Landforms
Largest hot desert in the world
Sahara Desert
Deserts cause for a _______ population while rivers cause a ______ population
sparse (little), dense (larger)
What characteristics do all three religions (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) have in common
Monotheistic, has a holy bible, major prophets, and began in Southwest Asia
What two natural resources transformed the Middle East
Oil & Natural Gas
What is the Economic Impact of Strategic Location
Trade based prosperity
Egyptian civilization utilized this major river
Nile River
Mesopotamia is in between what two rivers
Tigris & Euphrates Rivers
The worship of one God is called
Monotheism
What feature causes groups to often favored looser, kinship-based governance over centralized authority.
Deserts
What is the Economic Impact of Arid Climate
Limited agriculture, reliance on imports
What two plateau's were great for trade and settlement in the Middle East
Anatolian & Iranian Plateau
Sumerian writing was called
Cuneiform
The leader or savior in the Christian teachings was called a
Messiah
What type of government was established to organize irrigation, flood control, and agricultural production.
Centralized
What is the Political Impact of Oil Reserves
Authoritarian rentier states, foreign involvement
Separates the Arabian Peninsula from Africa and is a vital shipping route.
Red Sea
Fertile Crescent
In Islamic religion what is a religious journey to Mecca at least once in a lifetime called
Pilgrimage
Name the route that brought wealth and influence but also made the region a target for empires and colonizers
Silk Road
What is the Political Impact of Mountains/Deserts
Fragmentation, ethnic divisions
A major mountain range in Iran, impacting regional climate and settlement.
Zagros Mountains
What civilization began in Mesopotamia that used advanced math and invented the first known wheel vehicles
Sumer
The spread of Jewish people around the world is called
Diaspora
Oil wealth allowed rulers to maintain power through _______ _____ and welfare programs, often reducing public demand for democratic reform.
Patronage Systems
What is the Economic Impact of Colonial Borders
Resource and border disputes