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| the constantly changing 'mass' culture of advanced(industrialized-urbanized) societies that are open, individualistic, and class-structured |
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| the strongly traditional, durable way of life found in comparatively isolated rural areas |
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| 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 |
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| Environmental Determinism |
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| the view that the natural environment has a controlling influence over various aspects of human life, including cultural development |
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| a source area or innovation center from which cultural traditions are transmitted |
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| a BW climate (on the Koppen scale) in which annual precipitation is less than 10 inches |
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| 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 |
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| an arc stretching between Mesopotamia and the southeastern Mediterranean coast. The Fertile Crescent was also the site of early plant domestication and farming innovations |
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| a theory that indicates that a given culture will dominate when its government manages and maintains both irrigation and flood control for agricultural production |
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| the outward spreading of ideas and/or innovations from a cultural hearth to other places |
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| a border that follows a straight line, usually a parallel of latitude or a meridian of longitude |
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| a border coinciding with a physical feature on the landscape, such as a river, coastline, or mountain range |
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| 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 |
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| an international oil cartel (the Organizing of Petroleum Exporting Countries) |
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| an ancient irrigation method built in the lower Nile Valley, involving the trapping and later release of floodwaters |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| underground water tunnels leading from mountains to adjacent dry flatlands |
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| Egypt's peasant farmers, who struggle to eke or scratch out a subsistence level of existence |
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| a group of people who migrate cyclically among a set of places, usually practicing pastoralism |
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| 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 |
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| the western region of this realm, consisting of the northwester-most African countries of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The term Maghreb means 'western isle' |
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| the lower slopes and coastal plains of northwestern Africa, between the Atlas Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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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 |
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| armed militias from Arab tribes (Sudan)that attack Darfuri herdsmen and farmers |
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| an environmental transition resulting a shift in ecology |
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| a Greek word which means to unite or unify- as in the case of the Greek Cypriots desiring 'enosis' (union) with Greece |
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| the leader of Islamic prayer in a mosque or other gathering |
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| a small shrine near the center of the Great Mosque in Mecca. For Muslims, the Ka'bah is the most sacred place on earth |
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| a Palestinian uprising against Israel. Can be applied to any people of Arab ethnicity |
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| 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 |
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| the moral and religious law of Islam, especially criminal, political, and economic aspects of life |
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| 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 |
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| a movement advocating the most fundamental interpretation of Sunni Islam, leading to activism and extremism, such as the al-Qaida terrorist organization |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| the land lying west of the Jordan River |
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| a religion that evolved from Islam. First professed (1017), Druze believers live mostly is Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan |
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| 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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