CH 3.

1 GEOGRAPHY AND LIFE IN ARABIA

Name: Amelia Moreno Date: 112812 Per. #2

A DESERT LAND Arabian Peninsula is mostly a hot and dry desert land. Scorching temperatures and a lack of water make life difficult. Arabias location, physical features, and climate have shaped life in the region. A Crossroads Location
The Arabian Peninsula is located in the southwest corner of Asia. It lies near the intersection of three continents-Africa, Asia, and Europe. Geographers call Arabia a crosswords location because there are trade routes in-between the continents and many people have passed through the region for thousands of years. Merchants carried goods such as spices, silk, and gold along the trade routes. Some of the places where merchants would trade would be on land, others were water routes along the coast or across the seas.

Physical Features
Arabias location has also shaped its physical features. It lies in a region with hot and dry air! It seems like life in Arabia is very hard because, Arabias deserts have very limited amount of water. There are no permanent lakes or rivers. The worlds largest sand desert, the Rub al-Khali (ROOB ahl-KAH-lee), covers much of southern Arabia. Rub al-Khali means Empty Quarter, a name given to the desert because there is so little life there. Although deserts cover much of the interior of Arabia, other landforms appear along the edges of peninsula.

Desert Climate Arabia is one of the hottest, driest places in the world. A blazing sun and clear skies, 100 degrees all day, every day. Its crazy what people risk for their lives and for their loved ones. This climate makes it hard for towns people, merchants, and nomads to survive.

TWO WAYS OF LIFE Some people lived a nomadic life, moving from place to place. Others lived a sedentary, or settled, life in towns. Nomads
Nomads lived in tents and raised herds of sheep, goats, and camels. Their animals provided milk, meat, and skins for the nomads and their tents. Nomads traveled with their herds across the desert, moving along regular routes as seasons changed. Membership in the tribe, a group of related people, was important to nomads. These tribes offered protection from desert dangers, such as violence that often took place when people competed for water and grazing land.

Townspeople

Towns became centers of trade for both nomads and townspeople. These settlements, particularly the ones in oases along trade routes, became towns. Most people in Arabia lived in towns. Merchants and craftspeople lived there and worked with people in the caravan trade. A caravan is group of traders that travel together.

Trade Centers (p. 56-58!) Many towns had a souk (SOOK)-a market or bazaar. In the market, nomads traded animal products and desert herbs for goods such as cooking supplies and clothing. Merchants sold spices, gold, leather, and other goods brought by the caravans.

NAME _________________

GEOGRAPHY AND LIFE IN ARABIA POSTCARD ASSIGNMENT

Pretend you live in Arabia. Write a letter/postcard to a friend or relative describing your life in that challenging environment. Content Requirements:

Steps:

Use at least 4-5 facts from your Ch 3.1 Geography and Life in Arabia handout. Include a picture that relates to a piece of information from the worksheet.

1. Highlight/circle 4-5 facts on your Ch 3.1 handout you want to use (Hint: Choose significant information something that connects to a Big Idea, or something that really affects daily life.) 2. Determine a persona (trader, nomad, townsperson...). 3. Determine who you are writing to ... 4. Think about how the facts you chose could be communicated creatively in describing events or circumstances in your life. 5. Write the letter (about 2-3 paragraphs), and draw the picture! Dear Veronica, Living in Arabia was very difficult, only because I had to fight for my survival every single day. First of all, it was blazing hot . I was living in a climate thats 100 degrees Fahrenheit. There was barely any water but at times I had to move with the townspeople to oasis. Oasis are wet areas that form underground water bubbles to the surface. I also remember seeing Nomads. Nomads lived in tents and raised herds of sheep, goats, and camels. While they (Nomads) moved around the desert, other people settled in Oasis where they could farm. Just yesterday I went to the market to get suppliesdid you know that the mall you go to today is similar in some ways to the souks in Arabia. For example, Souks sold clothing, home goods, and food. Well I can tell you so much more but I have to go nowI have start walking to the Oasis here in town and Take care and miss you! Love, Amelia Moreno