Manarat Al Riyadh School

Eastren Mediterranean

S.S.T

Section 1: Physical Geography

PHYSICAL FEATURES
The Eastern Mediterranean is part of a larger region called Southwest Asia, or the Middle East. The
Dardanelles, the Bosporus, and the Sea of Marmara separate Europe from Asia. A small part of Turkey lies in
Europe. The larger Asian part of Turkey is called Anatolia.
The Jordan River flows from Syria to Israel and Jordan, then empties into the Dead Sea, the worlds saltiest body
of water.
Two mountain systems stretch across Turkey. The Pontic Mountains lie in the north, and the Taurus Mountains
lie in the south. A narrow plain runs from Turkey into Syria. The Euphrates River flows southeast through this
plain. Hills, valleys, and plateaus are located farther inland. Two mountain ridges run north-south. One runs from
Syria through western Jordan. The other runs through Lebanon and Israel.
CLIMATE AND VEGETATION
The Eastern Mediterranean is a mostly dry region. However, there are important variations. Turkeys Black Sea
coast and the Mediterranean coast to northern Israel have a Mediterranean climate. Central Syria and lands
farther south have a desert climate. Much of Turkey has a steppe climate, and a small area in the northeast has
a humid subtropical climate.
The driest areas are the deserts. The Syrian Desert covers much of Syria and Jordan. The Negev Desert lies in
southern Israel.
NATURAL RESOURCES
Because the region is so dry, water is a valuable resource. Commercial farming relies on irrigation. Subsistence
farming and herding takes place in drier areas.
Many minerals, including sulfur, mercury, and copper, are found in the region. Phosphates are produced in Syria,
Jordan, and Israel. They are used to make fertilizers. The area also exports asphalt, the dark tarlike material
used to pave streets.
Section 2: Turkey
HISTORY
About 8,000 years ago the area that is now Turkey was home to the worlds earliest farming villages.
Turkey has been invaded by powerful empires for centuries. The Romans were the first empire to invade the
area. They captured Byzantium, located between Europe and Asia, and renamed it Constantinople. After the fall
of Rome, Constantinople became the capital of the Byzantine Empire.
Seljuk Turks, a nomadic people from Central Asia, invaded the area in the AD 1000s. In 1453 the Ottoman Turks
captured Constantinople and made it the capital of the Islamic Empire. The Ottoman Empire was very powerful
during the 1500s and 1600s, controlling territory in northern Africa, southwestern Asia, and southeastern Europe.
The Ottomans fought on the losing side of World War I, and lost most of their territory at the end of the war.
Military officers took over the government after World War I, led by Mustafa Kemal. He later adopted the name
Kemal Atatrk, which means Father of Turks. Atatrk created the democratic nation of Turkey and moved the
capital to Ankara from Constantinople, which was renamed Istanbul.
Atatrk believed in modernizing Turkey, mainly by adopting some Western methods. He banned certain types of
traditional clothing of both men and women, made new laws allowing women to vote and hold office, replaced
the Arabic alphabet with the Latin alphabet, and adopted the metric system.
PEOPLE AND CULTURE
Most of the people living in Turkey are ethnic Turks. Kurds are the largest minority, making up 20 percent of the

Manarat Al Riyadh School

Eastren Mediterranean

S.S.T

population.
Turkeys culture today reflects Kemal Atatrks changes. He created a cultural split between the urban middle
class and rural villagers. In general, middle-class lifestyle and attitude reflect middleclass Europeans, while rural
Turks are more traditional and reflect Islamic influences.
TURKEY TODAY
Istanbul is Turkeys largest city, but the government meets in the capital of Ankara. Turkey has a legislature
called the National Assembly. A president and prime minister share executive power. Although most of the
people living in Turkey are Muslim, Turkey is a secular state.

The economy in Turkey is based on important industries, including textiles and clothing, cement, and electronics,
as well as agriculture.
Section 4: Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan
SYRIA
The capital of Syria, Damascus, is believed to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. Syria
became part of the Ottoman Empire in the 1500s. After World War I, France controlled Syria. Syria gained
independence in the 1940s.
The Syrian government was led by Hafiz al-Assad from 1971 to 2000. Assads son, Bashar, was elected
president after his fathers death in 2000. Syrias government owns the countrys oil refineries, larger electrical
plants, railroads, and some factories.
More than 18 million people live in Syria. About 90 percent of the population is Arab, and the remaining 10
percent include Kurds and Armenians. About 74 percent of Syrians are Sunni Muslim, about 16 percent are
Alawites and Druze, and about 10 percent are Christian. There are also small Jewish communities in some
Syrian cities.
LEBANON
Lebanon is a small, mountainous country. Many ethnic minority groups settled in Lebanon during the Ottoman
Empire. After World War I it was controlled by France. Lebanon finally gained its independence in the 1940s.
Most Lebanese people are Arab, but they are divided by religion. The main religions in Lebanon are Islam and
Christianity, with each of these groups divided into smaller groups. Muslims are divided into Sunni, Shia, and
Druze. The Maronites are the largest Christian group.
After gaining independence, Christian and Muslim politicians shared power. However, over time this cooperation
broke down and tensions mounted. Warfare between the groups lasted until 1990. The capital, Beirut, was badly
damaged.
JORDAN
The country of Jordan was created after World War I. The British controlled the area until the 1940s, when the
country gained full independence. King Hussein ruled Jordan from 1952 to 1999. He enacted some democratic
reforms in the 1990s.
Jordan is a poor country with limited resources. Many people in Jordan are Bedouins, or Arabspeaking nomads
who live mainly in the deserts of Southwest Asia. Amman, the capital, is Jordans largest city. The countrys
resources include phosphates, cement, and potash. In addition, the tourism and banking industries are growing.
Jordan depends on economic aid from oil-rich Arab nations and the United States.