Transcript
The Middle East & North Africa
Review: What are Culture Regions? Areas on the earth
which are grouped by common characteristics Language Religion Government Ethnicity History
Regions are often separated by physical features but may also be subject to different perspectives
Rivers sometimes flow into each other. This is called a confluence.
Cultures do the same thing. Many cultures co-exist in all regions of the world.
Because of this, cultures must depend upon each other but also may come in conflict with each other.
Think of world cultures as many rivers.
Conflict & Cooperation What might be some reasons that would
cause different cultures to come in conflict with each other?
Conflict & Cooperation Cultures do not exist in isolation. Share common characteristics:
History CultureNatural Resources
Why do cultures have to learn to cooperate with each other?
The Middle East is one example of a culture region because...
• Spans 3 continents – Europe, Africa, Asia
•Christianity, Islam, and Judaism all have their roots in the Middle East
• Major ethnic groups in common – Arab, Jewish, Turkish, Persian, Kurds
Unfortunately, the cultures in the Middle East come into conflict quite often.
There are several main reasons for conflict in the Middle East.
• Religion
• Availability of Natural Resources
• Political Differences
• Ownership of Land
• Cultural Perspectives
Conflict #1: Religion Birthplace of three
religions Christianity Judaism Islam
All consider Jerusalem to be holy therefore claim ownership of land
Wars have been fought over holy sites – Crusades, Jewish Diaspora
Conflict #2: Natural Resources Two scarce
resources: Oil & Fresh Water
Oil – Large deposits of oil
that are unevenly distributed
Fresh Water – Scarce because
large areas of Middle East are desert
Conflict #3: Political Differences The region contains
several different government types: Democratic Monarchies Theocracies Dictatorships
Some countries are in transition or have unstable governments
Conflict #4: Ownership of Land
Israel vs. Palestine: Jews vs. Arabs Historically both
claim Israel as a homeland
European Control Region once
controlled by European countries
Conflict #5: Cultural Perspectives
Ethnic Groups: Arabs vs. Jews Arabs/Turks vs.
Kurds Arabs vs. Persians
Role of Women “Westernization” vs.
Traditional Customs
Bringing stability and peace to the Middle East is a great challenge that
affects cultures throughout the world.
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