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North Africa and SW Asia
North Africa and SW Asia
41
Geography
Undergraduate 3
04/08/2013

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Term
Popular Culture
Definition
the constantly changing 'mass' culture of advanced(industrialized-urbanized) societies that are open, individualistic, and class-structured
Term
Folk Culture
Definition
the strongly traditional, durable way of life found in comparatively isolated rural areas
Term
Possibilism
Definition
a doctrine of European origin that claims that people through their cultures are free to select from a number of environmental 'possibilities'. This doctrine is opposite determinism
Term
Environmental Determinism
Definition
the view that the natural environment has a controlling influence over various aspects of human life, including cultural development
Term
Culture Hearth
Definition
a source area or innovation center from which cultural traditions are transmitted
Term
Desert
Definition
a BW climate (on the Koppen scale) in which annual precipitation is less than 10 inches
Term
Mesopotamia
Definition
the Tigris-Euphrates Plain of present-day Iraq, literally 'the land between the rivers', the hearth or cradle of civilization in which communities originated some 10,000 years ago
Term
Fertile Crescent
Definition
an arc stretching between Mesopotamia and the southeastern Mediterranean coast. The Fertile Crescent was also the site of early plant domestication and farming innovations
Term
Hydraulic Civilization
Definition
a theory that indicates that a given culture will dominate when its government manages and maintains both irrigation and flood control for agricultural production
Term
Cultural Diffusion
Definition
the outward spreading of ideas and/or innovations from a cultural hearth to other places
Term
Geometric Boundary
Definition
a border that follows a straight line, usually a parallel of latitude or a meridian of longitude
Term
Physiographic Boundary
Definition
a border coinciding with a physical feature on the landscape, such as a river, coastline, or mountain range
Term
Boundary Disputes
Definition
both the Hala'ib triangle and Wadi Halfa Salient are claimed by Sudan, but controlled by Egypt. Both of these areas are just north of the 22nd parallel, the geometric boundary that Egypt maintains is its border with Sudan. Adjoining the Hala'ib Triangle south of the 22nd parallel is Bir Tawil, a very small land parcel. Bir Tawil is unclaimed with neither Egypt nor Sudan laying claim to this territory
Term
OPEC
Definition
an international oil cartel (the Organizing of Petroleum Exporting Countries)
Term
Basin Irrigation
Definition
an ancient irrigation method built in the lower Nile Valley, involving the trapping and later release of floodwaters
Term
Perennial Irrigation
Definition
the more modern irrigation technique, using dams and levees to store and regulate the use of floodwater throughout the year. The Aswan Damn, located on the Nile River in southern Egypt is an example
Term
Fertigation
Definition
the recently perfected Israeli irrigation technique in its Negev deser (southern Israel). The technique involved computer control of the supply of a brackish water-fertilizer mix, delivered through PVC pipes, to the roots of various crop plants. Much success has been achieved in raising fruits, vegetables, and grains. The method shows great promise for increasing agricultural output in hot, arid climates
Term
Qanat
Definition
underground water tunnels leading from mountains to adjacent dry flatlands
Term
Fellaheen
Definition
Egypt's peasant farmers, who struggle to eke or scratch out a subsistence level of existence
Term
Nomadism
Definition
a group of people who migrate cyclically among a set of places, usually practicing pastoralism
Term
Remote Sensing
Definition
the technique used to gather information about the earth's surface by using satellite-based instruments. Highly detailed data can be collected by these remote sensors because each surface and land use activity emits its own infra-red spectral signature
Term
Maghreb
Definition
the western region of this realm, consisting of the northwester-most African countries of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The term Maghreb means 'western isle'
Term
Tell
Definition
the lower slopes and coastal plains of northwestern Africa, between the Atlas Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea
Term
Ecological Trilogy
Definition
P.W. English's generalization of the linkages of traditional Iranian society, involving interactions among urbanites, villages, and nomads. The urbanites dominate the villagers and nomads in this social, political, and economic framework
Term
Ogaden
Definition
a semi-arid plateau in eastern Ethiopia, mainly populated by Somali's. Although the dispute dates back for some 500 years, the Somali's have sought to regain the Ogaden from Ethiopia in the last 50 years. To date, Ethiopia has repulsed Somali ambitions
Term
Sahel
Definition
an arabic word for border. The Sahel is the heart of the African Transition Zone, a belt stretching east to west across the southern edge of the Sahara
Desert. The people living in the region often experience food shortages
Term
Janjaweed
Definition
armed militias from Arab tribes (Sudan)that attack Darfuri herdsmen and farmers
Term
Climate Change
Definition
an environmental transition resulting a shift in ecology
Term
Enosis
Definition
a Greek word which means to unite or unify- as in the case of the Greek Cypriots desiring 'enosis' (union) with Greece
Term
Imam
Definition
the leader of Islamic prayer in a mosque or other gathering
Term
Ka'bah
Definition
a small shrine near the center of the Great Mosque in Mecca. For Muslims, the Ka'bah is the most sacred place on earth
Term
Intifada
Definition
a Palestinian uprising against Israel. Can be applied to any people of Arab ethnicity
Term
Mujahedin
Definition
Arabic word for 'strugglers' that is often applied to those engaged in 'jihad', or holy war. (actually, 'jihad' means striving). The Afghan freedom fighters were called 'mujahedin' as they fought against the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. Today the word is used for those fighting against the US military
Term
Sharia
Definition
the moral and religious law of Islam, especially criminal, political, and economic aspects of life
Term
Taliban
Definition
a group of Muslims who toppled the Afghan government in 1996, controlling most of Afghanistan until 2001, when the US military invaded. The Taliban had allowed al-Qaida, a terrorist organization, to train in Afghanistan. The word 'Taliban' means 'students', or 'students of religion'. Since 2004, the Taliban have been resurging
Term
Qutbism
Definition
a movement advocating the most fundamental interpretation of Sunni Islam, leading to activism and extremism, such as the al-Qaida terrorist organization
Term
Wahhabism
Definition
a fundamentalist religious movement among Sunni Muslims on the Arabian Peninsula. The Wahhabi movement is often mischaracterized as linked to the various Islamic terrorist groups that have targeted the West in the last twenty years
Term
Wakhan(Vakhan) Corridor
Definition
a high elevation pathway located in northeaster Afghanistan. The 'Silk Road' ran through this corridor, allowing direct access between China and the Middle East. This corridor is currently closed
Term
West Bank
Definition
the land lying west of the Jordan River
Term
Druze
Definition
a religion that evolved from Islam. First professed (1017), Druze believers live mostly is Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan
Term
Zoroaster
Definition
a philosopher who is credited with establishing Zoroastrianism, one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions (~1100 BC). Zoroastrianism was widely practiced in Iran, Afghanistan, and India
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