| A | B |
|---|
| plateau | areas of high, level land |
| Mediterranean climate | hot, dry summers and cool winters with some rain |
| wadi | temporary rivers |
| steppe | dry, grassy plains with little rainfall |
| fertile | able to grow crops |
| natural resources | riches of the earth |
| zionism | movement that began with the intention of gathering the Jews to form a Jewish nation |
| mosque | building of worship |
| dromedaries | one-humped Arabian camels |
| date palm | the most important tree in the Middle East today |
| quarters | a section of a city |
| sheik | the head of a Bedouin tribe |
| 1948 | the year that the modern state of Israel was formed |
| Allah | god of Islam |
| Koran | holy book of Islam |
| Muhammad | founder of Islam |
| Henry Martyn | missionary willing to burn out for God |
| David Ben-Gurion | first prime minister of Israel |
| Saddam Hussein | leader who invaded Kuwait |
| Ayatollah Khomeini | leader of Iran after it became an Islamic state |
| Arabian Peninsula | world's largest peninsula |
| Mt Ararat | Middle East's second highest mountain |
| Tropic of Cancer | tropic line that runs through the Middle East |
| Arabic | most common language of the Middle East |
| Muslims | single largest religious group in the world |
| Mecca and Medina | holy cities for Muslims |
| Istanbul | largest city in Turkey |
| Israel | the country the National Water Carrier is located |
| Tel Aviv | the modern Israeli city that is an important center of business |
| Cyprus | island nation located south of Turkey |
| oil | Middle East's most valuable resource |
| Saudi Arabia | largest Middle Eastern nation |
| Iran | the country that used to be called Persia |
