Question

Compare and contrast European impact on geography in Africa and the Middle East?

Answer 1

The physical landscape across Africa and the Middle East has impacted the migratory patterns of groups of people. Learn geography's significance to migration in how it impacts the spread and isolation of African and Middle Eastern cultures.

Why Geography Matters? Imagine trying to find two different grocery stores. One is just off the main highway, without too much traffic, and has ample parking. The other is located the same distance away, but at the end of a one-way street with no parking and with constant traffic. Which grocery store are you going to go to?

Geography Helping Spread African Cultures -
All along the eastern coast of Africa, people speak Swahili to differing degrees. Yet, if you go more than 50 miles inland in many places, the number of Swahili speakers drops dramatically. Why is that? Simply put, the coast was a channel for conveying culture. Swahili was spread up and down the coast because these coastal merchant towns had more in common with each other than they had with the inland reaches of East Africa. As a result, they shared their languages until they melded into what we today call Swahili.

Geography Spreading Middle Eastern Culture-
Geography also worked to help spread Middle Eastern culture. More than 5,000 years ago, the relatively flat terrain of Mesopotamia allowed for a unified culture to exist, even where states were vastly different and often in opposition to one another. Also, it is interesting to note that the most unifying aspect of Arab culture, the Arabic language, only thrived when spread largely over flat areas. The Taurus Mountains and the Iranian Plateau helped to stop Arabic's expansion to the east and north, while it was unchecked in North Africa due to the flatness of the land.

Answer 2

The Suez Canal now follows the Isthmus of Suez, the smallest gulf between the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Suez, as the traditional boundary between Africa and Asia.

Which body of water divides Africa from the Middle East?

The Strait of Gibraltar, a constrictive gorge, links the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. Land nearly fully encircles the sea, with Europe to the north, North Africa to the south, and the Middle East to the east.

The Isthmus of Suez is a 125-kilometer (75-mile) wide land strait that separates the continents of Asia and Africa. It is situated between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.

The Suez Rift, which separates the Sinai Peninsula from mainland Egypt and Africa, flows beneath it. Geographically connecting the Mediterranean and Red Seas, it is found in Egypt. It shares with many other isthmuses a significant strategic and historical significance, most notably because of the Suez Canal.

Thank you,

Eddie