Download World Geography – Unit 7 – North Africa and Southwest Asia Unit 7

World Geography – Unit 7 – North Africa and Southwest Asia
Unit 7: North Africa and Southwest Asia
Enduring Understanding: North Africa and Southwest Asia is filled with cultural history and religious
significance, while also being the center of violent conflicts, political instability, and major environmental
concerns.
Essential Questions:
Concepts: Human-Environmental Interaction, Conflict, Resources (Renewable and Non-Renewable), Religion
(Christianity, Judaism, Islam), Settlement Patterns, Region, Ethnic Diversity, Urbanization, Colonialism, Migration,
Cultural Diffusion-Convergence-Divergence, Push-Pull Factors, Diffusion, Innovation, Political Instability,
Political Systems, Infrastructure
Topic/Take-Away: This region is located at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe and is a jigsaw puzzle of peninsulas
and seas. Rivers feed the inland seas and supply irrigation to parched land while the alluvial soil deposits enrich the land,
especially in the Nile River Valley and delta. Tectonic plates affect the region. The region contains much of the world’s oil and
natural gas service.
Topic/Take-Away: Rainfall varies widely while most of the region contains arid areas. Desert, steppe, Mediterranean and
highlands make up the different climates. Natural vegetation also varies widely and is closely related to rainfall and irrigation
patters.
Topic/Take-Away: Movement and interaction of people have created the region’s ethnic diversity. People settle in coastal and
river valley areas where water is readily available. Urbanization has affect the region.
Topic/Take-Away: Early people in the region were among the first to domesticate plants and animals. Two of the world’s
earliest civilizations arose in Mesopotamia and the Nile River valley. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam also trace their origins to
Southwest Asia.
Topic/Take-Away: Islam and Arabic language have been unifying forces in this region. Many people speak Arabic however
other languages are dominant as well. Tradition, especially religious observance, plays an important role in everyday life.
Topic/Take-Away: While this region has limited arable land, a large percentage work in agriculture. Oil producing countries
have experienced greater economic growth than other countries in the region. Technology has helped the region with
connectivity. Interdependence is increasing among the counties of the region, especially in controlling oil production and
prices.
Topic/Take-Away: Pending – Migration
Topic/Take-Away: Pending – Political Systems in the Middle East
Topic/Take-Away: Pending – Current Events
Academic Terms to Know:
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Alluvial soil
Wadi
Kum
Phosphate
Oasis
Pastoralism
Cereal
Ethnic Diversity
Infrastructure
Domesticate
Culture Hearth
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Cuneiform
Hieroglyphics
Qanat
Monotheism
Prophet
Mosque
Nationalism
Nationalize
Embargo
Ziggurat
Bedouin
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Bazaar
Arable
Commodity
Petrochemical
GDP
Hajj
Embargo
Silk Road
Genocide
Terrorism
Desertification
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World Geography – Unit 7 – North Africa and Southwest Asia
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Cultural Hearths
Cradles of Civilization
Colonialism
Nomadic
Agrarian
Industrialized
Perceptual Region
Persian Gulf
Suez Canal
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Strait of Hormuz
Drought
Sunni
Shiite
Al Qaeda
Rural
Urban
Revolution
Empires
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Exploration
Scarcity
Desalination
Traditional Economies
Ethnocentric
Cultural Bias
Ethnicity
Guided Reading Questions
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