Middle East and North Africa homework in the Electronic Passport

MANY THINGS IN COMMON

The Middle E______ and N________ Africa are often grouped together because the two regions, while on two *c__________________, have many things in c__________. Most of the people of the region are *M____________ who speak A__________, and most of the land in the region is very *d____.

There are some exceptions to this generalization, and we will soon learn how these exceptions have led to many conflicts in the region. The people of Iran practice PI________, but they are not Arabs. The Iranians are the descendants of the Persians, a proud c____________ that has existed in the region for thousands of years. The Iranians often learn to speak *A__________ because it is the l____________ of the Q________, but in everyday life, they speak F________. The Turks originally came from the land northeast of I________. The Turks controlled almost all of the Middle East until World War I. Today people in the modern nation of Turkey generally speak T____________. The K________ live in the m______________ between I______, Iraq, S________, and T__________. The Kurds have tried to keep their traditional *c__lt__r__, but particularly in T__________ and I______, the governments have attempted to a____________________ the K________ into the *l______l populations. The B____________ lived in N________ Africa before the A______ invasion. Unlike the K________, they slowly began to A__________ and lose their traditional c____________. Almost all of the Berbers practice PI_______. The Berber language is still spoken is isolated regions of M____r____c__ and other North A__________ nations.

Not all Muslims are Arabs, and not all Arabs are Muslims. Lebanon had been home to a Arab C_________________ for many years. Today more than one Pq____________ of the Lebanese people are Christians, but the M____________ now outnumber the Christains because Muslims Pm____________ have given b________ to more c______________ over several *g__n__r__t____ns. Many J__________ people returned to their traditional homeland on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea when the modern nation of I__________ was created in 1948 by the United Nations. H__________ is the national language of I__________, but * A__________, English, and other language are also common. Most of the Middle East and North Africa was once controlled by outside powers, so other languages are still common. English, F________, and I__________ are commonly *h______ in the region.

ASSIGNMENT 2

Answer in complete sentences
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1. What do most people of the Middle East and North Africa have in common?

2. Who are the Berbers?

*3. List six languages spoken in the Middle East and North Africa. Try to put them in order from the most to the least prevalent. (You will not need to use outside reference material to answer this question. Your best guess is acceptable).

*4. What do the Berbers, Kurds, Iranians, and Turks all have in common beside the fact that they live in the same region?

*5. Most of the people of the Middle East and North Africa are Muslims who speak Arabic. Write a paragraph that describes some exceptions of this generalization. Your paragraph must include a topic sentence, at least four support sentences, and a conclusion that restates, but does not repeat the topic sentence. (Note: take particular care in drafting your conclusion. You will not get credit for your work unless your conclusion reststaes, but does not repeat the topic sentence.)

ASSIGNMENT 3

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THE ARABS

An Arab is some who s________ Arabic. The Arabs traditionally lived on the Arabian p________________, but their l______________ and c_____________ spread with the e_________________ of I________. Arabs comprise a substantial m______________ of the populations of S________ Arabia, Sy______, Yemen, O______, Bahrain, Q________, the U__________ Arab E____________, Kuwait, J________, Lebanon, I_____, Sudan, E______, Libya, T__________, Algeria, and M__________.

Language experts say A__________ is the fifth most *s__________ language in the world. More than 200 m____________ people are Arabs because A__________ is their *p____________ language. Chinese is the world's most spoken language, with 800 million speakers. *E____________, with 460 million speakers is second, followed by Hindi, a language spoken in PI__d__a, with 430 m____________ speakers Spanish and with more than 300 million s______________. *S____________ is spoken in Spain, most of PC____________ America and *S________ America. Other widely spoken languages include Portuguese, spoken in *P______________, Brazil and five African nations; Russian, Japanese; Bengali, the official l______________ of Bangladesh; German and French. By the Pe________ century, the lands of I________ stretched from S________ in the w______ to I________ in the e______. The Arabs were great t____________, who spread I_______ throughout the world. The most populous Muslim nation is I________________, a group of islands in s________________ Asia far from the A____________ peninsula. The Arabs made great advances in m____________________, medicine and physical science. They replaced the clumsy R________ numbers with the A__________ numerals we use today.

ASSIGNMENT 4

Answer in complete sentences
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THE ARABS

1. Who are the Arabs?

2. What caused Arabic to become a world language?

3. List six languages spoken in the Middle East and North Africa. Try to put them in order from the most to the least prevalent. (You will not need to use outside reference material to answer this question. Your best guess is acceptable).

*4. List twelve nations where Arabic is the primary language in alphabetical order.

5. Describe why AD500 to AD1500 is often referred to as "the dark ages" in Western Europe.

**6. Copy this sentence using Roman Numerals: "I was born in (year) it is now (year). This means I am (age) years old.

ASSIGNMENT 5

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DESERTS

The M________ East and North A__________ comprise the d__________ region of the e________. Nearly ____% of the r__________ is d__________, where less than t____ inches of *p____c__p__t__t____n fall P__nn____ll__. The S__________ Desert of northern A__________ is larger than the continental U__________ S__________. The Rub 'al-Khali is an *A_______ word that means E_________ Quarter. It is the l____________ areas of continuous s______ in the world.

Life in the desert can be Pd_______________. The temperature can typically rise or fall ____o in a single day. Respite the severe conditions, some life forms have a____________ to the desert e____________________. Plants with long, shallow r_________, or deep t____________ find enough Pm______________ to survive. Camels can survive long periods without f______ or w________.

The deserts of the Middle East and North A__________ are all h____, and s_________, but a desert can look very different. Most of A________________ is a d__________ because they receive very little p________________________. The land is very rocky, and the c____________ of A_________________ is the c____________ on our Pp__________.

BEDOUINS

Bedouins are n__________ who have a____________ to the severe c____________ of the d__________. The use their extensive k________________ of the l______________ of w________ and s______________ weather c___________ to s____________. Bedouins generally prefer herding c__________, sheep, and g________ to Pf____________. They live with their extended f_______________ and are led by s__________. Bedouins live in t________ so they can m______ easily. The traditional B____________ lifestyle is slowly Pd______________________ as o____ wealth and strong g_____________________ evolve in the M__________ East and North A__________. Almost all B______________ are M____________ who speak A__________. B_______________comprise a small m______________ of the people of the region, but they live across a w______ area of l______.

ASSIGNMENT 6

Answer in complete sentences
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DESERTS

*1. Find the dictionary definition of either oasis or wadi.

*2. The Sahara Desert is the world's largest desert, yet the Rub 'al-Khali is the largest area of continuous sand in the world?. How can both statements be true? (Hint: this is a very difficult question. I will accept any answer, but you may not ask to be excused by a parent.)

*3. Fully explain why desert temperatures are so extreme.

4. Describe how some plants are able to survive in the desert.

*5. What is the dictionary definition of desert? (I'm talking about the dry place, not what comes after dinner)

6. How does the Electronic Passport define desert?

*7. Explain why South Florida is or is not a desert.

DESERTS

8. What does bedouin mean?

9. Explain how the Bedouins have adapted to the environment of the desert.

*10. List three deserts where you will find Bedouins. (You may have to look in previous sections of the study guide.)

*11. Why do you think the number of Bedouins following their traditional lifestyle is slowly decreasing?

ASSIGNMENT 7

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OIL

The i__________________________ nations of the world depend on e___________, and petroleum o_____ is a primary source of energy. More than f________ percent of the world oil r______________ are found in the M__________ East and North A__________. In 1960, several o____ producing nations formed a c__________ called O.__.__.__. to control the p____c__ and p____d________n of oil. In 1973, O.P.E.C. cut oil production, and American g________________ prices more than d___________.

Oil w__________ has changed the Middle E______ and N________ Africa. Some leaders have m__________________ their nations, while others have purchased w____________ and maintained large a___________. Experts believe that we will exhaust our oil s__________ sometime in the next f________ years, so the nations of the Middle East and North Africa must prepare for a future without o____ wealth.

ASSIGNMENT 8

OIL

Answer in complete sentences
Use your study sheet to find the correct answers.

*1. What is a cartel?

*2. If you could limit the supply of a vital product like water or energy, would the price increase or decrease? Explain why.

*3. How should oil producing nations prepare for the day when oil runs out?

*4. Oil wealth has changed life suddenly for many people of the Middle East and North Africa. How would life change for your family if you became much more financially richer? Would you keep the same values you now have? [Note: You can ask your parent to write this for you, but you must show them how to write a paragraph. It must have a topic sentence, at least two supporting sentences, and a conclusion.]

ASSIGNMENT 9

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THE DEAD SEA

The Dead S____ is a salty l______ located between I__________ and J__________. It is the l__________ body of w________ on E_________, nearly ____ miles below s____ level. Water flows into the D______ Sea from the J__________ River, but because it is l__________ than the land surrounding it, no water f________ out of the Dead S____.

The hot d__________ sun e__________________ the w_________ but leaves behind s______ and other m_____________ carried in from the r________. The result is water that is s________ times s____________ than the o________. Bathers can easily f________ on the s________ water, but when the get out, they have a salty c________ on the s______. The D______ Sea is aptly named because any fish carried in from the J__________ River d____ instantly.

ASSIGNMENT 10

Answer in complete sentences
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*1. What is the dictionary definition of a sea? Why is the Dead Sea not a sea?

EXTREMELY DIFFICULT QUESTION AHEAD. YOU CAN GIVE A WRONG ANSWER, BUT YOU MUST TRY!

*2. Two elements must be in place to create a salty sea. What do the Dead Sea, the Caspian Sea, the Aral Sea, and the Great Salt Lake all have in common?

*3. Write a paragraph that describes why you would or would not want to swim in the Dead Sea. Be sure to include a topic sentence, at least two support sentences, and a conclusion that restates, but does not repeat the topic sentence.

ASSIGNMENT 11

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THE SUEZ CANAL

The 101-m______ Suez C________ is one of the most important w________________ in the w________. It is often called the "c__________________ of Europe, Africa, and A______ because the r________ is use to t________________ goods to all three c___________________." The idea of building a canal through the isthmus of Suez was *t_________________ of years old, but it was completed until a F_________ company led by Ferdinand d__L_____________ completed the task in 1869. The canal saved ships from having to circumnavigate Africa, and cut the journey from the Mediterranean Sea to I________ by 6,000 miles.

The B____________ purchased control of the S______ Canal when Egypt fell into d______. The British sent s______________ to Egypt because they said they wanted to *p____________ their interests. In 1956, E______________ president Gamal Abdel N__________ seized the c________ and declared it to be the p______________ of the Egyptian people.

ASSIGNMENT 12

Answer in complete sentences
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1. What is an isthmus?

*2. The idea of building the Suez Canal is thousands of years old, but it was not completed until 1869, Suggest some reasons why the idea of a canal connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Dead Sea took so long. Be creative and try to think of reasons nobody else will consider.

*3. In 1956, the president of Egypt seized the Suez Canal and declared it to be the property of the Egyptian people. Many years earlier, the British government purchased the canal from Egypt. Who do you think is the rightful owner of the Suez Canal. Explain your answer.

ASSIGNMENT 13

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THE ASWAN DAM

The government of E________ constructed the A________ Dam in order to control the annual f______________ of the N______ River. The creation of the dam was an exciting technological development, but that development has come at financial and environmental costs.

Lake N__________, the world's largest m____________ lake, holds the water that created the f__________. This has created new f____________ areas and has provided much-needed w________ for a____________________. Additionally, *f____________ along the b________ of the N______ are now able to g______ and additional c______ during the period when their land has been previously under *w________.

The Aswan D____ has many c____________. The project was more *e________________ than expected. The A________ Dam holds back s______, which created t____________ needed for p__________. Egyptian *f____________ along the N______ are forced to use expensive f____________________ in place of the s______. Also, f______ fed on the s______ and people downstream depended on f____________ from the m________ river.

ASSIGNMENT 14

Answer in complete sentences
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*1. Write a paragraph that explains why the Aswan Dam was a good idea. Your paragraph must include a topic sentence, at least two supporting sentences and a conclusion that restates but does not repeat the topic sentence. Highlight or underline both your topic sentence and your conclusion.

*2. Write a paragraph that explains why the Aswan Dam was a bad idea. Your paragraph must include a topic sentence, at least two supporting sentences and a conclusion that restates but does not repeat the topic sentence. Highlight or underline both your topic sentence and your conclusion.