1. CHAPTER 20 The Eastern Mediterranean Section 1: Natural Environments Section 2: History and Culture Section 3: The Region Today

2. Section 1 Natural Environments Objectives: • What landforms and rivers are found in the eastern Mediterranean region? • What climates, biomes, and natural resources does the region have?

3. Section 1 Natural Environments Landforms and rivers: • Turkey—plains and hills; two mountain ranges; Anatolian Plateau • coastal plain in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel • rift valley, edged with hills • Jordan River, flows into Dead Sea • Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

4. Section 1 Natural Environments Climates, biomes, and natural resources: • arid, semi-arid, and Mediterranean climates • distance from sea, elevation, rain shadows—factors in temperature and rainfall • evergreen forests once common, now mainly gone • Syrian Desert—scarce plant and animal life • valuable minerals and energy—coal, copper, iron ore, potash, magnesium

5. Section 2 History and Culture Objectives: • How have various peoples and empires influenced the eastern Mediterranean? • How did the modern state of Israel develop? • What are the peoples and cultures of the region like?

6. Section 2 History and Culture Peoples and empires: • Several ancient empires occupied the area: Egyptian, Hittite, Persian. • Hebrews established kingdom and Judaism. • Romans exiled Jews, then spread Christianity. • Byzantine Empire brought growth of Eastern Orthodox Church. • Arab Muslim armies occupied the area and spread Islam. • Crusades brought clashes between Muslims and Christians. • Ottoman Empire ruled the region by 1600s.

7. Section 2 History and Culture Development of Israel: • Zionist movement of late 1800s called for Jewish homeland. • Jews moved to Palestine after World War I. • Migration increased in 1930s and 1940s. • U.N. divided Palestine into Jewish and Arab states in 1947. • Israel declared independence in 1948. • Israel gained territories through war—West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights.

8. Section 2 History and Culture Peoples and cultures: • main peoples—Arabs, Jews, Turks, Kurds • religions—Islam, Judaism, Christianity • Members of same ethnic group may follow different religions—e.g., Christian Arabs. • Cultural identity may be distinct from religious identity. • urban-rural divide in Turkey—modern versus traditional customs • Jewish religious law influences Israeli culture. • Multiethnic influences in Israel reflect different national origins.

9. Section 3 The Region Today Objectives: • On what activities do the eastern Mediterranean economies rely? • What are the cities of the region like? • What challenges do the people of the region face?

10. Section 3 The Region Today Economic activities: • heavy reliance on agriculture; irrigation important • strong industrial base in Israel—high-tech, diamond-cutting, chemicals • carpets—key Turkish industry • tourism—major industry

11. Section 3 The Region Today Cities: • rapid growth • cramped housing, traffic congestion • ancient city centers, with souks • newer areas around center • war damages in some cities—Nicosia, Beirut

12. Section 3 The Region Today Challenges: • status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip • Kurdish conflict • Islamic fundamentalism in Turkey • Cyprus division • Palestinian refugees in Jordan • environmental issues—water scarcity, overgrazing