CHAPTER 33 “THE EASTERN

MEDITERRANEAN”

I. TURKEYA. Physical Geography

1. Part of Turkey lies on a corner of

Europe’s Balkan Peninsula.

2. The larger part of Turkey is on

the Asian peninsula of Anatolia.

3. The Bosporus and Dardanelles

are two straits the divide Turkey.

4. European Turkey is mainly made

up of rolling plains and hills.

a. Anatoia has rugged coastlines,

broad interior plateaus, and

mountains.

b. Central Turkey has two

mountain ranges, the Taurus

Mountains in the south and the

Pontic Mountains in the north.

4. Turkey has two climate types.

a. Mediterranean climate along

the coasts and in the west.

b. Steppe climate in the interior of

Anatolia.

B. Economic Geography

1. Less than half of Turkey is suitable

for farming.

a. Wheat, barley, tobacco,

hazelnuts, cotton, and citrus

fruits around the Sea of

Marmara and along the Aegean

coast.

b. Grains and livestock in the high

interior plateaus.

2. The eastern moutons are the least

developed part of Turkey.

a. Government is building dams in

hopes of bringing progress.

b. Region contains oil and mineral

ores.

c. Mohair brings some cash

income.

3. A better network of roads and

railroads has helped the industrial

development of Turkey.

C. Urban Geography

1. Istanbul and Ankara are the

leading cities of Turkey.

a. Istanbul is the largest city and

leading seaport.

b. Ankara is the center of some

important industries.

2. Industrial development,

education, and improved

standards of health and housing

are helping Turkey become a

modern nation.

D. Modern Turkey

1. The roots of modern Turkey reach

back to the 1920’s, when a

revolution reorganized Turkish

society.

a. Islam lost its status as the state

religion.

b. The Roman alphabet replaced

the Arabic alphabet.

c. Wearing European style

clothes was require.

c. Women’s rights are being

recognized.

2. Democratic traditions are on the

rise.

3. Turkish foreign affairs focus on two

main issues.

a. Conflict with the Greeks over

Cyprus and the resources of the

Aegean Sea.

b. Cooperation with the new

countries of Central Asia.

E. Cyprus

1. Is a rocky, mountainous island

located in the Eastern

Mediterranean Sea.

2. About 3/4 of the island’s

population consider themselves

Greek.

3. 1/4 think of themselves as Turks.

4. Each community has declared its

own republic and has its own

government.

4. The Greek part of Cyprus has three

times the per capita income as the

Turkish part.

II. IsraelA. Physical Geography

1. Israel lies along the eastern shore

of the Mediterranean Sea on what

once was the ancient land of

Palestine.

2. Country has many environments.

a. Mediterranean along the coast.

b. Semiarid around Galilee

c. Arid valley of Jordan River and

the Dead Sea.

3. The Dead Sea is the lowest point

on any continent.

B. Agriculture

1. Only about 5% of the people work

in Agriculture.

2. Israel’s farms are some of the

most productive in the world.

3. Israel exports fruits, vegetables,

and cut flowers to Europe.

4. The kibbutz, or collective farm, is

an important part of Israeli identity.

5. Israel has one of the world’s most

sophisticated water management

systems.

C. Resources and Industry

1. Israel has no coal, little

hydroelectricity, and relatively few

minerals.

2. Israel has developed high-

technology industries such as the

manufacturing of computers, and

military weapons.

3. Tourism is another major industry.

D. Historical Geography

1. The Jews established their first

kingdom more than 3,000 years

ago.

2. Over time, the Jews were forced to

leave and the region became

populated by Arabs

3. In the 19th century, the Zionist

movement began to grow.

a. Zionists believed that a Jewish

state should be established in

Palestine.

4. Millions of Jews were killed during

the Holocaust.

5. In 1948, the United Nations

suggested that lands west of the

Jordan River be divided between

Jews and Arabs.

a. Arab lands west of the river,

called the West Bank were

joined to Jordan.

b. Neighboring Arab countries and

the Palestinians rejected the

establishment of Israel.

6. War erupted in 1948. (Israeli

forces defeated the Palestinians

and their Arab allies.

7. Wars broke out again in 1956,

1967, and 1973. (Israel won all 3

conflicts.)

8. As a result of the war in 1967,

Israel occupied land from Egypt,

Syria, and Jordan.

a. Egypt’s land was returned in

1982, but the other territories

remain a source of conflict.

E. Population and Urban Geography

1. Israel is a modern, urban nation.

2. Nearly 85% of its population is

Jewish.

3. Tel Aviv is the nation’s largest city.

4. Jerusalem, Israel’s capital is the

nation’s culture and political

center.

F. Issues

1. A crucial question is the fate of the

Palestinian people and the

territories Israel has occupied

since 1967.

2. The Palestinian Liberation

Organization (PLO) is the leader of

the Palestinian cause.

a. The PLO for many years

attacked Israeli citizens,

airplanes, and property

throughout the world.

b. Today it pursues peace

agreements with Israel.

3. Israel maintains a large army, the

cost of which drains the countries

economy.

III. Syria, Lebanon, and JordanA. Syria

1. Stretches eastward from the

Mediterranean coast to the plains

of Mesopotamia.

2. Syria is trying to develop modern

agriculture.

a. In the mountain valleys, citrus

fruits and other Mediterranean

crops are grown.

b. East of the coastal region,

cotton, wheat, and barley are

key crops.

c. Livestock is also important.

d. In the Syrian Desert, Bedouin

herders move their flocks with

the seasons.

3. Agricultural progress depends on

developing water resources.

a. The Euphrates River provides

water for irrigation.

b. A huge dam on the Euphrates

has brought water to thousands

of acres of land, and provides

electric power for industry.

4. Syria is producing more basic

consumer goods.

5. There is a small amount of oil for

export, and new oil deposits are

being developed in eastern Syria.

6. Damascus is Syria’s capital and a

center of Islamic civilization.

7. Syria has been a leader in the

Arab opposition to Israel.

8. After the Cold War, Syria has

proposed peace negotiations with

Israel.

9. Syria seeks aid from the U.S. and

Europe.

B. Lebanon

1. Lebanon lies between Syria and

Israel, wedged between the

Mediterranean coast and the

Lebanon Mountains.

2. More than 1/3 of its people are

Christians

3. The Lebanese have one of the

most modern and Westernized

cultures in Southwest Asia.

4. Periodic civil wars have been

fought between Christians and

Arabs.

5. Foreign countries and the UN

have intervened many times in

Lebanon to try to resolve the

conflicts.

6. Lebanon’s economy lies largely in

ruins.

C. Jordan

1. Jordan extends eastward from the

Dead Sea and the Jordan River

into the Arabian Desert.

2. When Jordan became independent

in 1946, fewer than 400,000 people

lived east of the Jordan River.

a. Israel’s nationhood and the

1967 Arab Israeli conflict

caused millions of Palestinians

to move into Jordan.

3. Much of Jordan’s food must be

imported.

4. Modern Jordan centers around its

capital city of Amman.

5. Economic growth and development

are interwoven with the Arab-Israeli

conflict.

a. Jordanian and Israeli leaders

signed a peace treaty in 1994.

POSSIBLE ASSIGNMENTS:

1. Turkey, Israel, and Jordan Videodisc

Program.

2. Middle East Treaty Negotiation

3. Colleague On The Middle East

4. Thinking Critically (pg. 397)

5. Chapter 33 Enrichment (pg. 15)

6. Learning About Your Geography

(pg. 397)

7. Building a Vocab., Recalling and

Reviewing.

8. Section Review (pg. 389, 394, 396)