Middle East Review

Question 1

What three climates are common on the Arabian Peninsula?

Answer 1

Desert, Steppe, Mediterranean

Question 2

What are the two most important natural resources in West and Central Asia?

Answer 2

Water and oil

Question 3

How did the Bedouins adapt to life in the Arabian Deserts?

Answer 3

Moved to water, wore light clothing and head coverings

Question 4

What happened to the Aral Sea and why?

Answer 4

Almost shrunk because too much water was diverted

Question 5

What is unique about the Rub’ al-Khali?

Answer 5

It is the worlds largest sand desert and no one lives there

Question 6

What two rivers surround the fertile crescent/Mesopotamia?

Answer 6

Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

Question 7

How have the Zagros and Elburz Mountains affected life in Iran?

Answer 7

They serve as protective barriers and make communication with the Arabian Peninsula harder

Question 8

What people group in Saudi Arabia mostly belong to?

Answer 8

Arabian/Arabic

Question 9

What is the religion based around submission to Allah by following teachings in the Qur’an?

Answer 9

Islam

Question 10

Who is the founder of Islam?

Answer 10

Muhammad

Question 11

What is the difference between Sunni and Shia?

Answer 11

Disagree on who should be in control and how to interpret Islam

Question 12

How has Islam influenced culture in the Middle East?

Answer 12

It influences government,clothing, and women’s rights

Question 13

What kind of government does Saudi Arabia have?

Answer 13

Monarchy

Question 14

What is OPEC?

Answer 14

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, a group of countries that coordinate oil production

Question 15

How has oil affected the economy of Iran and Iraq?

Answer 15

It has created lots of income

Question 16

What is the main people group in Iraq?

Answer 16

Arabs

Question 17

What is the main people group in Iran?

Answer 17

Persian

Question 18

What did Saddam Hussein do as leader of Iraq?

Answer 18

Acted as a dictator, was very harsh, and was involved in invading Iran and Kuwait in the 1980s and 1990s

Question 19

How did the Persian Gulf War affect Iraq?

Answer 19

Their economy weakened, there were many trade restrictions, and the lost the war

Question 20

What is a theocracy?

Answer 20

A government ruled by religious leaders

Question 21

How did 9/11 impact Iraq and other countries in the Middle East?

Answer 21

Their government was overthrown and the US invaded them

Question 22

What is a Yurt?

Answer 22

A movable round house made of wool felt mats himg over a wood frame

Question 23

How did the Silk Road affect Central Asia?

Answer 23

It increased trade and wealth for people involved, and it had cultural diffusion

Question 24

What is the biggest ethnic group in Central Asia?

Answer 24

Turkic

Question 25

What country in Central Asia is a theocracy?

Answer 25

Afghanistan

Question 26

What is the most common crop in countries that rely on agriculture in Central Asia?

Answer 26

Cotton

Question 27

Why did the U.S. go to war in Afghanistan?

Answer 27

9/11 leaders were located there, and they wouldn't give up the terrorists

Question 28

What three religions were born in Israel?

Answer 28

Judaism, Islam, Christianity

Question 29

What is the most common religion in Israel?

Answer 29

Judaism

Question 30

Why do people disagree over the Palestine Territories?

Answer 30

People do not agree on who should control the territory or Israel as a state.

Question 31

What is Zionism?

Answer 31

The call for Jews to create a Jewish state in their original homeland.

Question 32

What do countries in the Levant region have in common?

Answer 32

Similar religion, history, and population.

Question 33

How did nearby Arab states respond to the re-creation of Israel in the 1940s?

Answer 33

They went to war

Question 35

How have different religions impacted Jerusaleum?

Answer 35

It has created a compromise and made them work together

Question 37

What two places make up Palestine today??

Answer 37

West Bank and Gaza Strip