Download Unit 12 Southwest Asia/ North Africa Vocabulary 1. Tigris River

Unit 12 Southwest Asia/ North Africa Vocabulary
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Tigris River- one of the most important rivers of southwest Asia; it supported several ancient river valley civilizations,
and flows through parts of Turkey, Syria, and Iraq.
Euphrates Rivers- a river of southwest Asia, which supported several ancient civilizations and flows through parts of
Turkey, Syria, and Iraq and emptied into the Persian Gulf.
Aquifer- an underground layer of rock that stores water.
Arabs- a member of the Semitic people of the Arabian Peninsula
Aswan High Dam- a dam on the Nile river in Egypt, completed in 1970, which increased Egypt’s farmable land by 50%
and protected it from droughts and floods.
Christianity- Monotheistic religion based on the person and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, or its beliefs and
practices.
Crude oil- petroleum that has not been processed.
Refinery- a place where crude oil in converted into useful products.
Cultural Crossroads- a place where various cultures cross paths.
Dead Sea- a landlocked salt lake between Israel and Jordan that is so salty that almost nothing can live in its waters;
it is 1,349 feet below sea level, making it the lowest place on the exposed crust of the earth.
Desalinization- the removal of salt from ocean water.
Dome of the Rock- a shrine in Jerusalem located on the Temple Mount, which houses the spot where Muslims
believe Muhammad rose into heaven and where Jews believe Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac to God.
Drip irrigation- the practice of using small pipes that slowly drip water just above the ground to conserve water to
use for crops.
Dubai- A member state of the United Arab Emirates.
Fossil Water- water pumped from underground aquifers.
Gaza Strip- a territory along the Mediterranean Sea just northeast of the Sinai peninsula; part of the land set aside
for Palestinians, which was occupied by Israel in 1967.
Genocide-the intentional destruction of a people.
Islam- a monotheistic religion based on the teachings of the prophet Muhammad, and the biggest cultural and
religious influence in North Africa.
Muslim- a person who practices the Islam religion.
Jordan River- – a river that serves as a natural boundary between Israel and Jordan, flowing from the mountains of
Lebanon with no outlet to the Mediterranean Sea.
Judaism – the monotheistic religion of the Jews, based on the laws revealed to Moses and recorded in the Torah.
Kurds-An ethnic group in Southwestern Asia that has occupied Kurdistan, located in Turkey, Iraq, Iran, for about a
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thousand years, and who have been involved in clashes with these 3 countries over land claims for most of the 20
century.
Mecca- the holiest city in Islam, located in Saudi Arabia, where people make pilgrimage to fulfill Islamic religious duty
Pilgrimage- a journey to a sacred place or shrine.
Mesopotamia- a region in Southwest Asia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which was the location of some
of the earliest civilizations in the world; part of the cultural hearth known as the Fertile Crescent.
Monotheism – belief in 1 god.
Mosque- an Islamic place of worship, where Muslims pray facing the holy city of Mecca.
Muhammad- the founder and a prophet of Islam, who lived part of his life in the city of Mecca.
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)- group established in 1960 by some oil producing nations to
coordinate policies on selling petroleum.
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)- a group formed in the 1960’s to regain the Arab land in Israel for Palestinian
Arabs.
Palestinian/Israeli conflict- ongoing dispute between the Jewish and Arab populations in the former Ottoman
Empire region of Palestine, consisting of the state of Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza strip.
Rub al-Khali (The Empty Quarter)- one of the largest sandy deserts in the world, covering about 250,000 square
miles, located on the Arabian peninsula.
33. Stateless Nation- a nation of people that does not have a territory to legally occupy, like the Palestinians, Kurds, and
Basques.
34. Strategic commodity- a resource so important that nations will go to war to ensure its steady supply.
35. Sunni- one of the 2 main branches of Islam, comprising about 83% of all Muslims, including those in Turkey, Iraq, and
Afghanistan.
36. Shi’ite- one of the 2 main branches of Islam including most Iranians and some populations of Iraq and Afghanistan.
37. Sykes-Picot agreement- in 1916 it was a secret agreement between Great Britain and France regarding the division
of territory in the Middle East after the fall of the Ottoman Empire.
38. Taliban- a strict Muslim group in Afghanistan that has imposed rigid rules on society, including prescribed clothing
styles for both men and women, restrictions on the appearance of women in public places, and regulation on
television, music, and videos.
39. Theocracy- A country governed by religious law.
40. Wadis- a riverbed that remains dry except during the rainy season.
41. West Bank- in Israel, a strip of land on the west side of the Jordan River, originally controlled by Jordan, which is part
of the land set aside for Arab Palestinians.
42. Western Wall- for Jews, the holiest site in Jerusalem; the only remaining portion of the Second Temple, built in 538
B.C. and destroyed in A.D. 70 by the Romans
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43. Zionism- a movement that began in the 19 century to create and support a Jewish homeland in Palestine.