Southwest Asia Map

Image via Wikipedia Locate and zoom into Southwest Asia on the National Geographic Asia Map <-- click here

Locate 1. Saudi Arabia, 2. Turkey and 3. Iran on the map.  Learn these well.

Africa Map Puzzle

click here to do the Africa Puzzle

BBC News - South Africa country profile

South Africa Country Profile <-- click here

Study the information in the BBC Country Profile. Some of it is listed below.


Politics: The ANC (African National Congress) scored its fourth election victory in April 2009.

Economy: One of continent's biggest economies. Poverty is widespread, there is a high crime rate associated with high unemployment. The economy moved into recession in May 2009.

South Africa

click here for  South Africa

Study the maps and read the articles there and below, and answer the questions in the South Africa Study Guide Questions on paper given to you by Mr. Neu.  Put these in the Grade 8 box in Mr. Neu's room.

Location

Population Density

Ancestry: The ancestors of South Africa's population include people from Africa, Asia, and Europe. From the late 1940's to the early 1990's, the government enforced a policy of rigid racial segregation called apartheid. Apartheid means separateness in Afrikaans, a language spoken in South Africa. Under apartheid, the government officially categorized the people into four main racial groups: (1) African (black), (2) white, (3) Coloured (mixed-race), and (4) Asian. The government segregated the groups in housing, education, and employment, and in the use of transportation and other public facilities. Even after apartheid ended, the four groups remained generally separated. This separation is slowly becoming less.

Crossword Puzzle

North Africa

Russian Festival

  Defender of the Fatherland Day On 23 February, during the Defender of the Fatherland Day (День защитника Отечества Den zashchitnika Otechestva) Russia honors those who are presently serving in the Armed Forces and those who have served in the past. During the era of the Soviet Union, it was called the Red Army Day or the Day of the Soviet Army and Navy (celebrating the day of the first mass draft of the Red Army in Petrograd and Moscow or of the first combat action against the invading German forces). Defender of the Fatherland Day (Russian: День защитника Отечества / Dyen' zashchitnika Otechestva, Ukrainian: День захисника Вітчизни) is a holiday observed in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and several other former republics of the Soviet Union. It is celebrated on February 23.  History The holiday marks the date in 1918 during the Russian Civil War when the first mass draft into the Red Army occurred in Petrograd and Moscow. It was originally known as Red Army Day (Russian: День Красной Армии / Dyen' Krasnoy Armii). In 1949, it was renamed Soviet Army and Navy Day (Russian: День Советской Армии и Военно-Морского флота / Dyen' Sovyetskoy Armii i Voyenno-Morskogo flota). Following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the holiday was given its current name. 

As the name suggests, the holiday celebrates people who are serving or were serving the Russian Armed Forces (both men and women), but unofficially, nationally it has also more recently come to include the celebration of men as a whole, and to act as a counterpart of International Women's Day on March 8. The holiday is celebrated with parades and processions in honor of veterans, and women also give small gifts to the Russian men in their lives, especially husbands (or boyfriends), fathers and sons. As a part of the workplace culture, women often give gifts to their male co-workers. Consequently, in colloquial usage, the holiday is often referred to as Men's Day (Russian: День Мужчин, Den' Muzhchin).

MSNBC on non-violence in Egypt

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50 Million Trees and Counting: Trees for the Future

On-line Egypt Poster