World Geography Chapter 21 Regional Atlas: Introduction to Central and Southwest Asia Copyright ? 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved. SECTION World Geography Copyright ? 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved. Section 1: Historical Overview Section 2: Physical Characteristics Section 3: Climates Section 4: Ecosystems Chapter 21: Regional Atlas: Introduction to Central and Southwest Asia Section 5: People and Cultures Section 6: Economics, Technology and Environment Section 7: Database SECTION Historical Overview The Sumerians developed a complex civilization, and later Judaism and Christianity emerged as religions based on monotheism.