Britannica Student Encyclopedia - 2010

A map shows the territories that Israel

and its neighbors fought over during the

Arab-Israeli wars. At the end of the Yom

Kippur War in 1974 Israel controlled the

area marked in orange.

158 Arab-Israeli Wars BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

War, Israel pushed both armies back into

their own territory but in turn suffered

heavy losses. After fighting ceased early

in 1974, the UN established neutral

zones between those countries and

Israel.

Ongoing Tensions

On March 26, 1979, Israel and Egypt

signed a peace treaty. Tensions continued,

however, between Israel and other

Arab communities. The Palestine Liberation

Organization (PLO) attacked

Israel from camps in Lebanon in 1982.

On June 5, 1982, Israel invaded the

country. The PLO eventually left, but

some Israeli troops remained in the

country until 2000.

In the late 1970s Israelis began to build

settlements on the land that it occupied

on the Gaza Strip andWest Bank. In

1987 the growth of these settlements

caused Palestinians to protest. Demonstrations

and riots—known as the intifada

(uprising)—broke out and

continued until the early 1990s. In 1993

Israel agreed to start turning over control

of some of the occupied territories

to the Palestinians. In 2000, however, a

new intifada erupted. It stalled peace

talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

#More to explore

Arabs • Egypt • Israel • Jerusalem

• Middle East • Palestine • Palestine

Liberation Organization • Syria

Arabs

An Arab is someone whose native language

is Arabic. The term was first used

to describe people who lived in a part of

southwestern Asia called the Arabian

Peninsula. Today the word Arab also

refers to Arabic-speaking people who

live in the Middle East, North Africa,

and other places. In the early 21st century

there were more than 100 million

Arabs throughout the world.

Early Arabian society was made up of

families that came together to form

tribes. Tribes traced their heritage back

many centuries. According to tradition,

some Arabs are descended from a man

named Qahtan, who lived in southern

Arabia. Others are descended from a

man named !Adnan, of northern Arabia.

The religion of Islam brought Arabs

together beginning in the early AD

600s. Because Islam’s holy book (the

Koran) is written in Arabic, that

language soon was used by all who

practiced the religion.

Arabs shop at a street market in

Cairo, Egypt.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Arabs 159

 

More than 90 percent of modern Arabs

practice Islam. Religion is an important

part of everyday life for many Arabs. It

influences how people behave and dress.

Arabs, especially women, tend to dress

modestly. In many areas women are

expected to wear dark robes and to cover

their face with a veil in public.

Arabs who live in cities tend to have less

traditional attitudes than those who live

in small villages. Both men and women

have more educational and employment

opportunities in cities.

#More to explore

Arabian Peninsula • Islam

Aral Sea

The Aral Sea is a saltwater body in central

Asia. The sea’s name comes from the

Kyrgyz word Aral-denghiz, meaning “Sea

of Islands,” because of the many islands

in its waters.

Also called Lake Aral, the Aral Sea is

situated more than 250 miles (400 kilometers)

east of the Caspian Sea. It is

bordered by Kazakhstan on the north

and Uzbekistan on the south. The Amu

Darya and Syr Darya rivers are the sea’s

two main sources of inflowing water.

The Aral Sea area has cold winters and

hot summers. The area gets very little

rainfall.

In 1960 the Aral Sea covered an area of

26,300 square miles (68,000 square

kilometers). However, during the

second half of the 1900s, most of the

inflowing river water was used for

irrigation before it reached the sea. The

sea also loses water through

evaporation. Because there is not much

rainfall this water is not replaced fast

enough to maintain the water level.

The Aral has therefore shrunk

drastically in its area and volume. By

the end of the 1900s the Aral Sea had

lost so much water that the exposed

land divided the sea into three separate

parts.

Scientists view the changes to the Aral

Sea as a serious threat to the local

environment and human health. As the

water has evaporated, the salt and

mineral content has risen dramatically.

This has made the water unfit for

drinking and killed the once-abundant

supplies of freshwater fish. The fishing

industry along the Aral Sea was

virtually destroyed. Many groups tried

to address these issues, but the

problems continued into the 21st

century.

#More to explore

Kazakhstan • Uzbekistan

160 Aral Sea BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

Arapaho

The Arapaho are Native Americans who

originally lived in the Great Lakes

region. They gradually moved westward

and became great buffalo hunters and

warriors of the western Great Plains.

The Arapaho traditionally were farmers,

but as they moved west they began

hunting instead. Bison (buffalo) meat

became their main source of food. They

used bison hides to make clothing and

covers for their tepees.

The Arapaho were very religious people.

They believed that sacred objects had

supernatural power. Their most sacred

object was the Flat Pipe, a tobacco pipe