Transcript Chapter 18
CHAPTER 18 Cultural Geography of North Africa, Southwest Asia, and Central Asia 1. NORTH AFRICA •Birthplace •Rich of earliest civilizations cultural heritage •Traditions and cultures have changed with modernization and urbanization POPULATION PATTERNS Indigenous ethnic groups, migrations, and the dramatic climate have shaped population patterns in North Africa Indigenous cultures in North Africa have mixed with those from Arabian Peninsula and Europe THE PEOPLE Primary influence on the sub region is a mix of indigenous and Arab cultures Indigenous people of North Africa called Berbers Most are farmers today Previously they were pastoral nomads, groups of people who move from place to place grazing their animals THE PEOPLE Other principal ethnic group in North Africa - Arabs Spread throughout North Africa in the 600’s Bedouin - nomadic, Arabic-speaking people, migrated from deserts of Southwest Asia, herd animals in deserts DENSITY AND DISTRIBUTION Geographic factors, such as availability of water, influenced settlement in North Africa People settled along seacoasts and in river deltas, or mouths, such as along Nile River in Egypt Nile Delta region one of world's most densely populated areas Major population centers in North Africa are urban EARLY PEOPLES AND CIVILIZATIONS 1. 2. 3. 4. Hunters and gatherers settled in North Africa about 10,000 years ago By 6000 BC, farming communities rise up along Nile River and Mediterranean Sea Region’s farmers among the first to domesticate plants and animals Egyptian civilization developed along the Nile River about 6000 years ago Egyptians: Created a calendar year with 365 days Used sophisticated irrigation systems Built pyramids as tombs to for their rules Invented form of picture writing called hieroglyphics INDEPENDENCE During 1800’s, well-educated urban middle class adopts nationalism, or a belief in the right of an ethnic group to have its own independent country Egypt gained independence from UK in 1922 Libya won independence from Italy in 1951 Then ruled by strong, Western-friendly monarchy In 1969, coup led by Colonel Muammar alQaddafi overthrew the monarchy Qaddafi has ruled the oil rich country to this day RELIGION AND LANGUAGE Religion Arabs brought religion of Islam to North Africa when they invaded Most were Sunni, which makes up 85% of 1.5 billion Muslims world wide Sunnis believe that leadership should be in the hands of the Islamic community at large Calls to worship occur five times each day in countries with large Muslim populations Language Arabic language also spread across North Africa Non-Arab Muslims learned Arabic in order to read the Quran, the Islamic holy book Arabic became the regions main language EDUCATION AND HEALTH CARE Education Most young people in North Africa attend school Primary education is free Literacy rates range widely, from 52 percent in Morocco to 82 percent in Libya Health Care Health care has also improved recently People often go to government-owned hospitals for medical treatment, but doctor shortages mean limited care for rural people THE ARTS Egyptians built towering pyramids to serve as royal tombs for their leaders Arts of weaving, embroidery and metalworking in the region are highly influenced by Islam THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN 2. •Eastern Mediterranean birthplace of three major world religions; Judaism, Christianity and Islam •Different peoples have laid claim to the lands for religious reasons •Periods of conflict and war have resulted •In Israel today, Jewish and Palestinian people both claim rights to the same lands POPULATION PATTERNS Migrations, claims to ancestral homes, boundary disputes have influenced pop. patterns in the eastern Mediterranean Inhabited by millions of Arab and Jewish people Jewish people speak Hebrew, and if they are religious, practice Judaism Arabs speak Arabic, and primarily practice Islam THE PEOPLE 7.1 million people living in E. Mediterranean are Israelis living in Israel and 80% are Jewish In 1948, Israel founded as a Jewish state Arabs in the region did not want a Jewish state Tensions between Arabs and Jews have led to many wars Palestinians – Arabs displaced from their homes during wars with Israel, forced to live as refugees in neighboring countries such as Syria, Lebanon and Jordan DENSITY AND DISTRIBUTION Dry climate causes majority in Eastern Mediterranean to live along Euphrates River Region is primarily urban Israel has experienced intense immigration since founding in 1948 1 million Jews have migrated from former Soviet Union since 1989 People of Israel have migrated from more than 100 countries, making it ethnically diverse HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT Eastern Mediterranean home to three of the world's major religions Has shaped politics and culture here for centuries Due to proximity to Europe, Africa and Asia, Eastern Mediterranean has been occupied throughout history RELIGION AS HISTORY Three major religions began here: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam All share many beliefs, particularly monotheism, or belief in one god Jerusalem is of special importance to all three religions JUDAISM One of the oldest of the monotheistic faiths Trace origin to the ancient Israelites, who created kingdom of Israel along the eastern Mediterranean coast Jerusalem was their capital and religious center Jews recorded their history in the Hebrew Bible, consisting of the Torah, the prophets and the sacred writings CHRISTIANITY In 30 AD, Jewish teacher named Jesus began preaching and gathering followers Followers believed they would go to heaven after death Became basis for Christianity Christian Scriptures included the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), the New Testament (writings and teachings of Jesus and early Christian communities) ISLAM States that AD 610, revelations from God came to Muhammad Muhammad a merchant in the city of Mecca in the Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia) Followers claimed he was last in line of prophets, or messengers, that included Abraham and Jesus By AD 700, Islam spread through the region and into Europe Muslims built mosques, or houses of worship ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT Jews expelled from their homeland by the Romans and settled in communities all over the world, often experiencing persecution Many Jews, called Zionists, began to call for a return to Palestine After WWII, wars broke out among Jews, Arabs and British forces in the region UN decided in 1947 to divide Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state When British withdrew form the area, the Jews proclaimed the Independent state of Israel in 1948 Arabs and Israelis fought 6 wars in next 25years In 1948 and 1967 conflicts, victorious Israeli forces occupied Arab lands RELIGION AND LANGUAGE Majority who practice Islam follow Sunni branch Arabs in Syria and Lebanon follow the Shia branch Jews and Christians make up only a small percentage of the population Most Jews live in Israel Christians live in Lebanon and Syria Primary language is Arabic EDUCATION AND HEALTH CARE Compulsory and free Literacy rates vary from 76 percent in Syria to 96 percent in Israel Hospitals are often government owned 3. THE NORTHEAST •Primarily Turkey, Iraq and Iran •Region where cultures are fundamentally tied to religions •Islam is the most practiced of them all. •Islam now the fastest growing religion in the world. THE PEOPLE Ethnic populations in Northeast migrated from Central Asia and Arabian Peninsula Religion of Islam has become a dominant aspect of these cultures TURKS Present day Turkey (formerly Anatolia) has been occupied by many different peoples in past 8000 years Turks migrated to the peninsula around AD 1000 from Central Asia One group, known as Ottoman Turks, built the Ottoman Empire Most Turks practice Islam, speak Turkish IRANIANS Appr. 67 million people live in Iran (formerly Persia) Iran means “land of the Aryans”, or IndoEuropeans who came from Southern Russia Iranians speak Farsi, or Persian Approximately 90 percent practice Shia Islam ARABS Majority of people living in Iraq are Arabs (migrated from Arabian peninsula) Most Arabs in Iraq are Shia Musliams Only about 35 percent are Sunni Iraqi’s mostly speak Arabic KURDS Have lived for more than 2000 years in the mountainous border areas of Turkey, Iraq and Iran Most are Sunni Muslims Most speak Kurdish, language related to Farsi Kurds call their territory Kurdistan Kurds have not gained independence, despite several tries DENSITY AND DISTRIBUTION Most populous countries in Northeast are Turkey and Iran (around 70 million each) Large cities and towns are common These cities dominate social and cultural life in their respective countries CIVILIZATIONS AND EMPIRES Mesopotamia, the area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (present day Iraq) known as the Fertile Crescent This area became one of the worlds first culture hearths, or centers where cultures developed and spread outward Mesopotamia was home to the Sumerian civilization Developed a writing system call cuneiform, using wedge shaped symbols written on clay tablets CIVILIZATIONS AND EMPIRES Phoenician civilization, began along eastern Mediterranean coast, around 3000 BC 500 BC, Persian Empire extended across the region Persians built ganats ,or underground canals, meant to prevent water from evaporating in surface canals CIVILIZATIONS AND EMPIRES Ottoman Empire, 1000 – 1600, present day Turkey Spanned an area that covered northern Africa, western Asia and southeastern Europe THE ERA OF OIL Oil discovered in Persian Gulf in early 1900s In late 1950’s, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela formed OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) In 1973, OPEC placed an embargo, or ban on trade, to the US after becoming angry at US support of Israel in Arab-Israeli War LANGUAGE AND RELIGION Most people who live in this region speak Arabic This is not the case in Iran and Turkey, however In Turkey, Turkic peoples speak Turkish In Iran, Persians speak Persian or Farsi Shia Muslims are the most populous religious group in both Iraq and Iran In Turkey, majority of Muslims are Sunni, but Turkey is more secular EDUCATION AND HEALTH CARE Education Required through grade 6 in Iraq and grade 8 in Turkey Literacy rate 80 percent in Iran and 86 percent in Turkey Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, education in Iran has become more religious in focus Health Care Hospitals are government owned and often suffer from doctor shortages 4. THE ARABIAN PENINSULA A mix of tradition and modernity, religion and growing commerce People of the peninsula have adapted to this climate, especially the nomadic peoples POPULATION PATTERNS Harsh desert climate of Arabian Desert has led most people to live along the coasts. THE PEOPLE Most people in the subregion are Arabs Most Arabs are Muslims Descent from ancient groups such as Egyptians, Phoenicians, Saharan Berbers Today, many immigrants have come to the Arabian Peninsula from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Iran in search of good jobs DENSITY AND DISTRIBUTION Harsh desert, lush coastal climates dictate where the majority of people live on the AP Discovery of oil in the early 1900s led to increased wealth, modernization and immigration in many Arab countries HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT Conquering empires have imposed cultures on peoples of the Arabian Peninsula that remain influential to this day People of the region sought protection from Great Britain in fighting off rule by other outsiders, such as the Ottoman Empire INDEPENDENCE Independence Kuwait gains independence from GB - mid 1900s United Arab Emirates - established in 1971 UAE formed from a group of tribal sheikhdoms, or territories ruled by an Islamic religious leader Kuwait and Qatar are ruled by emirs, or princes Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman are monarchies Saudi Arabia follows sharia’ah, or Islamic law, based on the Quran Standards of living vary widely across AP Urban countries with oil wealth have relatively high standards of living CULTURE Foreign workers are bringing their own cultures to the area Large cities are growing in need for more foreign workers to support growing industries RELIGION Sunni and Shia Muslims dominant on the peninsula Many believe in making a pilgrimage, or haji, to Mecca at least once in their life EDUCATION AND HEALTH CARE Most children and young people attend school Health care varies widely from country to country, and even more widely from urban to rural Government owned hospitals are not always fully staffed Private health care available, but often associated with a particular social or religious group 5. CENTRAL ASIA A crossroads of cultures and empires A destination for people emigrating from their homelands to escape harsh political or economic situations POPULATION PATTERNS Challenges for Central Asia: Invasions Domination by numerous empires Rugged landscape THE PEOPLE Afghanistan, located at southern tip of Central Asia Mountainous country Home to many ethnic groups due to migrations and invasions Pashtun is the predominant ethnic group DENSITY AND DISTRIBUTION Afghanistan – 30 million people, most populous country in Central Asia Population has been shaped by conflict 1915, 1 million Armenians in Turkey killed, deported or died of illness at hands of Ottoman Turks 20 percent of Armenia's people left looking for better life Georgia, 300,000 have left or been displaced Majority of Tajikistan’s people live and work in river valleys HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT Location of C.A. has left people vulnerable to centuries of invasion After centuries of foreign domination, countries of C.A. working to find economic and political stability CULTURES AND CONQUEST Cultural roots go back 2500 years Kingdom of Urartu dates back to 800 BC Ruled the entire Caucasus region Beginning in 100BC, parts of CA prospered from the Silk Road, trade route connecting China with the Mediterranean Sea Many cities along this route thrived as trading centers CULTURES AND CONQUEST In 1200s AD, Genghis Khan and Mongol forces invade area and establish empire Negatives: killed many Positives: Brought paper money and safer trade routes Armenia resisted Today, Armenia is an enclave - territory that is culturally or ethnically different from surrounding larger cultures Over 90 percent of Armenians practice Christianity People of Azerbaijan, Islamic, surrounded by Christian Caucasus, form an exclave, or a distinct group of people who are isolated from the main or larger part of the country During 1900’s, Central Asia dominated by Soviet Union INDEPENDENCE Numerous CA countries declared independence when Soviet Union dissolved in 1991 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 prompted fighting by the mujahedeen, or freedom fighters After Soviets left, the fundamentalist Islamic Taliban took control of most of country Poverty and unemployment widespread across CA 2001, US overthrows Taliban in Afghanistan in retaliation for 9/11 New Afghan government still faces many challenges, corruption, resurgent Taliban LANGUAGE AND RELIGION Majority speak Turkic languages Islam dominant religion, with most practicing Sunni branch Christianity majority in two countries, Armenia and Georgia EDUCATION AND HEALTH CARE Public education, mandatory through secondary school in a few countries Tajikistan – 88 % literacy Armenia and Georgia – 99% literacy Health care weakened by breakup of Soviet Union