Podcast
Questions and Answers
Which region is characterized by a labor surplus with significant migration to Gulf States and Europe?
Which region is characterized by a labor surplus with significant migration to Gulf States and Europe?
Which of the following extraction zones includes both desert and petroleum resources?
Which of the following extraction zones includes both desert and petroleum resources?
Which strait is recognized for its strategic importance in linking three continents?
Which strait is recognized for its strategic importance in linking three continents?
What factor makes commodity exporters in the region vulnerable to international market fluctuations?
What factor makes commodity exporters in the region vulnerable to international market fluctuations?
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Which waterway became a significant stage for Cold War bipolar confrontation?
Which waterway became a significant stage for Cold War bipolar confrontation?
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Which of the following statements accurately describes the concept of Arab countries?
Which of the following statements accurately describes the concept of Arab countries?
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What distinguishes the Islamic world from other regions with significant Muslim populations?
What distinguishes the Islamic world from other regions with significant Muslim populations?
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What is the primary reason for the use of the term 'Southwestern Asia and North Africa'?
What is the primary reason for the use of the term 'Southwestern Asia and North Africa'?
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Which geographical delineation includes Turkey as a significant country?
Which geographical delineation includes Turkey as a significant country?
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Why is Sudan sometimes excluded from certain delineations of the Arab countries?
Why is Sudan sometimes excluded from certain delineations of the Arab countries?
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Study Notes
Conceptual Definition
- Arab Countries excludes non-Arab groups and countries
- Islamic World/Islamic Countries excludes non-Muslim groups and leaves out other regions of the Muslim world with different sociocultural characteristics.
- Near East, Middle East, “Levant” Implies a Eurocentrist view of the world and was used during World War I by the English. "Proche-Orient" is the French equivalent.
- Maghreb-Mashreq refers to the West and East in Arabic respectively.
- Southwestern Asia y North Africa A term coined to eliminate the Eurocentrist background of the Middle East or Near East.
Great Middle East
- Incorporates former Soviet Republics with Muslim populations.
Geographical Demarcation
- Ranges from Morocco’s Atlantic Coast to Pakistan (broader definition)
- Includes Arab countries of the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey, Israel, and Iran
- Excludes the Maghreb in some definitions as it is not considered Arab
- Turkey’s Muslim population shares the Kurdish problem with Iraq, Iran, and Syria.
Subsoil Resources
- Western Sahara contains 25% of the world’s phosphate reserves.
- The region is rich in natural gas, zinc, coal, copper, potassium, iron, manganese, lead/plumb and oil.
Human Resources
- Countries have young populations and, until recently, high rates of fertility and birth rates that have declined in recent decades.
- Some countries experience labor surplus and workers migrate to other regions, mainly the Gulf States and Europe - especially qualified or semi-qualified labor.
Geostrategic Significance
- Crossroad among three continents with important land and sea communication routes that have linked it to the rest of the world.
- Important routes include the Bosphorus (north) and Dardanelles Straits (South), the Suez Canal, Bab el Mandeb Strait, and Strait of Hormuz.
- Russian expansionism to the south and east during the 17th and 19th centuries, provoked an interest in the northern part of the region, particularly around the control of the Bosphorus straits and Iran.
- During the Cold War, it became another stage of bipolar confrontation.
- Growing need of industrialized countries to access their resources led to the establishment of military bases.
- The region serves as containment zones for Europe.
Physical and Geographical Framework
- Aridity/Dryness and lack of water.
- Includes Wadis, Sahara, Libyan, and Arabian Deserts.
- Some of the largest mountain ranges in the world: Atlas Mountains, Zagros mountains, and Taurus mountains.
- Historical rivers: the Nile, the Tigris, the Euphrates
- Zone of contrasts and extremes: intense colds and heats, deserts, and forests, fertile plains and arid mountains, temperate coasts, and hot inlands.
Resources
- Crossroads of three continents, and therefore very important for Athenian, Roman, and Byzantine empires.
- Known as the “Bread basket of Europe”.
- Low in agriculture but with very productive areas due to its Mediterranean climate.
- The Nile Valley, the Fertile Crescent, the Mediterranean coasts, the Black Sea, and the Caspian Sea are the main productive areas.
- Main crops; wheat, rice, lentils, barley, citrus, vine, olives, figs, dates and nuts, apples, peaches, apricots, watermelons, and melons.
- Industrial crops: Egyptian, Syrian, and Sudanese cotton; the linen, and hemp from the Fertile Crescent; Yemen coffee, and tea from Iran, and Turkey.
- Fish is little consumed, but Caspian Sea caviar, Black Sea tuna, and Persian Gulf sardines are famous.
- In terms of food, the region is a net importer.
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Description
Explore the various definitions and geographical classifications of the Middle East and surrounding regions. This quiz covers terms like Arab countries, Islamic world, and the broader implications of the Great Middle East concept. Test your knowledge on the nuances of regional terminology and their historical contexts.
