Geography of Asia and the Middle East
Across
- 5. a military dictatorship cut off economically and diplomatically from the rest of the world; has reeducation camps and internment camps for political prisoners; citizens have very little freedom and are trained from a young age to idolize their leaders, the Kim family
- 8. a collection of teachings (religious and philosophical) developed in ancient India characterized by reincarnation, the caste system, and karma
- 10. second largest country by population; the birthplace of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism; known for its curry powder
- 12. the land of Cyrus the Great's vast Persian Empire; U.S. Embassy and personnel were taken hostage for 444 days in 1979; over 90% Shi'a Islam
- 13. the most common religion in the Middle East and North Afirca; based on the teachings of Muhammad and stresses belief in one god (Allah); means "submission"
- 14. the longest river in the world; has its source near the equator and its delta in Egypt, emptying into the Mediterranean Sea
- 15. cradle of civilization which grew up along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers; means "[land] between the rivers"
- 16. its Tigris and Euphrates Rivers fueled Mesopotamia, the center of the Akkadian, Sumerian, Assyrian, and Babylonian Empires; dictator Saddam Hussein was captured by U.S. forces in 2003
- 17. the largest hot desert in the world; makes up most of North Africa
- 18. the most populous Arab country; birthplace of the ancient cradle of civilization on the Nile River; famous for its ancient pyramids
- 20. a religion that teaches detachment from the world in order to reach the perfect peace of nirvana; begun in India but is most popular today in East Asia
- 24. its capital is the second most highly populated metropolitan area in the world; known for its fermented foods, such as kimchi; considered the best country in robotics, and home to the electronics company, Samsung; the most protestant country in Asia
- 25. another term used to refer to South Asia; so-called because of this region's separation from the rest of the Asian continent by the Himalayas
- 27. the fathers of Israel: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
- 31. large, desert peninsula in the Middle East; between the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and Arabian Sea
- 34. an area in the Pacific Ocean having a large number of earthquakes and volcanoes
- 35. wedge-shaped writing invented by the Mesopotamians
- 36. third king of Israel; wise and rich rule who wrote many Proverbs; worshiped the foreign gods of his wives
- 38. called the "graveyard of empires" because of the failure of military powers to retain permanent control; the largest producer of opium; place from which Osama Bin Laden orchestrated the 9/11 attacks
- 39. (A.D. 570-632) Arab prophet who founded Islam and gained political and religious power in Arabia
- 41. ("enlightened one"); Hindu prince who around 500 B.C. rejected Hinduism and left his family and possessions in order to find enlightenment and peace
- 42. first king of Israel; went crazy and tried to kill David
Down
- 1. a person who follows Islam
- 2. popular Indian leader who used non-violence to get the British to withdraw from India
- 3. largest country by population and third by land area; birthplace of Confucianism; governed by the Communist Party today; contains the longest fortification in the world
- 4. the most important resource in the Middle East
- 6. the repeating cycle of birth, life, and death; after one dies, their soul returns in another body as a human, animal, or spirit
- 7. a strict social class system in which all people are born into one of four groups which dictate their occupation (job) and rules of behavior
- 8. 1,500 miles of mountains forming the northeastern border of the Indian subcontinent; includes Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth
- 9. one of the earliest written law codes, written by a Babylonian king
- 11. historically important rivers in Mesopotamia flowing southeastward from Turkey to the Persian Gulf
- 19. the belief that one's good or bad actions affects what happens to them later
- 21. a philosophy teaching how behave virtuously within one's family and in society
- 22. birthplace of the ancient cradle of civilization in the Indus River Valley; declared independence from India in 1947; the only Muslim-majority country to possess nuclear weapons
- 23. acts of worship required of all Muslims: declaration of faith, prayer, alms, fasting, and pilgrimage
- 26. large exporter of electronics (e.g., Nintendo, Sony) and cars (e.g., Toyota, Honda, Nissan); birthplace of sumo wrestling and judo; surrendered in WWII after being hit by two atomic bombs; its capital is the most highly-populated metropolitan area in the world
- 28. military leaders who saved the Jews from their neighboring enemies before Israel had a king
- 29. consists mostly of uninhabitable desert; home to Mecca, the birthplace of Muhammad, and Medina, his burial place; largest producer and exporter of oil; uses Sharia law as its criminal code
- 30. second king of Israel; killed Goliath and wrote many Psalms
- 32. fourth largest country by population and most populous Muslim-majority country; an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands
- 33. the most holy book of Islam
- 37. the event in which Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt
- 40. the triangular-shaped mouth of a river where sediment builds up