Middle East and North Africa

Question 1

alternative to middle east (MENA)

Answer 1

southwest asia

Question 2

international monetary fund (IMF)

Answer 2

set up in WWII (1944)

charged with fostering global economic growth, promoting stability; provides policy for developing countries

voting is not even, requires 85% majority

Question 3

who holds the most voting power in the IMF/has effective veto power? about how much is their veto power?

Answer 3

US, ~16.5%

Question 4

________ in MENA was persistently high for a long period of time

Answer 4

unemployment

Question 5

persian empire

Answer 5

modern day Iran

Question 6

expansion diffusion

Answer 6

not evenly, starts somewhere and stays there while spreading

propagation waves originate in a strong and durable source

Question 7

relocation diffusion

Answer 7

hops around

movement from a source to distant, unconnected region

many diseases spread this way

Question 8

Sunnis

Answer 8

majority of islam, 85%

belief in Muhammad

Question 9

Shi’ites/Shia

Answer 9

minority of islam

proclaimed the Ali, muhammad’s cousin, was the successor

Question 10

what schism is at the root of many conflicts in MENA realm?

Answer 10

Shia-Sunni schism

Question 11

the ottoman empire is responsible for….

Answer 11

strong muslim influence in the Balkans

Question 12

Sharia Law

Answer 12

moral code and religious law of Islam

Question 13

Maghreb

Answer 13

historical location of the Berber people, area under the influence of the Atlas Mountains:

Algeria
libya
mauritania
morocco
tunisia
w. sahara

Question 14

maghreb means

Answer 14

west, referring to the extent of the Arab conquest

Question 15

who was spain conquered by in the 700’s?

Answer 15

the Maghreb people

Question 16

orographic lifting

Answer 16

produces rainfall along the western edge of the atlas mountains

Question 17

windward vs. leeward side of mountain

Answer 17

windward: precipitation, warm/moist air

leeward: dry, hotter air, less water

Question 18

where is timbuktu?

Answer 18

northern mali along the Niger river

Question 19

Mali is ______, with ____ arable land (available to grow crops)

Answer 19

landlocked; ~4%

Question 20

median age of Mali and urbanization percentage

Answer 20

16; 46%

Question 21

who colonized large parts of west, central and northwest africa?

Answer 21

the french

Question 22

tuaregs

Answer 22

desert people, subgroup of berbers (people in maghreb)

nomadic and pastoral

Question 23

Mali War (2012-present)

Answer 23

Tuareg/Azawad (interchangeable) people seized control of northern mali

NMLA aided by Islamists until introduction of Sharia Law

Question 24

NMLA

Answer 24

national movement for the liberation of Azawad/tuareg people

Question 25

who controls most of the south of Mali, including the capital?

Answer 25

malian government/army

Question 26

libya's population is quite ____ relative to its landmass - only about ________. where do most people in libya live?

Answer 26

small; 6 million; cities

Question 27

how are states considered "failed"

Answer 27

can't effectively govern state

Question 28

egypt is ________ as it occupies both africa and asia

Answer 28

transcontinental

Question 29

largest country in the MENA region

Answer 29

egypt

Question 30

middle power (and example)

Answer 30

strong regional influence (ex. egypt)

Question 31

physiological density

Answer 31

population divided by arable land

Question 32

what significant christian minority is in Egypt

Answer 32

Copts/coptic christians

Question 33

longest river in the world

Answer 33

nile river

Question 34

what are the two branches of the nile and where do they meet?

Answer 34

white and blue; Khartoum (capital of Sudan)

Question 35

what percent of people in egypt live 20 km from the nile

Answer 35

95%

Question 36

Aswan Dam

Answer 36

regulates water flow and provides electricity from the Nile

Question 37

t/f: oil reserves in the middle east are spread out evenly

Answer 37

False, not distributed evenly

Question 38

worlds biggest peninsula and who is it home to?

Answer 38

arabian; Arab

Question 39

Arab is defined by what three things?

Answer 39

culture language genealogy

Question 40

The Levant and the countries

Answer 40

east = meaning eastern edge of mediterranean littoral zone between eastern med. between turkey and egypt israel, palestine, lebanon, syria and jordan

Question 41

damascus, one of the oldest cities in the world, the capital of what country?

Answer 41

Syria

Question 42

jewish state created in 1948 by UN mandate

Answer 42

israel

Question 43

where in israel is the current palestinian authority?

Answer 43

west bank and gaza

Question 44

capital of turkey is _______ not __________

Answer 44

Ankara; Istanbul

Question 45

strait of hormuz

Answer 45

choke point between persian gulf and open sea/UAE and Iran

Question 46

largest state ruled by Shia Islam

Answer 46

Iran

Question 47

The Arab Spring and where is started

Answer 47

phenomenon of widespread public protest in the Arab world in response to longstanding secularist and authoritarian regimes tunisia

Question 48

political party of President Morsi and its primary goals

Answer 48

Muslim Brotherhood; promoting islamic values, social justice, and political reform

Question 49

president of syria

Answer 49

Bashar al-Assad

Question 50

Ba'athism

Answer 50

Arab nationalist ideology concerned with developing a socialist, pan-Arab state secular, typically authoritarian but anti-monarchy

Question 51

two main factions of Palestinian Liberation Organization

Answer 51

Hamas and Fatah (dominant party, controls west bank)

Question 52

west bank refers to

Answer 52

territory west of the Jordan river to Jerusalem

Question 53

Hamas

Answer 53

offshoot of Muslim Brotherhood still classified as terrorist organization by US and others

Question 54

the Israel Defense Force (IDF) typically responds with ___________

Answer 54

air strikes

Question 55

the Islamic state arose during the ____ _________ and ________ ________ following the Iraq War and Syrian Civil War

Answer 55

power vacuum; widespread discontent

Question 56

economic cartel

Answer 56

agreement between competing firms/countries