1. Floating Topic
2. Southwest Asia
   1. Turkey
      1. Anatolia
      2. Pontic Mountains
      3. Taurus Mountains
      4. varied climate
         1. hot, dry summers/cold snowy winters
         2. coastal area: mediterranean climate: hot summers, mild, and rainy winters
      5. Istanbul
         1. largest city
      6. Black Sea
      7. Ankara
         1. : capital
   2. Syria
      1. Geographic make-up
         1. fertile coastal plains and valleys
         2. Syrian Desert
         3. Subtopic 3
      2. Economy
         1. agriculture
            1. Euphrates River
            2. water supply for cities and industries
      3. bedouins
         1. nomadic desert people who follow a traditional way of life
      4. Damascus
         1. capital
         2. most populous cites
         3. Subtopic 3
   3. Lebanon
      1. half size of New Jersey
      2. climate
         1. west: warm
         2. snow: east
      3. people
         1. service industry
            1. banking and insurance
         2. manufacturer of products: food, cement, textiles, chemicals, and metal products
         3. agriculture
            1. citrus fruits, vegetables, grains, olives, and grapes on coastal land. Shrimp from Mediterranean sea
         4. Civil war
            1. Christians vs. Muslims
      4. Beirut
         1. capital
         2. Paris of the East
   4. Jordan
      1. climate
         1. lacks water resources
      2. agriculture
         1. wheat, fruits, and vegetables
      3. manufacturer of goods: phosphates, potash, pottery, chemicals, processed foods
      4. Amman
         1. capital
         2. Ottoman Empire 1900
      5. leader: King Abdullah II
   5. Israel
      1. Geography
         1. Jordan River
         2. Golan Heights
         3. Negev
         4. Dead Sea
      2. Economy
         1. agriculture
            1. citrus fruits: oranges, grapefruits, and lemons
            2. kibbutz
            3. moshav
      3. people
         1. 80% Jews
         2. 20% Palestines: mostly Muslims, some Christians
         3. Holocaust
         4. West Bank/Gaza Strip
         5. Jerusalem
         6. democratic republic
   6. Saudia Arabia
      1. largest and harshest desert: Rub' al Khali
      2. economy
         1. oil
         2. desalinization
      3. Islam
      4. Riyadh
         1. capital
   7. Persian Gulf States
      1. Kuwait
      2. Bahrain
      3. Qatar
      4. United Arab Emirates
   8. Oman and Yeman
      1. oil
   9. Iraq
      1. geography
         1. alluvial plain
      2. people
         1. Bagdad capital
      3. embargo
   10. Iran
       1. formerly known as Persia
       2. two mountain ranges
          1. Elburz
             1. Zagros
       3. Tehran: capital
       4. Islamic government
   11. Afghanistan
       1. coverewd with Hindu Kush mountain range
       2. war
3. First Civilization
   1. Mesopotamia
      1. Tigris River/Euphrates River
      2. Fertile Crescent
         1. Mediterranean Sea/Persian Gulf
      3. Sumer-city-state
         1. theocracy
         2. cuneiform
         3. Kingdom of Akkad
            1. Babylon
      4. Phoenicians
         1. alphabet
   2. Egypt
      1. Pharaoh
         1. Pyramids
      2. Sudan
      3. hieroglyphics
         1. papyrus
      4. Same size as Texas and New Mexico together
      5. Majority desert
      6. Physical Geography
         1. Nile River
            1. empties into Mediterranean Sea forming Nile's delta
            2. silt
         2. Sinai Peninsula
            1. Suez Canal
            2. Red Sea
         3. Desert Areas
            1. Eastern Desert
            2. Libyan Desert
            3. oasis
         4. Climate
            1. dry desert
            2. hot summers/mild winters
      7. Economy
         1. agriculture
            1. sugarcane, grains, vegetables, fruits, and cotton
            2. Aswan High Dam
         2. industry
            1. Cairo
            2. Alexandria
            3. factories: food products, textiles, and consumer goods
         3. phosphate
         4. Topic
      8. Republic
      9. People
         1. fellahin
         2. baazar
         3. service industry
4. Monotheism: Three World Religions
   1. Judaism
      1. Oldest of three
      2. Holy book: Torah
      3. Descended from Abraham and Sarah
      4. God=Yahweh
      5. covenant
      6. ten commandments
      7. prophet: Moses
   2. Christianity
      1. Jesus: son of God
         1. messiah-savior
         2. disciples
      2. holy book: Bible
   3. Islam
      1. Makkah (Mecca)
      2. Muhammad
         1. messenger of God
      3. holy book: Quran
      4. Sunnis/Shiites
      5. Five Pillars of Faith
         1. 1. Confession: "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger."
         2. 2. Pray 5 times/day
         3. 3. Give to charity, education, or social service
         4. 4. Fast during Ramadan
         5. 5. Hajj
            1. pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca)
5. Libya
   1. slightly larger than Alaska
   2. desert
   3. no rivers; aquifer
   4. Arabic language
   5. Major cities: Tripoli/Benghazi
   6. Qaddhafi: Dictator
6. Maghreb
   1. Tunisia
      1. size of Georgia
      2. smallest country in Africa
      3. Mediterranean climates
   2. Algeria
      1. one and half Alaska's
      2. largest country in Africa
      3. Mediterranean climate
      4. Atlas Mountains
      5. civil war conflicts
      6. casbahs
   3. Morocco
      1. little larger than California
      2. Strait of Gilbraltar
         1. separates Africa and Europe
      3. tourist cities
         1. Casablanca
         2. Marrakech
      4. operates under a constitutional monarchy