Middle East Unit: Reading and Questions Part 1: Introduction Located at the Junction of Three Continents—Europe,
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Middle East Unit: Reading and Questions Part 1: Introduction Located at the junction of three continents—Europe, Asia, and Africa—the region known as the Middle East has historically been a crossroads for conquerors, peoples, trade, and ideas as well as a transition zone for political and cultural interaction. Today the Middle East’s strategic location as a tricontinental hub, its vast petroleum reserves, its importance to Muslims, Christians, and Jews alike, and its many political disputes give it a global significance out of proportion to its size. The Middle East is a culturally, politically, and economically diverse region that extends for some 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) from west to east and some 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) from north to south. It is made up of several countries located on or near the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Although definitions vary, it is generally understood to encompass Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank, Iran, Iraq, and the Arabian Peninsula, which comprises Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait. The part of the region closest to Europe formerly was known as the Near East, and some agencies still use that term instead of the Middle East to describe the entire region. 1. What are the 3 continents that house the “Middle East”? 2. What are they known for? 3. Label your map with the countries and bodies of waters in this text. Color the waters blue and the countries each a different color. Part 2: Land and Climate The Middle East occupies an area where three plates of Earth’s crust meet. The convergence of these tectonic plates has produced high fold mountain ranges, particularly in Turkey (the Pontic and Taurus), Iran (the Elburz and Zagros), and Afghanistan (the Hindu Kush). All these ranges have peaks exceeding 12,000 feet (3,600 meters). Other highland areas are found inland from the Mediterranean coasts of Lebanon and Syria and in the southwestern and southeastern Arabian Peninsula. Elsewhere the region consists of extensive plateaus and lowland plains. The same forces that built the region’s mountains are responsible for periodic destructive earthquakes. The climate is more varied than commonly supposed. Summer temperatures are extremely hot almost everywhere except along the immediate Mediterranean coast, in the far north, and at higher elevations. In the Arabian Peninsula and interior North Africa, daily maximum temperatures exceed 100° F (38° C) for up to five consecutive months and occasionally climb above 120° F (50° C). In more humid coastal Mediterranean locations, by contrast, summer daytime temperatures are typically in the 80s F (high 20s and low 30s C). Winter brings pleasant, mild temperatures in the 60s to 70s F (upper teens C) to much of the southern Middle East during the daytime, but cold and occasionally frosty nights usually follow. In parts of Turkey, Iran, and Afghanistan winters can be harsh, especially at high elevations. Virtually all rain and snow occur in the winter months, with the heaviest precipitation falling along the Mediterranean coast, in the north, and on the windward slopes of mountain ranges. Most of the interior is desert and gets less than 2 inches (5 centimeters) of rain annually. Because of the aridity, there are comparatively few major rivers. Seasonal streams called wadis are found in parts of the region. The major rivers that do exist year-round are vital sources of water. The headwaters of the Nile, which supports many millions of people in Egypt and Sudan, lie far to the south in East Africa. The Tigris and Euphrates rise in Turkey and flow across Syria and Iraq to the head of the Persian Gulf. Other rivers in the region include the Jordan, Litani, and Orontes. 1. What is unique about this area? What is produced by it’s location? 2. Tweet about the climate in the different regions during the seasons. Put it on a birdie 3. Label the rivers on your map and draw them with brown. Label and color the waters blue. Part 3: People and Culture Although the Middle East includes diverse groups of peoples, many share common religious, linguistic, and cultural ties. Roughly 90 percent of the population are Muslim, and Muslims make up the majority in all countries in the region except in Israel, which has a Jewish majority. Islam originated in the Arabian Peninsula in the 7th century ad and rapidly spread to the rest of the region as well as to many other parts of the world. Muhammad, the revered prophet of Islam, was an Arab, and the world’s most sacred Islamic shrines are found in the region, particularly Muhammad’s birthplace, Mecca, which is now in Saudi Arabia. Islam’s division into branches of Sunnis and Shiʿites dates from the earliest days of the faith. The Shiʿites form the smaller branch, though they make up the majority of the Muslim population in Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, and Lebanon. Sunni Muslims account for the majority of the Muslim population of all other Middle Eastern countries, except Oman, which is mainly Ibadi Muslim. The Middle East was also the birthplace of Judaism, Christianity, and Zoroastrianism. Before Israel’s creation in 1948, Yemen, Egypt, and Iraq all had large Jewish communities. Most of these Jews (and others) settled in Israel, the world’s only predominantly Jewish state. The Christians belong to a large number of denominations, but many are Copts, Maronites, or Greek Orthodox. The largest concentrations of Christians are in Lebanon, Egypt, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Syria. The Iranian prophet Zoroaster founded Zoroastrianism in the 6th century bc, and small communities of the religion’s adherents still live in Iran. The Middle East is also home to small numbers of Hindus and followers of the Druze religion. Linguistically the Middle East is diverse. Arabic is the chief language except in Israel, Turkey, Iran, and Afghanistan. Arabic, a Semitic language, was originally spoken only in the Arabian Peninsula but spread with Islam. It is used by both Muslims and Christians. Written Arabic does not vary across regions and cultures, but differences in the spoken form are significant. Hebrew, another Semitic language closely related to Arabic, is the major language of Israel, though the country also has many Arabic speakers. Turkish, the main language of Turkey, belongs to the Altaic family of languages and has been written since the 1920s in Roman characters. Iran’s main language is Farsi, or Persian, an Indo-European tongue that is written in the Arabic script. Kurdish, an Iranian language, is spoken chiefly in western Iran, eastern Turkey, and northern Iraq. The Iranian languages Pashto and Dari (a dialect of Farsi) are the official languages of Afghanistan In the early 21st century, the population of the Middle East exceeded 400 million. The population is heavily concentrated in the wetter north and Mediterranean coastal regions, along river valleys, and in oases. The three most populous countries—Turkey, Egypt, and Iran—together have more than half of the region’s population. During the 20th century the Middle East underwent rapid urbanization. Most of the population now lives in urban areas, except in Afghanistan, Sudan, Yemen, and Egypt. 1. List facts about their religious beliefs. Make your facts into a 6 word story 2. What are the languages of the area? 3. Where does the majority of the population live? Part 4: Economy In general the region has a mostly arid climate and arable land is scarce, and it must import much of its food. Nevertheless, agriculture employs a significant portion of the workforce in some Middle Eastern countries, particularly Afghanistan and also Sudan, Egypt, Yemen, Turkey, Syria, Iran, and Lebanon. Around the Mediterranean coastline and in much of the north, farmers depend on winter rains. Elsewhere, in river valleys and oases, irrigation is necessary. The main subsistence crops include wheat, barley, corn (maize), rice, and vegetables. A wide range of fruits are also grown, with olives, citrus fruits, and grapes common around the Mediterranean and dates a mainstay in the oases. Major commercial crops include tobacco in Turkey; cotton in Turkey, Egypt, and Syria; and coffee in Yemen. The Middle East is thought to have more than two thirds of the world’s petroleum reserves. Much of the petroleum lies within a few large fields, so most countries in the region have relatively modest quantities or none at all. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates together have more than 90 percent of the region’s reserves and more than 60 percent of the world’s supply. Oil production is also important to the economies of Qatar, Oman, Yemen, Bahrain, Syria, Libya, Egypt, and Sudan. Petroleum was discovered in the region early in the 20th century, but large-scale exploitation occurred only after World War II. In the early 21st century, the Middle East produced about 35 percent of the world’s oil. Petroleum has had a profound effect on the entire region, especially after the dramatic price increases of 1973. The greatest influence was felt in oil-rich countries of the Arabian Peninsula. Their booming economies attracted substantial numbers of migrant workers from poorer countries in the region as well as from Asia. These workers made up a majority of the labor force, and their remittances helped spread the wealth beyond the producing countries. Nevertheless, there are acute inequalities in the standards of living between those countries with high per capita petroleum exports and those with low per capita exports or with no petroleum at all. Virtually all countries in the Middle East have attempted to diversify their economies through industrialization.