Characteristics of Southwest Asia and North Africa

PhysicalAridOil

Cultural• Culture Hearths

• World Religions

• Conflict

NAMING THE REGIONPopular Labels

Dry WorldArab WorldIslamic WorldMiddle East

THE DRY WORLD ?

Dry/arid climate prevails throughout the realm Exceptions:

Regions of Turkey Northwestern section of IranOasesSeveral great river valleys

Characteristics of Southwest Asia and North Africa

PopulationScattered clusters around scarce water sources

Regional DifferencesOil and Non-oil states

Political GeographyFragmented

WATER - A RENEWABLE OR FINITE RESOURCE?

Water is critical for life, food production, and industrial processes.

9 out of 14 Southwest Asian states face water-shortage conditions (the most concentrated region of water scarcity in the world).

The North African states all have rates of natural increase above 2.0%, increasing the stress on water sources.

AN ARAB REALM ? Relates to language as a cultural feature of this

realm Arabic is the dominant language in 16 States of

the realm. In Non-Arab States, indigenous languages

dominate.- Turkey - Turkish- Iran – Farsi (Persian)- Israel - Hebrew

ISLAMIC REALM?• Muhammed (571- 632 Ad)• Five Pillars Of Faith– Repeated Expressions Of Creed/Affirmation– Frequent Prayer (5 Times a Day)– Month Of Daytime Fasting (Ramadan)– Alms-giving– Pilgrimage To Mecca

• Sunnis vs Shi’ites– Sunnis make up 85% of Muslims. Most

Shi’ites live in Iran.

POPULATION DISTRIBUTIONThe majority of the population in this realm lives

not in the dry arid regions, but around water resources.- The Nile- Mediterranean Sea- Euphrates and Tigris Basin - Lower mountain slopes of Iran, south of the Caspian Sea

THE MIDDLE EAST

“Middle” of the Eastern realm- between the Far East (China) and the Near East (Turkey)

Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon Center of conflict between Christians, Jews, and

MuslimsSunni – Shi’a conflict (within Iraq and

throughout the region)

Fertile Crescent

An area located in a crescent-shaped region between the Persian Gulf in the south and Israel in the west.

Center of human civilization and was the site of the ancient Mesopotamian Empire that developed along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.