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The Middle East Called Southwest Asia in your textbook. Why is it called the Middle East?. Middle East refers to the land in the middle, between Europe & the Far East. This reflects Eurocentrism : a way of looking at the world with a European perspective. Far East : - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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The Middle EastCalled Southwest Asia in
your textbook
Middle East refers to the land
in the middle, between Europe &
the Far East
Far East: Far away from where in the Old World?
Europe
Why is it called the Middle East?
This reflects Eurocentrism: a way
of looking at the world with a
European perspective.
The region has historically been a very strategic
location for trade, military, and economic
reasons.“Geography” has been a blessing and a curse.
Benefits of its Geography
The region has several ‘strategic chokepoints.”
These are locations that if closed off, could result in war.
Suez Canal
Bab-al-Mandab
Strait of Hormuz
Bosporus and Dardanelles
The importance of the region has been
magnified by the need for?
OIL!!!!!!
Resource of the Region...
There is evidence that the first civilizations
began here in the Fertile Crescent
(Mesopotamia) area that is now Iraq and
in the Nile River Valley.
It is thought that the first
Agricultural Revolution
started here.
Fertile Crescent
Some 10,000 years ago, the land of the Middle East was much wetter than it is today. The climate
changed and so did the landscape.
Ancient city of Ur in Iraq
Rub al Khali
Syrian Desert
Lebanon
The Middle East is home to many unique man made and natural
phenomena.
The Dead Sea. So much salt you can’t
sink.
Salt deposits in the Dead Sea
Man-made islands built to resemble a map of the world outside of Dubai.
Get your own for a merely $7
million!
The Hindu Kush Mtns. in Afghanistan create an
almost impenetrable barrier.
The Khyber Pass is the major route through the mountains. It was used as a trade route from the Far East & is a strategic
military location.
This was a view Alexander the Great could have had on his
way to India.
Hindu Kush & Khyber Pass
The region has three major cultural traitsEthnicity Religions Language
Cultural Geography
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Tehran, Iran
Damascus, Syria
Dubai, UAE
Modern cities in the Middle East
The desire to return to the fundamental life of strict Islam crashes into the reality of globalization and peoples desire to have “what the West has.”
Women’s rights are at the forefront of that conflict, as
some rights that women have here in the US
strongly contradict Islamic law, or sharia.
Iran
A Region of Conflict
Ms. Bahrain
*For instance, a woman does not have
the right to drive a car, and in most
cases, must ask for her husband’s
consent in order to divorce.
Women are not allowed to eat in the regular dining area.
They must be accompanied by a
man.
The clash of globalization and
fundamentalism in Saudi Arabia today.
Women’s rights
In many Middle Eastern countries, women are
expected to be completely or partially covered in public. They will take off the burka in
their homes.
Women’s rights
SecularismTurkey is a prime example of a secular society: one
that is not based on religious law.
It is actually illegal for women to wear head
scarves in government building
Globalization
The Middle East is been influenced by the Western culture
through globalization
While many want the US out of the Middle East, there is one fact that will keep us in the region, and it benefits the entire Western world. It is?