked with no efficient transportation system
● Does not have workers with management and technical skills
Q. Nations in this region face struggles between modernization and tradition
1. Until recently, Afghanistan was ruled by the Taliban
● Imposed a strict fundamentalist form of Islam on the people of Afghanistan
● After September 11, the Taliban protected Osama bin Laden from the U.S.
● U.S. forces helped overthrow the Taliban
● Afghanistan now has an elected government, although there is still much violence Today's Issues
A. Life in Southwest Asia did not change much for centuries
1. Oil was discovered early in the 20th century
● Western oil companies quickly leased land and supplied technology and workers
● Oil boom set off decades of rapid urbanizaton
● Thousands of people moved to cities in search of jobs and a higher standard of living
2. To fill job openings, companies recruited people; hired “guest workers”
● In the United Arab Emirates, nealy 90% of the workforce is immigrants
● Mostly unskilled labor from South Asia and East Asia
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● Take jobs local people don't want
● Cultural and religious differences between guest workers and their employers
cause problems
B. Oil is a strategic commodity – a resource so important that nations will go to war to ensure
its steady supply
1. Many countries in Southwest Asia are single commodity countries: countries that rely on
the export of one product
2. Unpredictable oil prices make it difficult for Southwest Asian economies to grow steadily
3. The oil rich countries of Southwest Asia face challenges in promoting economic growth:
● Modernizing infrastructure
● Creating diversified economies
● Developing human resources
▪ Improving education and technology training
▪ Expanding the roles of women
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