APHG Vocab - MENA

desert

an area that has less than 10 inches of annual rainfall (there are 4 different types)

oasis

a fertile place in a desert where water is available through an underground spring

Anatolian Peninsula

makes up the majority of modern-day Turkey; has fertile soil and moisture available for farming to support a large population

Mesopotamia

land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers that is very fertile; some of the earliest civilizations began here (part of the Fertile Crescent)

ecumene

the portion of Earth's surface occupied by permanent human settlement

cultural landscape

cultural properties that represent the combined works of nature and of man

Fertile Crescent

an agriculture hearth that stretches from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf (Mesopotamia)

hydroponics

the process of growing plants without soil and instead using mineral nutrient solutions in a water solvent

desalination

the process of removing salt from seawater (used mostly in the Middle East)

nomadism

way of life of peoples who do not live continually in the same place but move cyclically or periodically

transhumance

the action/practice of moving livestock from one grazing ground to another in a seasonal cycle

population density

is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume

arithmetic population density

the amount of people per unit of land

physiological population density

the amount of people per unit of arable land (land suited for growing crops)

agricultural population density

the number of farmers per unit of arable land

refugee

a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster

internally displaced person

someone who is forced to flee his or her home but who remains within their country's borders

asylum

the protection granted by a nation to someone who has left their native country as a political refugee

guest workers

a person with temporary permission to work in another country

remittances

a sum of money sent, especially by mail, in payment for goods or services or as a gift

repatriation

the return of someone to their own country

UNHCR

(United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) a United Nations program with the mandate to protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people, and assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integration, or resettlement to a third country

cultural hearth

an area where new ideas and innovations spring up and spread to other parts of the world

ethnic religion

closely associated with a particular ethnic group (ex: Judaism, Hinduism)

universalizing religion

seeks to convert nonbelievers (ex: Christianity, Islam)

monotheism

is the belief in one god

polytheism

the belief in more than one god

Abrahamic religion

group of religions that worship the God of Abraham (Judaism, Christianity, Islam)

Judaism

a monotheistic religion that believes they are the chosen people by God, worships in synagogues, believes God gave humans his law through the Torah, and follows the kashrut laws (set of dietary restrictions)

Christianity

a monotheistic religion (there are many denominations) that believes Jesus is the Messiah, worships in Churches, believes the Bible contains the actual words of God revealed to prophets, and is rooted in Jewish tradition

Islam

a monotheistic religion that believes Muhammad is the final prophet, worships in Mosques, believes in the Qur'an, which contains the actual words of Allah revealed to Muhammad, is younger than major world religions, and all members must do the Hajj (a pilgrimage to Mecca)

Sunni Muslims

are 83% of all Muslims and is the largest branch in the Middle East and Asia; believes that Muhammad's Successor should be chosen by religious leaders

Shi'a Muslims

are 16% of all Muslims and is located in only a few countries of the Middle East; believe that Muhammad's Successor should be a member of his family

Five Pillars of Islam

basic acts that Muslims are supposed to carry out that include:

Shahada (confession of faith in Allah and Muhammad as his prophet)
Salah (pray five times a day)
Zakāt (give to charity)
Sawm (fasting during the holy month of Ramadan)
Hajj (do the pilgrimage to Mecca)

language family

is a group of languages related through descent from a common ancestral language or parental language

Indo-European language family

a large widespread family of languages, the surviving branches include Italic, Slavic, Baltic, Hellenic, Celtic, Germanic, and Indo-Iranian; spoken by about half the world's population: English, Spanish, German, Latin, Greek, Russian, Albanian, Lithuanian, Armenian, Persian, Hindi, and Hittite

gendered spaces

are areas in which particular genders of people, and particular types of gender expression, are considered welcome or appropriate, and other types are unwelcome or inappropriate

state

a population and defined territory controlled by an organized government

nation

a large aggregate of people united by common descent, history, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular country or territory

multinational state

a sovereign state that comprises two or more nations (ex: United Kingdom)

multistate nation

a nation which operates more than one states within its borders (ex: United States)

stateless nation

an ethnic group or nation that does possess its own state and is not the majority population of any nation state (ex: the Kurds)

ethnic conflict

is a conflict between two or more contending ethnic groups

antecedent boundary

political boundary that existed before the cultural landscape emerged and stayed in place while people moved in to occupy the surrounding area

geometric boundary

a boundary formed by arcs or straight lines irrespective of the physical and cultural features of the land it passes through

physical boundary

is a naturally occurring barrier between two areas (ex: rivers, mountains ranges, oceans, deserts)

militarized boundary

heavily fortified boundaries that discourage the crossing of traffic, people, goods, and/or information

subsequent boundary

a political boundary that developed at the same time of the evolution of the major elements of the cultural landscape through which it passes

superimposed boundary

a boundary that has been imposed on an area by an outside or conquering power (ignores the cultural organizations on this landscape)

renewable resource

is a natural resource which will replenish to replace the portion depleted by usage and consumption

non-renewable resource

is a resource that cannot be readily replaced by natural means at a quick enough pace to keep up with consumption

OPEC

(Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) it tries to coordinate and unify the petroleum policies of its Member Countries and ensure the stabilization of oil markets

island of development

place built up by a government or corporation to attract foreign investment and which has relatively high concentrations of paying jobs and infrastructure

hydroelectric power

a form of energy that harnesses the power of moving water

world city

a cosmopolitan (including people from many countries) city, with resident and visiting foreigners

megacity

a very large city, typically one with a population of over ten million people

bazaar

a market in a Middle Eastern country

Islamic city model

owe their structure to their religious beliefs; contain mosques, open air markets; courtyards, surrounded by walls, limiting foot traffic in residential neighborhoods