The Eastern Mediterranean

Palestine and Modern Israel

• Zionism was established in the late 1800’s.

• After World War I Jews moved to Palestine.

• Today Jews make up 80% of Israel’s population.

• In 1947 the UN voted to divide Palestine into Jewish and Arab states.

• Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria invaded Israel.

Palestine and Modern Israel• In 1967 Israel gained

land west of the Jordan River (West Bank), the Gaza Strip, and a small amount of land on the Mediterranean Coast.

• Thousands of Jews have moved form the West Bank to the Gaza Strip.

• Israelis took the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967.

• In Israel, troops guard the Jordan River, a very important water source.

Economic Development: Turkey

 •    Turkey is the second

most developed industry.

•    Earthquakes interrupt economic growth.

• Political Conflict is a big problem.

• It has modern urban factories and small sale industries.

• Israel economy is based on agriculture.

•    Israel is the most developed technological country in the Eastern Mediterranean.

• Polished diamonds are Israel’s leading export.

•    Tourism is high in Bethlehem and Jerusalem for the religious sites.

Economic Development: Israel

• Palestinians live as refugees in Jordan.

• Population increase strains its resources

• It has an undeveloped economy and high unemployment

• They have a lack of resources, a weak educational system, and undeveloped technology.

Economic Development: Jordan and Syria

Urban Environments in Eastern Mediterranean

• Population– The houses of the

eastern Mediterranean are small and cramped because of population

– Traffic congestion and smog keep getting worse each year

• Damascus , Syria– Damascus, Syria

is probably the oldest city in the world

Urban Environments in Eastern Mediterranean

• Souks– Souks are open

air markets in the Arab world

– Souks are common in the older cities

Urban Environments in Eastern Mediterranean

• New an Old Parts of the Cities– Usually, the

newer parts of the city surround the older parts

– Most service oriented businesses and government offices are in the newer parts

Urban Environments in Eastern Mediterranean

• Beirut– Beirut has been

damaged by war– Lebanon’s

government has worked hard to rebuild its center

– It was built into a thriving and

modern commercial zone

Urban Environments in Eastern Mediterranean

• The PLO wants Palestine to have control of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

• The Kurds say that Turkeys government treats them unfairly.

• The Turkish government has limited the religious freedom of Muslims.

Issues and Challenges

• In 1975 the Greeks and Turks started a feud that lasted 15 years.

• Overgrazing has damaged semiarid grasslands in parts of Jordan and Syria.

Issues and Challenges