key terms
This term means “to tame plants or animals for human use.”
Domesticate
This city is the holiest site in Islam and the destination of the Hajj.
Mecca
This river supports 90% of Egypt’s population.
Nile river
This ancient group created the first alphabet.
Phoenicians
This country speaks farsi
Iran
This writing system, created by the Sumerians, is considered the world’s first.
cuneiform
These three religions all consider Jerusalem a holy city.
Christianity, Muslims and Jews
This sea separates the Arabian Peninsula from North Africa.
What is the red sea
This region, home to the Sumerians, is considered the world’s first cultural hearth.
Mesopotamia
These two countries in the region are primarily Christian.
Armenia and georgia
This type of government is ruled by religious leaders.
Theocracy
This group of Muslims is the majority in Iran.
Shiite
This is the largest landlocked body of water in the world.
Caspian Sea
This Mongol leader created the largest land empire in history.
Gengis Khan
Oil is abundant in Southwest Asia because the region was once covered by these.
“What are ancient seas”
This organization controls much of the world’s oil production and pricing.
OPEC
These are the five basic duties required of all Muslims.
“What are the Five Pillars of Islam”
This extremely salty body of water allows people to float easily.
Black sea
This trade route connected China to the Mediterranean and brought wealth to the Middle East.
What is the silk road
This ethnic group makes up the majority of Iran’s population.
Persians
These dry riverbeds fill with water only after rainfall.
wadis
These two branches of Islam disagree over who should have succeeded Muhammad.
What is sunni and shia{shiite}
This dam was built to control the Nile’s flooding and has both benefits and drawbacks.
Aswan dam
This 1947 document led to the creation of the modern state of Israel.
UN Partition Plan
Oil wealth has improved these three major areas of life in the region.
Education — more schools, higher literacy
Healthcare — modern hospitals, longer life expectancy
Infrastructure — roads, airports, clean water, electricity