Middle East Vocab
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20 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Wadi | gully or streambed in northern Africa and the Middle East that remains dry except during rainy season |
| oasis | a fertile tract in a desert (where the water table approaches the surface) |
| salt flat | a flat expanse of salt left by the evaporation of a body of salt water |
| drip irrigation | a proccess by which pipes placed near plant roots drip only as much water as the plants need. |
| crude oil | petroleum as it comes out of the ground and before it has been refined or processed into useful products |
| desalinization | the removal of salt (especially from sea water) |
| refinery | a factory in which crude oil is heated and separated into fuels and other products |
| fossil water | groundwater that is not replenished by rain |
| mosque | (Islam) a Muslim place of worship |
| OPEC | Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. an organization founded in 1960 of nations that export large amounts of petroleum: formed to establish oil-exporting policies and set prices. |
| Theocratic | a form of government where religious leaders control the government, relying on religious law and consultation with religious scholars |
| Muhammad | the Arab prophet who founded Islam (570-632) |
| Western Wall | Sometimes called the Wailing Wall, this Sacred Jewish site is what remains of the former Israelite temple prior to the 1st century CE war with Rome and subsequent Jewish diaspora. |
| Dome of the Rock | Muslim shrine containing the rock from which Mohammad is believed to have risen to heaven; Jews believe Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac on the rock |
| Zionism | a movement of world Jewry that arose late in the 19th century with the aim of creating a Jewish state in Palestine |
| PLO | Palestine Liberation Organization, which has attempted to "liberate" Palestine from Israel |
| Kurds | Ethnic group that lives in parts of Iraq and Turkey. They often suffer persecution in both countries, and are currently under the protection of the United Nations in Iraq. |
| Mesopotamia | first civilization located between the Tigris & Eurphrates Rivers in present day Iraq; term means "land between the rivers;" Sumerian culture |
| Stragetic Commodity | a resource so precious that nation's will go to war for it |
| Human Resources | the skills and abilities of workers used in production |
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