Middle East

Question 1

Southwest Asia lays at the crossroads of what 3 continents?

Answer 1

Asia, Europe, and Africa

Question 2

Describe the Dead Sea

Answer 2

Lowest point we can visit on Earth, very salty anything floats, no life, 1,349 feet below sea level

Question 3

Arid:

Answer 3

Very very little to no rain, can get as little as 10 inches of precipitation per year

Question 4

Semiarid:

Answer 4

some rain (10+ inches)

Question 5

Mediterranean Climate:

Answer 5

Summers are very hot with temperatures 100ºF+. Winters are typically mild and rainy depending on the area’s altitude, distance from the equator, and winds.

Question 6

Why does Central Asia receive so little rainfall?

Answer 6

Tall mountains (the Hindu Kush) prevent storms that form over the Indian Ocean from getting to Central Asia.

Question 7

Desert Scrub Plant Life:

Answer 7

Mostly shrubs and small trees that have adapted to not need much rainfall to survive.

Question 8

What is SW Asia known as and why?

Answer 8

“cradle of civilization” because where farming began, where first cities arose, birthplace of 3 major religions

Question 9

Most people in SW Asia are:

Answer 9

Muslim

Question 10

What are the TWO resources that shape economic activity in Southwest and Central Asia and WHY?

Answer 10

Oil. It is important because the area is rich in it.
Water. It is important because the area lacks it. Lack of water limits commercial farming.

Question 11

Population describe:

Answer 11

Around 652 million people live in Southwest and Central Asia. Youngest and fastest growing population.

Question 12

How is oil made?

Answer 12

Millions of years ago tectonic plates crashed and the heat of the Earth’s core and the weight from the water and tectonic plates created enough pressure to make oil from fossils.

Question 13

crude oil?

Answer 13

petroleum before it is processed and refined straight out of the ground.

Question 14

oil reserves?

Answer 14

oil that has been discovered but remains undiscovered/untouched in the ground.

Question 15

Why so much oil in SW Asia?

Answer 15

A great amount of oil is buried under Southwest Asia because millions of years ago it was underwater.

Question 16

Saudi Arabia why more oil than Yemen and Syria?

Answer 16

A long time ago the Iranian Plate and the Arabian plate bumped into each other which made space for oil and gas to form.

Question 17

How do we get to oil?

Answer 17

Oil deposits Are many feet underground and workers need to drill through cap rock to push the oil out of the water

Question 18

What is HDI?

Answer 18

United Nations’ Human Development Index

Question 19

What does HDI do?

Answer 19

examines certain factors that reflect the general quality of life.

Question 20

HDI affects?

Answer 20

life expectancy has gone up by 15 years over the last 30-40 years and infant mortality rate has dropped by 66%). HDI improves healthcare and improves people’s quality of life. ★

Question 21

How do countries profit off of oil?

Answer 21

Selling/importing oil in the gross domestic product (GDP) of countries, other countries also make money from processing oil instead of selling it.

Question 22

How does population affect GDP?

Answer 22

Countries with smaller populations have higher per capita GDP, whereas countries with large populations have lower per capita GDP.

Question 23

Example of money from oil but people poor?

Answer 23

Iraq has the second-largest oil reserves in the region its oil money has been funneled into the military , not its people for most of recent history.

Question 24

Who and when founded each of 3 religions?

Answer 24

J: 1800 B.C.E. C: 2023 C.E. I: 610 C.E

Question 25

Sometimes included in Middle East but is Africa?

Answer 25

Egypt

Question 26

5 Ethnic groups:

Answer 26

Arabs
Turks
Kurds
Persians
Jews

Question 27

2 Islam branches

Answer 27

Sunni Islam
Shia Islam

Question 28

Main reasons for conflict

Answer 28

The way the middle east was divided by Europe after the World Wars.
The spread of Wahhabism.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The regional rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
American foreign policy.

Question 29

The term “Middle East” can be used to refer to

Answer 29

The countries of the Arabian Peninsula.

Question 30

Why are countries in the Middle East globally important?

Answer 30

They are rich in oil and natural resources.

Question 31

OPEC:

Answer 31

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

Question 32

Who isn’t part of OPEC?

Answer 32

Mexico and Russia

Question 33

Who is part of OPEC but not part of Middle East?

Answer 33

Venezuela and Nigeria

Question 34

What dictator ordered an invasion of Kuwait?

Answer 34

The dictator of Iraq Saddam Hussein ordered an invasion of Kuwait, giving them control of their oil fields in 1990.

Question 35

How did other countries react when Iraq invaded Kuwait?

Answer 35

The US and other countries have formed a coalition to drive Iraq out of Kuwait. While others were oil-exporting countries that feared losing control of their oil reserves to Iraq.

Question 36

What did the coalition do?

Answer 36

drive Iraq out of Kuwait in a matter of just 3 weeks.

Question 37

When did Iraq invade Kuwait and what did they do?

Answer 37

raq invaded Kuwait in 1990 where they set 730 oil wells on fire that took 8 months to put out.