| A | B |
|---|
| Golan Heights | also called al Jawlan. It is a hilly plateau overlooking the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee. The site of conflict for decades. |
| wadi (WAH-dee) | Riverbeds that remain dry except during the rainy season |
| Tigris River & Euphrates River | two of the most important rivers. It supported ancient civilization in an area called the Fertile Crescent. |
| Jordan River | provides water, boundary between Jordan and Israel. Flows into the dead sea |
| Dead Sea | a landlocked salt lake. It is so salty that only bacteria can live in the water. It is the lowest place on the exposed crust of the earth. |
| Rub al-Khali | also known as the Empty Quarter, or place where no one comes out. Most famous desert on the Arabian Peninsula. It is the size of Texas and one of the largest sandy deserts in the world. |
| oasis | an area in the desert where vegetation is found because water is available usually from underground springs. |
| salt flat | occurs when winds evaporate the moisture in the soil. Chemical salt remains. There are two of these deserts in Iran. |
| drip irrigation | the practice of using small pipes that slowly drip water just above the surface, conserves water used for crops. |
| desalinization | the removal of salt from ocean water. It is done at treatment plants. Often used in sewage systems, because still salty. Also an expensive process. |
| fossil water | water pumped from underground aquifers. It had been in the aquifers for a long time. Can’t be replaced once used. |
| crude oil | petroleum that has not been processed |
| refinery | where crude oil is converted into useful products. |
| OPEC (organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) | organization to coordinate policies on selling petroleum products. Purpose is to help members control worldwide oil prices by adjusting oil prices and production quotas. |
| PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) | formed in the 1960s to regain the land for Palestinian Arabs. |
| Kurds | an ethnic group in the Middle East. They call where they live Kurdistan (really in Turkey, Iran & Iraq) |
| Mesopotamia | the ancient civilization located in the fertile crescent between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers |
| Sunni & Shi’ite | two branches of Muslim. Most Muslims are one. Most Iranians are the other. |
| Taliban | fundamentalist Muslim political group. They protected Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda. |
| guest worker | unskilled laborers from other countries. |
| stateless nation | a nation of people without a land to legally occupy. A problem with the Kurds. |
| Palestinians | Arabs and their descendants who lived or still live in the area now called Israel. They now live in relocation camps. |
| West Bank & Gaza Strip | places in Israel where many Palestine refugee camps are located. |
