Identical or Fraternal?“Are North Africa and SW Asia twins?” First we should talk about the two

kinds of twins. Identical twins look alike, but fraternal twins do not. Many fraternal twins may even have opposite characteristics, like one a blonde and the other a brunette.

What do twins have to do with countries of North Africa & Southwest Asia? We are beginning our study of North Africa and SWA and we need to understand why this formal region exists. Based on the information that you gather from the computers (or handouts), you need to decide if the countries in SWA and North Africa are more identical or fraternal.

For this activity, twins may only be fraternal if over half of the characteristics in the graphic organizer are different. You will be given a is a list of questions to help you determine whether most of the countries of the Middle East and North Africa are identical or fraternal twins.

At this time, pick one from each column…

North African Countries

• Morocco• Libya• Tunisia• Egypt• Algeria

SWA Countries

• Jordan• Iraq• Iran• Saudi Arabia• Bahrain• United Arab Emirates• Kuwait• Qatar

Go to:

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/

Questions for ComparisonWhat is the major religion?

What kind of government do they have?

What is the life expectancy (men, women, & total)?

What kind of climate do they have?

What is the literacy rate (men, women, & total)?

What are some of the environmental issues?

What are the major natural resources?

How much of the land is arable?

What is the largest ethnic group?

What is the level of technology use, compared with the population?

Identical vs. Fraternal Writing Assignment

Write a paragraph (8-10 sentences) that addresses the following

question:

Based on the information in the chart you completed, are most

countries in North Africa like those in SW Asia?

Give at least 3 details to back up your “identical” or “fraternal” twin

claim. If there are more than 5 similarities, consider them

“identical” and if there are fewer than 5, consider them “fraternal”.