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Social Studies Notes
Population
- Most people in southwest asia live near water, due to jobs, Farming – Desert and jobs = Oil
- Population in southwst asia has historically been rapid, but is now slowing down.
- Most people in the region are urbanized
- Groups of men mov to the area looking for oil work (Guest Workers)
- Most people speak arabic, these languages make this area a region
Cultura Hearths – Were civilazartion was created
Mesopotamia
- Mesopotamia Is between the Tigiris and Eupharates rivers (Modern dat Iraq)
- 1st Written language- Sumerian and Cuneiform
- Major Cities are UR and sumer
Egypt
- Nile river-seasonal flooding good in farming
- Hieroglyphics is written picture language
- no major cities losts of small cities
- Pharoahs are gods and in charge of egypt
Governments
- Southwest Asia has been dominated by authoritarian governments
- Some governments have been overthrown, Egypt, Yemen, Libya. Civil wars exist in syria and has failed in bahrain. These are known as Arab Spring
- Many nations have monarchies ruled by kings, examples are Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, and Jordan
- Isreal and Turkey are Parliamentary Democracies due to their connection to Europe
- Iran is a theocracy (ruled by religious leaders)
- Many contries have been transitioning since protests and overthrows
The Stans
- Use to be in the USSR
- Any contries with Stan except Afghanistan and Pakistan
- Religious outliers are Armenia and Georgia who are christian
Religion
Islam
- Founded by mohamed and belives in the 5 pillars.
- Prayer 5 times aday
- Romadan, fasting for a whole month
- 1.8 Billions, muslims represent 24% of the worlds population
- One of every four people is muslim
- Second largest religion and fastest growing.
Islamic Traditions
- Sharia Law – Strict religious laws with severe punishments
- Women must follow strict rules
- Strict Diet Rules
- Sacred Places: Medina, Mecca, and Jerusalem
- Holy Book: Qur’an
- Place of worship: Mosque
- Sunnis make up the majority of muslims and Shi’as are the minority. Shi’as are more conservative and belive that only relatives of Muhammad’s should lead islams. Wahabi’s are another branch and are very fundamentalists and are very evil (Death to america behaviour) Sufis are the another and are Muslim Hipies
Islamic Art
- Based in Geometric Shapes with quotes of the quran
- Blasphemy is considered when somene draws a man or animal in a mosque
- Walls are decorated with colored tiles
Judaism
- Smallest of Major religiouns
- Torah -makes up first five books of the bible
- Kosher Diets
- Jews Promised land = Israel, Did not make it became slaves in egypt
- Jewish Diaspora – moving out of egypt
- Second Jewish Diaspora – Going to Israel , 1940s
Jewish Customs
- Chanuka is the fesitval of lights
Christianity
- Follows the ten commandments and the laws of the bible
- No rules on diet
- Sacred Places Rome and Jerusalem (Vatican rome)
- Place of Worship: Church
Jerusalem
- Built on high ground for strategic defense
- Holy Sites, Church Of Holy Sepulcher, Dome of the rock, and Wailing Or Western Wall