Who is an Arab?• 75% of people in SW Asia
• Share a culture and language—Arabic
• Not all Arabs are Muslims (religion)
• Not all live in SW Asia
Other People and Languages• Iran—Persian ethnic
group and Muslim (not Arab), large population
-speak Farsi and Arabic
• Turkey—Turks from central Asia, speak Turkish but use roman alphabet
Minority Groups • Kurds, Armenians, Greeks, and Jews
• Often persecuted —Jews and the Holocaust
• Over 25 languages
Religions of the Region• 90% Muslim – Sunni and Shiite divisions
• Christians scattered throughout
• Jews in Israel and a few in other countries
Village Farmers
• Sown land --farmable, river valleys, mountain sides, lots of irrigation
• Desalination –taking the salt out of salt water• Fertigation –watering directly to the roots of
plants
Desert Herders• Bedouins –nomads to carry goods or herd
in the desert
• Skilled at desert travel, finding water
• Way of life is dying out due to technology