Name _______________________ W.G __________

Year 8 The Middle East Work booklet

Keywords to be learned for this unit of work

Advanced – 20 words to learn Intermediate – 15 words to learn Foundation – 10 words to learn

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Crude oil Political instabilityDiversifying UNESCO World Heritage sitesForced migration Humanitarian crisis Mediterranean climate RefugeesRegion Physical landscapeColonised Tectonic platesTectonic plates Ethnic groupsClimatic zones Sedimentation Economy Hydrocarbons Arid environment Revenue Corruption Immigrants

Lesson 1- How does physical geography influence the region?

Learning Objectives -

• To understand the influence of physical geography on the Middle East

Activity 1-

Read through the information on the Middle East.

Middle of what, east of where?

One of the reasons why this region is so important is that it is located where the continents of Asia, Europe and Africa meet. The Middle East can be called Southwest Asia. The term ‘Middle East’ was first use by European Colonialists in the nineteenth century. Traders used it as a way of distinguishing this area from India and the Far East (Southeast Asia and China). After the Second World War, ‘Middle East’ became the dominant term for the whole region. The Middle East is therefore, an outsider’s term describing neither geography nor culture. This explains why different countries can be included in this region. This is an important economic region that is rich in oil. However, it is also a region in turmoil, often in the news because of war and conflict.

Fill in the gaps to explain what the ‘Middle East’ is. You may need to use words more than once.

The Middle East, is a ______________________. A_____________________ is an area that

has a certain ____________________ in common, that make it unique. There is no single,

agreed-upon definition of what makes up the Middle East. Defining the Middle East through

ethnicity, ______________, or national identity is difficult, as the region is so diverse. One of

the regions why this region is so important is that it is located where the continents of

________________, __________________ and ___________________ meet. The Middle

East can also be called _______________________. The term the ‘Middle East’ was first

used by European __________________in the _______________century. Traders used it as

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a way of distinguishing this area from_____________________ and the Far East (Southeast

Asia and China). After the Second World War, ‘Middle East’ became the dominate term for

the whole region.

What is the region of the Middle East like?

Activity 2 – Using an atlas, find and label the following on the map below:

The countries of the region.

The three continents that border the Middle East region.

The countries of the Middle East region (the Gaza Strip and the West Bank make up the Palestinian

States)

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Activity 3 -

How much do you know about the countries in the Middle East? Decide if each statement below is true or false?

Statement True FalseIndia is in the Middle East.Cairo is the capital of Egypt.Dubai is a country.The capital of Yemen is Muscat.Egypt is the largest country in the Middle East.Iraq can be found between Saudi Arabia and Iran.Turkey borders Jordan.Yemen only borders two other countries.The capital of UAE is Abu Dhabi.Turkey is the most northerly country in the region.The capital of Iraq is Baghdad.Socotra is an Island owned by Oman.The capital of Kuwait is Kuwait City.

Extension Tasks – Activity 1

Go to the degree confluence website www.confluence.org. Search for a confluence point in the region. Download and print a photo of a location in the Middle East and place it in the space below.

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Things to do with the photo

Add a title naming the place and providing its location using latitude and longitude Mark and name the location of the place on the map above. Use the description of the place on the website to annotate your photo.

Activity 2 - Describe what you see in the photo

This video might help you find out where the building is

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn7AFhVEI5o

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Why is it like this?

How do I feel about it?

Who is affected by the changes?

How is it changing?

What is it like?

Where is this place?

2- How does physical geography influence the region?

Learning Objectives-• To know the climate zones of the Middle East

• To draw and interpret climate graphs

• To be aware of the issues climate creates for the regions

Activity 1- Using an atlas or Google Earth to help you, on the blank map label

All of the 16 countries and one state of the Middle East The five seas surrounding the Middle East The three gulfs surrounding the Middle East The Pontic and Taurus Mountains of Turkey The Zargros and Elburz Mountains of Iran The Arabian desert and Rub’Al Khali The Nile, Euphrates and Tigris rivers

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Extension TasksA – The Middle East physical geography

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B – Plate boundaries and Earthquakes in the Middle East

Extension TasksActivity 1

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Write a report to describe and explain earthquake activity in the Middle East. Use the maps on the previous page to help you.

Activity 2

Research the following website: www.geolsoc.org.uk/Plate-Tectonics/Chap3-Plate-Margins/Divergent/Triple-Junction. Using your research, mark on the map where you think volcanoes and earthquakes are likely to occur in the Middle East.

Write four sentences to explain why volcanoes and earthquakes occur in the Middle East.

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Lesson 3- Why is the population of the Middle East so diverse?

Learning Objectives –

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USGS Report: Earthquake Activity in the Middle East

Written by:_________________________________

The distribution of earthquakes in the region:

In the Middle East you can find clusters of earthquakes in….

They are most commonly found along the plate boundaries of the…….

Large earthquakes have occurred in……

How plate movement has led to earthquakes:

Earthquakes occur due to the slow spreading apart of….

An earthquake occurs when…..

You can also find….

● To identify parts of the Middle East that are densely and sparsely populated

● To describe the distribution of population across the Middle East

● To identify reasons for the distribution of population in the region

The Climate of the Middle East

Activity 1 – Annotate the map to describe the different types of climate across the Middle East

Why do you think water is a precious

natural resource in the Middle East?

__

__

__________________________________________________________________________________

_____

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

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___________________________________________________________________________Activity

1 – Read through the Newspaper Article from The Guardian, 27 August 2015 and answer

the questions below

a) What are the two main causes of the water crisis?

__

__

___________________________________________________________________________

b) Why would a water crisis encourage more people to move to cities?

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__

__

___________________________________________________________________________

c) Why is the water in underground aquifers low in the region?

__

__

___________________________________________________________________________

d) Why does farming waste so much water?

__

__

___________________________________________________________________________

e) Why does population growth put a strain on water supplies?

__

__

___________________________________________________________________________

f) What is happening in Egypt?

__

__

___________________________________________________________________________

g) Which countries are most water stressed?

__

__

___________________________________________________________________________

h) What do you think might happen in the future to the water supply in the region?

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__

__

____________________________________________________________

Extension Tasks

Activity 1

Read viewpoints A and B and explain how they are improving water supply in the region

1. Viewpoint A

_ ____________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

2. Viewpoint B __

__ ____________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

3. Explain which approach you think is conserving water use.

__

__

__________________________________________________________________________________

__

__________________________________________________________________________________

Activity 2

Temperature and rainfall in Tel Aviv and Riyadh

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Title

Axis Title

(Activity 2- Continued) Use the temperature and rainfall data to complete the two climate graphs for Tel Aviv and Riyadh:

Tel Aviv – this climate graph needs:• Rainfall data completed (only if printed out)• Temperature data completed (only if printed out)• A title• A scale on the temperature axis (only if printed out)• Three axis titles

Riyadh – this climate graph needs:• Rainfall data completed (only if printed out)• A title• A scale on the temperature axis (only if printed out)• Three axis titles

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Axis TitleAxis Title

Title

Axis Title

Lesson 4- Why is the Middle East a major economic region of the world?Learning Objectives –

● To understand the importance of oil to the economies of the Middle East and the World

Population density across the Middle East

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Axis Title Axis Title

Activity 1 – Use Map A to describe the population distribution of each of the countries in the table

Country Population distribution

Turkey In Turkey, most of the population live in the _______________ of the

country. A lot of the population lives near_________________.

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IranIn Iran, not many people live in the _________________ of the country.

The most dense areas are found in the ___________________ of the

country.

YemenThe North and North-east of Yemen are______________ populated,

whereas the West of Yemen is _________________ populated.

EgyptMost of Egypt is_____________ populated. The majority of the

population are found__________________.

SyriaIn Syria, most of the population live on the _______________ coast of the

country. The __________________ is the least populated.

OmanOman is_____________ populated. A lot of the population lives in a small

area in the ______________ of the country.

Why is the population of the Middle East so diverse?

Activity 2 – Fill in the missing words:

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a) The location of the Middle East, where three continents_____________________,

______________________, and ______________________) meet, has been very significant

making it a diverse region. It is at the junction of ____________________ routes that have

existed for over______________________ years connecting these continents and all the

cultures of the ______________________. The movement of people and

___________________ for so long has led to the formation of a very diverse and

complicated region, with many ____________________, cultures and religions.

b) What is the main religion in the Middle East?

c) In what ways is the population of Israel different to other countries in the Middle East?

In Israel, there are two main ethnic groups – the ________________________ and the

_____________________. There is also a small population of _______________________.

This is different to the other countries because____________________________________

d) Choose two other countries and contrast their population.

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Extension Tasks – Activty 1

Think about what you have learnt so far about the Middle East, and use an atlas to consider

the reasons for the population distribution across the region. In the table below, explain

how the physical geography and climate influence this distribution.

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Factor Sparsely populated areas Densely populated areas

Physical geography – coast,

mountains, flatland, rivers

Climate

Extension Tasks – Activity 2

Population figures for Middle East countries in

millions, 2017

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1. Complete the bar chart to show the population in each country. It needs a title and axis labels.

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Axis Title

Axis Title

Title