World Geography: Israel, Iran, and Sub-Saharan Africa Practice Flashcards

Comprehensive flashcards covering the lectures on Middle Eastern conflicts (Palestine/Israel), Iranian political history, and the geography, demographics, and history of sub-Saharan Africa.

What percentage of the population in Israel and the occupied territories was Palestinian post-Nakba according to the notes?

A minority of about $20\%$ or $27\%$.

What does the abbreviation PLO stand for?

Palestinian Liberation Organization.

What two major organizations currently represent Palestinians in terms of political parties?

Hamas and the PLO.

In what year did Israel remove its army and all its settlements from the Gaza Strip in an effort to reach peace?

$2005$.

Which political party won the Gaza elections in $2007$, leading to increased militancy and an economic blockade?

Hamas.

What is the name of the giant border wall Israel built to control Palestinian movement out of Gaza?

The Iron Wall.

What were the specific outcomes of the Hamas offensive launched in $2023$?

Just over $1,000$ people died and about $250$ hostages were taken into Gaza.

How many Palestinians were killed during the systematic destruction of Gaza following the $2023$ retaliation?

$72,000+$ Palestinians, of which $70\%$ were women and children.

Historically, what civilization is synonymous with the current state of Iran?

Persia.

When did the Persian civilization first come into being as a major world civilization?

As early as $500\,B.C.$

What is the meaning of the term 'Shah' in the context of Iranian political history?

An Iranian king.

What significant event occurred in Iran in $1979$?

A cultural/religious revolution that deposed the Shah and established an Islamic republic.

What title is given to the supreme leader of the Islamic republic in Iran?

Ayatollah.

What are the three sectors of control held by the Ayatollah in Iran?

The military (commander in chief), the judiciary, and state-run media.

What is the definition of an Iranian 'proxy'?

An organization funded and supported by Iran that operates in a foreign country (e.g., Hezbollah).

Which strategic narrow waterway does Iran control that serves as a crucial oil and gas corridor?

The Strait of Hormuz.

What two major ethnic groups reside in the northern part of Iran?

Kurds and Azeris.

What is the latitude range for the tropics and subtropics in the African realm?

Tropics ($0\text{ to }15\text{ degrees}$) and subtropics ($15\text{ to }35\text{ degrees}$).

What is the approximate length of the East African Rift Valley system?

$6,000\,miles$.

What type of plate boundary is the African Rift Valley?

A divergent plate boundary.

What characterization describes Africa's general landforms?

A plateau basin continent.

Which basin in Central Africa is characterized as being 'super wet' and houses a classic rainforest?

The Congo Basin.

What is the estimated population of the sub-Saharan African realm?

$1.3\text{ billion}$ people.

What percentage of the sub-Saharan African population lives in rural settings?

About $70\%$.

Only what percentage of the sub-Saharan African population is estimated to live to the age of $65\text{ or }70$?

$30\%$.

What is the 'Africa Rising' trend regarding GDP growth?

An average GDP growth of $4.3\text{ to }4.5\%$ per year.

Identify a major export market crop for which Central and West Africa is a leading source.

Cocoa beans.

What percentage of the world's critical mining reserves are held in sub-Saharan Africa?

$30\%$.

What does the 'resource curse' or 'paradox of plenty' refer to?

A phenomenon where an abundance of natural resources fails to generate expected wealth or development for the local population.

What was the purpose of the Berlin Conference in $1884$?

European powers met to partition and divide the African continent between colonial interests.

What percentage of Africa was still under traditional rule prior to $1884$?

$85\%$.

Which two countries in southern Africa maintained white minority rule until the later $20th$ century?

Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and South Africa.

What term describes a sovereign state in danger of falling apart with weak central control and ineffective services?

A fragile state.

Why did fewer people die of COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa compared to the West?

Spread out rural populations and a significantly younger demographic.

What two diseases are endemic or epidemic in Africa due to insect vectors like mosquitoes and tsetse flies?

Malaria and sleeping sickness.

Between $1885\text{ and }1908$, the Democratic Republic of Congo was the private property of which individual?

King Leopold II of Belgium.

Who was the first democratically elected president of the independent Republic of the Congo in $1960$?

Patrice Lumumba.

What was the country of Zaire (now DRC) renamed to during the rule of Mobutu Sese Seko?

Zaire (translated as 'river').

How many deaths were recorded during the 'Great War of Africa' (Second Congo War) between $1998\text{ and }2000$?

$3.3\text{ million}$.

Who became the president of the DRC in $2019$ in the first peaceful power transition since $1960$?

Felix Tshisekedi.

What percentage of the South African population is urbanized?

$70\%$.

Who are the 'Afrikaners' in the context of South African history?

Descendants of $17th\text{ and }18th\text{ century}$ Dutch colonial settlers who speak Afrikaans.

What were the historical conflicts between the Dutch/Boers and the British in South Africa called?

The Boer Wars.

What specific resources drove British interest in the Orange Free State and Transvaal provinces?

Gold and diamonds.

Define the period of 'Apartheid' in South Africa.

A policy of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination from $1949\text{ to }1994$.

What were the four racial identifiers used in South Africa under the Apartheid regime?

Black, White, Colored, and Indian.

How many people (Black and Colored) were estimated to have been relocated during the Apartheid era?

$3.5\text{ million}$.

What is the 'Prosperity Gospel' growing in sub-Saharan Africa?

A trend in Protestant evangelical faiths promising spiritual and material rewards (healings, wealth) in exchange for financial contributions.

What is 'animism' in the context of traditional African religions?

A series of beliefs in the power of ancestors and spirits associated with the earth influencing the living.

What is a 'lingua franca' as described in the lecture notes?

A common language used to communicate between different groups who speak different native tongues (e.g., Swahili, Yoruba, or Hausa).