Name Class Date

The Persian Gulf and Interior

Critical Thinking ActivityCHAPTER 19

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Holt World Geography Today 37 Critical Thinking Activities

The Fertile Crescent—The Cradle of CivilizationWhat was the first great civilization? What criteria should be applied whenlabeling a culture a civilization? Read the text and study the map below. Thenanswer the questions that follow.

A number of civilizations rose and fell in an area of western Asia called theFertile Crescent. The Fertile Crescent got its name from its function andshape as can be seen in the map below. Because of its shape it is called acrescent—a word that describes the first-quarter moon. Parts of this cres-cent of land were fertile.

The Fertile Crescent is surrounded by deserts and mountains. Thedeserts and hills around the Fertile Crescent, however, had enough grass andother plant life there to feed tribes of wandering herders. These people werefierce and toughened by their way of life. They envied the richer, easier lifeof the people who lived in the valley. They came into the region from out-side, conquered it and extended their empires, and then in turn were over-thrown by new invaders.

The lowest part of the Tigris-Euphrates Valley contained the rich soilcarried by the rivers as they pour into the Persian Gulf. This area, called

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MediterraneanSea

Isthmusof Suez

PersianGulfRed

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Black Sea

Caspian

Sea

Black Sea

Kish

LagashErech

EriduUr

Sumer

PersianGulf

SyrianDesert

Arabian Peninsula

SinaiPeninsula

EGYPT

Isthmusof Suez

MediterraneanSea

CYPRUS

Asia Minor

.STMSURUAT

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Caspian

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RedSea

Nile

River

0 150 300 Miles

0 150 300 Kilometers

Lambert Conformal Conic Projection

N

W E

S

N

W E

S

The Fertile Crescent

Chapter 19, Critical Thinking Activity, continued

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Holt World Geography Today 38 Critical Thinking Activities

Sumer, was especially fertile. The rivers provided an abundant supply ofwater. The soil was used for both growing crops and making bricks and pot-tery. There was also a natural supply of food that included fish, wildfowl,and dates from the date palm tree.

Two groups of people moved into Sumer from the east and mingledwith the original inhabitants. They created a culture known as Sumerian,around 3500 B.C. After reading many Sumerian records, archaeologists andhistorians have decided that the Sumerians were probably the founders ofthe first civilization. The Sumerians created a civilization based upon threekey ingredients.

One key ingredient of a civilization is specialization of labor. The mostimportant and first labor skill the Sumerians developed was the ability tofarm. The Sumerians became so skilled at growing crops that their food sup-ply increased, which allowed other people to do different kinds of work

Another key ingredient of a civilization is a system of writing. TheSumerians developed the first system of writing that was more than just pic-tures. The writing was made on clay tablets, about one-half million of whichhave lasted for thousands of years and can be read today.

The third ingredient of a civilization is government with an organizedset of laws. This government rules from a central place, such as a city, apalace, or a temple. The Sumerian civilization was organized into 12 sepa-rate units called city-states. Each city-state ruled the city and its surroundingfarmland.

1. Into what body of water do the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers flow?

2. What landforms of the region made it an especially desirable place for human habitation?

3. Name three natural resources of the Tigris-Euphrates valley.

4. Why would it be difficult to have an organized society without a system of writing?

Name Class Date

4. Food appears to be the consumer pricethat is stabilizing the most quickly.

5. The number of scientists and techniciansare decreasing, which is not a good indica-tor for industrial development. Enroll-ment of the population in education isonly at about 50 percent and the averagenumbers of years of education is still lessthan a high school degree. This data doesnot bode well for an increase in numbersof technicians and scientists.

6. Answers will vary but students shouldsupport their replies with concrete datafrom the tables. The overall picture forUzbekistan is that it is still struggling toget on its feet.

Activity 191. The rivers flow into the Persian Gulf.2. The area is surrounded by deserts and

mountains. These landforms offer protec-tion and defense. There is enough grassand other plant life there to feed tribes ofwandering herders. This element allowedthe Fertile Crescent to be invaded by out-siders at regular intervals.

3. Three natural resources would be the soil,abundant amount of water, and naturalfood supply.

4. Without writing, there would be no wayto communicate to people the systemupon which a society operates.

Activity 201. Mt. Ararat, the Caucasus Mountains, and

the Bosporus were all created by tectonicactivity.

2. Anatolia is at a crossroads because it islocated where three plates—Africa,Arabia, and Eurasia—are all colliding.

3. Extension, the force that creates graben,has contributed to Turkey’s soil fertility.The graben fill with the rich silt of therivers.

4. The good from tectonic forces is fertilesoil, the bad is too much too fast createsswamps. The good is the creation of theBosporus, the perfect strategic location for

a city, the bad is continued earthquakesand the subsequent devastation.

Activity 211. The Nile River empties into the

Mediterranean Sea.2. The Nile River flows northwards. You can

tell because its origin is in the mountainsof Central Africa (water flows downhill).

3. The Blue Nile and White Nile Rivers arethe two headwaters.

4. Egypt could not have been an agriculturalsociety without the Nile River becauseEgypt is primarily arid desert.

5. Since the Nile Valley is surrounded bydeserts and seas, it has a natural protec-tion against invaders.

Activity 221. Spain had the least number of colonies;

Great Britain had the most.2. The need to control raw materials and

markets fueled European imperialism inAfrica.

3. Africa was less advanced technologically.Their weapons could not match those ofthe Europeans.

4. The costs of imperialism for Africans wereprimarily loss of freedom and control ofeconomic, social, and cultural institutions.Much of each country’s wealth went toforeign lands. African workers were sub-jected to harsh conditions. Emergence ofEuropean-style cities left less land for cul-tivation of crops; thus, the Europeans con-tributed to African malnutrition. Therewere some benefits, however. Europeansimproved the means of transportation inAfrica by building roads and railroads.They made African products available onthe world market. The abolition of slaveryallowed many Africans to return to theirhomelands. The introduction of Westernlaws and courts often were a benefit to theunprotected members of society, especiallywomen.

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Holt World Geography Today 69 Critical Thinking Activities