Land Forms of Africa, Middle East, and Asia

Back to the basics.  It's dry, dull, and not very exciting to learn the locations we are required to know. 

But until we know where they are, we cannot understand why people behave the way they do in these areas of the world.

Land Forms:

• AFRICA
• Atlas Mountains
• Sahara Desert
• Kalahari Desert
• Sahel
• Savanna
• Tropical Rain Forest
• MIDDLE EAST
• Gaza Strip
• ASIA
• Himalaya Mountains
• Taklimakan Desert
• Gobi Desert
• Korean Peninsula

We discussed how the Sahara is growing.  The word we will begin using is desertification.  Desertification is occurring because as people move into the area next to the desert (Sahel or Savanna) they cut the trees (deforestation) for buildings and fuel.  Without the trees, there are no roots to keep the dirt in place.  The dirt (soil) becomes loose, and the strong winds blow away the dirt; allowing the sand of the desert to takes its place.

Herders allow their livestock (camels, goats, cattle, etc.) to overgraze the grassy areas, and the roots from the grass die, making the soil loose and easily blown away; also allowing the winds to blow away the dirt while the desert sand takes over.

As plant life dies, people are forced into smaller and smaller areas for living.  A struggle for the essentials of life (food, water, shelter) leads to conflict over life-sustaining land.

The following video is about the people of the desert.  It is part of a documentary called Women of the Sand.

We also discussed the Gaza Strip (Arab land within the border of Israel).  We had a taste of the reason behind the Arab-Israeli conflicts dating back to the time of Abraham, and the idea behind the "promised land."  We obviously did not cover all the details, but the conflicts we see today are nothing new in the middle east...it has a history of 3500 years!

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