Identical or Fraternal?
“Are North Africa and SW Asia twins?” First we should talk about the
two kinds of twins. Identical twins look alike, but fraternal twins do
not. Many fraternal twins may even have opposite characteristics,
like one a blonde and the other a brunette.
What do twins have to do with countries of North Africa & Southwest
Asia? We are beginning our study of North Africa and SWA and we
need to understand why this formal region exists. Based on the
information that you gather from the computers (or handouts), you
need to decide if the countries in SWA and North Africa are more
identical or fraternal.
For this activity, twins may only be fraternal if over half of the
characteristics in the graphic organizer are different. You will be given
a is a list of questions to help you determine whether most of the
countries of the Middle East and North Africa are identical or fraternal
twins.
At this time, pick one from each
column…
SWA Countries
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Jordan
Iraq
Iran
Saudi Arabia
Bahrain
United Arab Emirates
Kuwait
Qatar
North African Countries
•
•
•
•
•
Morocco
Libya
Tunisia
Egypt
Algeria
Go to:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publ
ications/the-world-factbook/
Questions for Comparison
What is the major religion?
What kind of government do they
have?
What are some of the
environmental issues?
What are the major natural
resources?
What is the life expectancy (men,
women, & total)?
How much of the land is arable?
What kind of climate do they
have?
What is the largest ethnic group?
What is the literacy rate (men,
women, & total)?
What is the level of technology
use, compared with the
population?
Identical vs. Fraternal Writing
Assignment
Write a paragraph (8-10
sentences) that addresses the
following question:
Based on the information in the
chart you completed, are most
countries in North Africa like
those in SW Asia?
Give at least 3 details to back up
your “identical” or “fraternal”
twin claim. If there are more
than 5 similarities, consider them
“identical” and if there are fewer
than 5, consider them
“fraternal”.