Physical Geography
The region of the world that sits at the intersection between Africa, Europe, and Asia.
What are the three Abrahamic religions?
Judaism, Christianity, Islam
Bonus: Which religion came first?
Ethnicity is based on what combination of features?
What is the primary purpose of a canal?
A canal is man-made channel of water with the purpose of shortening trade routes and decreasing travel time.
What body of water has been historically disputed between Egypt and Israel?
The Middle East primarily has what type of climate and environment?
Warm, dry desert climate and environment.
Bonus: What happens as you move further north in the Middle East?
Islam, Judaism, and Christianity are all considered monotheistic religions. What does this mean?
They believe in a single god.
Bonus: What is the name of this God in Judaism and Islam?
Idris is an Arab boy with Syrian ancestry. Why can it not be assumed he is Muslim?
Not all Arabs are Muslim.
What are the major two trade exports of many Middle Eastern countries?
Oil and Natural Gas
Turkey, Syria, and Iraq share the Euphrates and Tigris rivers as a source of fresh water. What conflicts have arisen around these two rivers between these three countries?
The rivers begin in Turkey, who is damming the rivers, which is causing water shortages and pollution in Syria and Iraq because they are downstream of the rivers.
Bonus: Which country suffers the most from the conflict?
As river water flows from one country to the next, what tends to happen in the countries furthest down the river?
Countries furthest down the river tend to have less clean water access due to countries upriver consuming, blocking, or polluting water.
Islam broke away from Christianity and Judaism as a new religion for what reason?
The Prophet Muhammad delivered his message from Allah.
Abja attends Mosque on Fridays with his family, he speaks Kurdish and lives in Iraq. Achmed also lives in Iraq, speaks Kurdish but attends church on Sundays. What do the two boys have in common?
They are both from Kurdish ethnic groups.
The Suez Canal is an important body of water for trade for what reason?
It connects the Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea, which shortens the trade route from Asia to Europe and the Atlantic Ocean.
The Jordan River provides fresh water to Lebanon, Israel, Jordan and Palestine. What is the major conflict between these countries around the river?
Israel is extracting a disproportionate amount of water from the river, and this is limiting the access to water for the other countries.
Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, and Syria share what major body of water as a source of fresh drinking water?
Sunni and Shia Muslims are the two major branches of Islamic faith. What is the major difference in belief that caused their split?
Sunni Muslims believed that leadership after Muhammad should go to his close companions and anyone most qualified, while Shia Muslims believed that leadership should remain with Muhammad's family.
Israelis and Palestinians have had to share land since the creation of the nation of Israel. What features make these groups different?
Israelis are majority Jewish in their history and culture, while Palestinians are primarily Arab and Islamic.
The Strait of Hormuz is an important body of water for the global economy for what reason?
It connects the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean, which allows the Gulf States to export oil from the Middle East.
"Many of the wars of this century were about oil, but the wars of the next century will be about water."
What is the most likely meaning of this quote in reference to future conflicts?
Water is becoming a scarce resource that groups of people will fight for in the future.
What are the Gulf States of the Middle East and why are they called Gulf States?
The Gulf States include Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates and called as such because they are located along the Persian Gulf.
Double or nothing: Name 4 of the Gulf States.
What are the 5 Pillars of the Islamic faith and what does each of them require?
The Five Pillars are Profession of Faith, Daily Prayer, Charity, Fasting, and Pilgrimage.
Profession of Faith requires declaring that there is one true God, Allah, and Muhammad was the final prophet.
Daily prayer requires 5 prayers to be completed each day.
Charity requires that Muslims donate a part of their wealth to those in need.
Fasting requires that Muslims not eat during the day hours of the holy month.
Pilgrimage requires that all Muslims that are capable to travel to Mecca at least once in their lives.
Double or Nothing: Give 2 of the Arabic names for the Five Pillars.
What is the purpose of Hijab in the Islamic religion and culture?
Hijab is meant as a covering for women to show modesty in how they dress.
Double or Nothing: Give an example of Hijab that Muslim women might use to dress more modestly.
The Middle East, as a region, exports a large portion of the world’s oil and gas supply. What political value does this provide these countries?
The oil and gas exporting countries can use their control over oil and gas to negotiate what they want from other countries.
Iran and the UAE control most of the Strait of Hormuz connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and Indian Ocean. What conflicts might arise if Iran were to blockade the Strait of Hormuz.