Fertile Crescent Map Worksheet
Ancient Civilizations • Geography
Fertile Crescent Map Quest
Identify and label key physical features and civilizations of the Ancient Near East.
Name:
Date: Period:
Word Bank (11 Items)
Match each numbered callout on the map to its correct feature
Water Bodies
Mediterranean Sea • Red Sea • Persian Gulf
Lifeline Rivers
Tigris River • Euphrates River • Nile River
Land, Regions & Cities
Mesopotamia • Babylon • Zagros Mts. • Arabian Desert • Africa
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 N E S W Ancient City / Capital River / Waterway Mountains
Map Labeling Sheet
Write the correct name from the word bank next to each map number
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Map Shading:
[ ] Water (Blue) [ ] Desert (Yellow)
Part II • Critical Thinking
Geographic Detective: Ancient Near East
Fertile Crescent Map Study Page 2 of 2
Section A: Features, Climate & Human Settlement
1. The Twin Rivers: Why were the Tigris and Euphrates rivers essential for the birth of civilization in Mesopotamia, and what agricultural problems did farmers have to solve?
2. Natural Barriers: Look at the Zagros Mountains to the east and the Arabian Desert to the south. How did these physical landforms protect Mesopotamians while also limiting expansion?
3. Strategic Location: Locate the city of Babylon on your map. Why was its position where the two rivers flow closest together advantageous for trade and military power?
Section B: Spatial Reasoning & Navigation
4. If a merchant traveled from Babylon west to the Mediterranean Sea, in which cardinal direction would they march?
5. Into which body of water do both the Tigris and Euphrates rivers empty?
6. Which sea separates the continent of Africa from the Arabian Peninsula?
7. The Zagros Mountains run along which border of Mesopotamia? (North, South, East, or West)
Section C: Civilization Synthesis
8. "The Land Between the Rivers": The Greek word Mesopotamia literally means "middle river land" (meso = middle, potamos = river). Explain how the geography of this valley directly gave rise to the world's earliest cities and legal codes (such as the Code of Hammurabi in Babylon).
World History & Geography • Unit 1: Foundations of Civilization
Map Accuracy: / 11
Analysis Score: / 10
