Chapter 17 Notes Middle East overview The region consists of peninsulas mountains deserts rivers and seas It also includes three landlocked bodies of salt water Dead Sea Caspian sea Aral sea Major Rivers the Tigris and Euphrates rivers formed the area known as Mesopotamia land between two rivers Many river beds remain dry until the rainy seasons These dry beds are called wadis Earthquakes Built mountains Widen the red sea Climate and resources The tectonic plate movement in the area has caused great changes An 1999 earthquake destroyed 76 000 buildings and killed 20 000 people Water scarcity defines the regions climate 50 of the land is desert which consists of sand desert pavement rock and mountains Small scale farming is possible in an oasis Chapter 18 Notes Population patterns This region has been a crossroads for hundreds of years Most of the people of the region are Arabs About 6 4 million people are Israelis living in Israel 82 are Jewish History and government Early civilizations included the Sumerians in the fertile crescent Phoenicians on the Mediterranean coast Egyptians along the Nile river Three major religions Judaism is the oldest of the faiths Three major religions began in this region Christianity is based on the teachings of Jesus Islam was founded by Muhammad Regional conflict Today there is an ongoing war between the Arab countries and Israel Conflicts between Pakistan and india War between Islamic groups in Iraq IS is the new threat Culture and lifestyle A small number of people are Bedouins Many people live their lives based on Islamic religious laws Shopping at the bazaar is still popular Standards of living vary widely across the region Islamic laws have restricted the life of the woman
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