Southwest Asia and North Africa
Geography of the Region: Greater Middle East (North Africa and Southwest Asia)
Traditional definition of the Middle East
G8 definition of the Greater Middle East
Areas sometimes associated with the Middle East (socio-political connections)
Image Source: Wikipedia
G8 definition of the Greater Middle East
Areas sometimes associated with the Middle East (socio-political connections)
Image Source: Wikipedia
Image Source: Essential Humanities
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Image Source: Essential Humanities
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Map Exercise
Learning Objective: How are connections and exchanges between the Greater Middle East and other parts of the world hindered and enhanced by is geographic location.
Draw a map of the Greater Middle East (North Africa and Southwest Asia) Region.
Political Geography
Nation-States: Draw the following country borders on the map. Name the country and find its capital city. Outline the border in a different color for each of the sub-regions.
Physical Geography
Water
Land
Color the overall map as a physical map.
At the following website, read the section on the Physical Geography of the Region: North Africa, Southwest Asia, and Central Asia
- It is as the heart of Eurasia. It is well suited for routes both over water and across land. The deserts offer a relatively flat landscape to cross, but the lack of water can be huge challenge humans living and traveling the region.
Draw a map of the Greater Middle East (North Africa and Southwest Asia) Region.
Political Geography
Nation-States: Draw the following country borders on the map. Name the country and find its capital city. Outline the border in a different color for each of the sub-regions.
- Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya [The Maghreb]
- Egypt [Egypt]
- Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria [The Levant]
- Turkey [Asia Minor]
- Iraq [Iraq]
- Iran [Iran]
- Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Bahrain [Arabia]
- Sudan and Somalia [Islamic North Africa]
Physical Geography
Water
- Rivers (draw the river): Nile River, Tigris River, Euphrates River, Indus River
- Inland Seas/Ocean: Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Caspian Sea, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean
Land
- Mountains of the Alpine-Himalayan Orogenic Belt: Atlas Mountains, Taurus Mountains, Zagros Mountains, Hindu Kush Mountains, Anatolian Plateau, Iranian Plateau
- Ecosystem (the main ecosystem in the region is desert and dry grasslands): The Saharo-Arabia Desert (the Sahara and Arabian Deserts combined) and the Great Indian Desert
Color the overall map as a physical map.
At the following website, read the section on the Physical Geography of the Region: North Africa, Southwest Asia, and Central Asia
The Abrahamic Religions: Monotheistic Faiths
Learning Objective: What role do the Abrahamic Religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam play in the development of the Great Middle East and the world?
Monotheism, the belief in one god, plays a critical role in the religious landscapes of the Great Middle East. The major monotheistic faiths of the world (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) all trace their origins to this region through the common ancestor of Abraham. Abraham lived and traveled in the areas that are now modern day The Fertile Crescent, The Levant, and the Arabian Peninsula.
Scenario: create a product that would either be appropriate for a book in an elementary or secondary school library that teaches about one of these monotheistic religions. Examples of products: website, book, poster, collage, etc.
Who? (The Founder and Important Events in His Life; Key Figures and Their Accomplishments)
When? (Started; Important Dates, Holidays, and Observances; Their Holy Day of the Week)
Where? (Place of Origin; Holy/Sacred Sites)
What? (Basic Beliefs; Define) [Judaism: The Ten Commandments; Christianity: The Trinity; Islam: The Five Pillars of Faith]
How? (Practices; Traditions)
Why? (The Appeal)
Evaluation
Monotheistic Project with Rubric
Monotheism, the belief in one god, plays a critical role in the religious landscapes of the Great Middle East. The major monotheistic faiths of the world (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) all trace their origins to this region through the common ancestor of Abraham. Abraham lived and traveled in the areas that are now modern day The Fertile Crescent, The Levant, and the Arabian Peninsula.
Scenario: create a product that would either be appropriate for a book in an elementary or secondary school library that teaches about one of these monotheistic religions. Examples of products: website, book, poster, collage, etc.
Who? (The Founder and Important Events in His Life; Key Figures and Their Accomplishments)
When? (Started; Important Dates, Holidays, and Observances; Their Holy Day of the Week)
Where? (Place of Origin; Holy/Sacred Sites)
What? (Basic Beliefs; Define) [Judaism: The Ten Commandments; Christianity: The Trinity; Islam: The Five Pillars of Faith]
How? (Practices; Traditions)
Why? (The Appeal)
Evaluation
- Did you address all of the questions listed above? For each question, did you provide an explanation supported by details and examples?
- Did you organize it into a narrative (story) format?
- Did you include appropriate images with captions that enhance the story you are telling?
Monotheistic Project with Rubric
Current Events Projects
Learning Objective: Why have relations between the United States and this part of the world turned sour?
Current Events in the Region
Cover the 5 W's (Who is involved? Where did it take place? When did it happen? What happened? Why did it happen? How did it happen?)
Suggested activities:
Expectations:
Cover the 5 W's (Who is involved? Where did it take place? When did it happen? What happened? Why did it happen? How did it happen?)
Suggested activities:
- Create a newspaper or weekly news magazine (such as Time or News Week)
- Create a nightly news cast
- Produce a current events news show (i.e. 60 Minutes, 20/20, or NightLine)
- Develop a website
Expectations:
- How well did you address the 5 W's? [All of the 5 W's were fully explained. It is very clear why they are important.]
- Overall organization (Was it easy for the audience to follow?) [There was an evident logic/reason of why certain items were placed where they were. All of the elements worked together to help create a well-developed narrative.]
- Creativity and presentation (Was it engaging for the audience?) [You presented the information in an original way. You were thoughtful about the decisions you made.]
Current Events Topics: Iran
Iran in the News
- The last Shah of Iran (His role in the country, his connections to the US (especially the CIA), and reasons for rising anger towards Americans in Iran)
- The Iranian Revolution
- Iran Hostage Crisis
- Desert Eagle: the failed attempt to rescue the hostages
- The story behind the movie 'Argo'
- Iranian-Israeli Relations
- The New Iran (Iranian policies and attitudes towards the US during the past 5 years)
- The Iran-Iraq War
Current Events Topics: North Africa and Southwest Asia
Iraq and North Africa in the News
- Desert Storm/ The First Gulf War
- Saddam Hussein
- The history of al-Qaeda
- The Arab Spring (Egypt, Yemen, Libya, etc.)
- The attack on the American Embassy at Benghazi
- The civil war in Syria/ Chemical Weapons
- The War on Terror (Afghanistan or Iraq)
- The Real Blackhawk Down: Americans in Somalia
- The Real Captain Philips: Somali Pirates
- Israel and the rest of the Great Middle East