Term | Definition |
Iraq | country where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers are found today |
Suez Canal | built by Egypt to improve trade; connects the Red and Mediterranean Seas |
drought | a lack of water over a long period of time |
Fertile Crescent | area around the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers where the very first civilizations began |
desalination | removing salt from sea water to make fresh water |
Jordan River | Israel's main water source; disputes with neighboring countries over it |
hydroelectric power | dams are built to create this needed resource |
Saudi Arabia | leading oil producing nation in the world |
Southwest Asia | another name for the Middle East |
aquifer | underground layer of rock and sand that contains water |
fossil fuels | desalination is expensive because it uses lots of ______ ______ |
OPEC | organization that controls oil prices and supply in the world |
Gaza Strip | tiny territory on Israel's Mediterranean coast; occupied by Palestinian Arabs |
Turkey | country building dams on the Tigris and Euphrates |
Syria | country whose water has been reduced by dams built in Turkey; they have lost 40% of their water |
Persian Gulf | body of water under and around which much of the world's oil is found |
Strait of Hormuz | militarily strategic body of water; the US protects it to keep oil flowing from the Middle East |
Petroleum | one of the most important resources in the Middle East |
water | scarce resource in the Middle East that leads to tensions between countries; pollution and unequal distribution are major concerns |
standard of living | how well-off people in a country are |
nationalization | government takeover of a business or industry; for example, Iran's taking control of the oil industry |
non-renewable | a resource than cannot be created by humans once it is gone |
Nile | Egypt's main water source |
Arab | main ethnic group in the Middle East |
Islam | main religion practiced in the Middle East |
ethnic group | a group of people who share a common ancestry, history, and culture |
religious group | a group of people who share beliefs about god(s), and may share sacred texts, rules, traditions, holy days, etc. |
Persian | main ethnic group found in Iran |
Farsi | language spoken by the Persian ethnic group |
Kurds | mountainous ethnic group who lives in mountains in Turkey, Syria, Iran, and Iraq |
Kurdistan | name of the land the Kurds live in--they would name their own country this |
Sunni | the bigger branch of Islam; believe the leader of the religion can be any good Muslim |
Shi'a | smaller branch of Islam; the leader should be a relative of Muhammad |
Ishmael | Abraham's illegitimate son who the Arabs believe they are descended from |
Iran | modern-day country that was once the Persian Empire |