Read below to answer 10 questions on the back of your map.
The Middle East is the home of the world's oldest civilization: Mesopotamia. It was located in the modern day country of Iraq in between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
Geographers use the term "Middle East" for this region of Asia. These countries are in the middle of the eastern hemisphere so that is why geographers call it the Middle East.
It includes countries you may have heard of in the news like: Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Syria, or Israel. There has been fighting or war in many of these countries.
The countries here do have lots of things in common with each other - mainly religion and language. Islam is the main religion they practice, so no Christmas like many celebrate in the US. And almost everyone in the Middle East speaks the Arabic language.
The way people live in these countries can be both similar AND different from how we live in the United States. For example, some like fast food and soccer. However, others like camel racing. I bet you've never seen camel racing in the US.
Since this region is still hot and dry they have to adapt to the climate. Farmers adapt to the dry conditions today just like in ancient times. They do this by using many methods: like irrigation and growing plants with long roots.
Oil is the most important natural resource in this region. Petroleum is another word for oil. Large supplies of oil leave this area on big tanker boats. Other countries buy oil to make gasoline and other products. There are over 6000 products made from oil. Click Here for a list of products made from oil. Some countries in this region have used selling oil to become rich. For example, the United Arab Emirates has the world's tallest building and their police officers are known for driving Ferraris.
Unfortunately, many countries here have problems. A great number of the countries here have a dictatorship for a government. This means one person or a small group is in control. Fighting or war is very common. Civil war has occurred in some of these countries. A civil war is when groups in the same country are fighting each other for control. Harsh or unfair treatment of citizens, especially females, has been an issue in these countries. Those problems, along with terrorist attacks, has made many places unsafe. Terrorism is using violence against innocent people. Some terrorist groups hide out in countries in the Middle East to train. ISIS, the Taliban, and Al-Qaeda, Hamas, and Hezbollah are terrorist groups that have tried to control countries in this area. The U.S. often sends military troops to help fight against these groups.
Many countries in this region are not great allies or friends with the United States. Often the U.S. disagrees with the decisions countries here make. For example, Iran is a country we do not trust because we think they are helping terrorist groups by giving them money. If a country is our ally it basically means we are friends and we support each other. Israel is the country that is most similar to the U.S. and our best ally in this area.
Define the underlined words above on a sheet of notebook paper.