Geography
This large country is the largest oil producer in the world and occupies most of the Arabian Peninsula.
Saudi Arabia
These two major rivers flow through Turkey, Syria, and Iraq and are critical to ancient and modern civilizations.
Tigris & Euphrates
This organization, founded in 1960, coordinates the petroleum policies of its members to stabilize oil markets.
OPEC
This empire's collapse after World War I set the stage for European countries to divide up the Middle East, leading to the conflict.
Ottoman Empire
What happened on May 14, 1948?
Israel is formed
This country, located south of Turkey, is the ancient site of Mesopotamia and borders the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
Iraq
This process is used by many Gulf nations to remove salt from seawater, making it drinkable. Identify a problem with this process too.
Desalination - high costs, high energy use, waste product.
OPEC is often referred to by this economic term, meaning a group of producers who agree to control supply and fix prices.
Cartel
This European political ideology supported the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
Zionism
These are the two major, continuous uprisings by Palestinians against Israeli occupation.
The Intifadas
This country connects the Middle East to Europe and is bordered by the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
Türkiye (Turkey)
The Tigris and Euphrates rivers created this fertile area, which is considered the birthplace of civilization.
Fertile Crescent, Mesopotamia
Provide two reasons why modern nations are dependent on oil.
Energy/Fuel, heat, petrochemicals (clothes, dyes, plastics, etc. )
Following World War II, this international body voted in 1947 to partition Palestine into separate Arab and Jewish states.
United Nations (UN)
What started the current Israel-Hamas war?
This tiny, wealthy country on the Persian Gulf is known for its capital, Doha, and hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2022.
Qatar
Explain the water issue between Turkey and Iraq.
Turkey is holding water "hostage" through dams in order to extort Iraq for cheap oil.
This name refers to the alliance between OPEC members and non-OPEC oil-producing countries like Russia.
OPEC +
What happened on May 15, 1948?
The six surrounding Arab nations attacked Israel.
This secret 1916 agreement between Britain and France divided up future spheres of influence in the former Ottoman lands.
Sykes-Picot Agreement
Name all 8 countries that surround the Persian Gulf.
Iran
Iraq
Kuwait
Saudi Arabia
Bahrain
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Oman
Explain two ways the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers have changed since the ancient era.
The Water flow has decreased. Quality of Water (salt/pollution). Irrigation less effective. Less/no flooding.
Explain how OPEC can influence the price of oil.
Supply & Demand (control the supply)
The Jewish claim to the land is based on religion and the Palestinians' main claim is based on this, which is defined as continuous occupation over generations.
Historical Residency
What were the Oslo Accords and why did they fail?
A series of peace agreements from the 1990s. They focused on Borders, Governance, and peace for the Palestinians. They ultimately failed due to extremist actions (assassination, suicide bombings, etc. )