Middle East? OR Near East?OR Southwest Asia? OR….?

Includes 25+ territories

Western Sahara is disputed

5.91 million square miles

Location Almost 2 times the size of US Located at latitudes equivalent Boston and Bogota

Population Around 600

million people

Majority of population in four countries:

○ Iran○ Egypt○ Turkey○ Pakistan

Why is this?

Natural Vegetation Map

Climate Map

Has a high population growth

○ Developing countries

○ Muslim cultures○ Palestine, one

of the highest growth rates in the world

The more urban the population, the wealthier the country

○ Kuwait

On the other hand…..

Desperately poor countries urban population is less than 32%

Ex:○ Afghanistan ○ Sudan○ Yemen

Water in the Middle East!

TigrisRiver

Nile River

EuphratesRiver

Jordan River Persian Gulf

ArabianSea

Mediterranean Sea

IndianOcean

Red Sea

Black Sea

Gulf of Aden

Strait ofHormuz

Suez Canal

Dardanelles Strait

AtlanticOcean

Gulf ofOman

Caspian

Sea

The Great River Longest River in the

world, over 4100 miles long

Runs through ten countries

Starts in Lake Victoria

Sustains almost 160 million people

95% of Egypt’s population lives on 5% its land

Nile Water Agreement- Egypt has access to 2/3 of Niles water

Tigris-Euphrates River System Land in between,

historically called Mesopotamia

○ “Land between two rivers”

Shared by Iraq, Turkey, and Syria

Part of the Fertile Crescent

Marsh, swamps, shallows

The Jordan River System extremely important

resource to surrounding countries

Where Jesus was baptized

Sections still used for baptism

The Dead Sea 1,385 ft. below sea

level One of the saltiest

bodies of water Has a high

buoyancy-people can easily float

Health benefits

The Arabian Peninsula and It’s Oil

• 2/3 of the world’s oil is located in the Middle East (most located along the Persian Gulf and in Iraq)

The U. S. imports 30% of its oil needs from the Middle East.

The Oil Giant of Saudi Arabia Occupies most of

the Arabian Peninsula

Homeland of Arab civilization and Islam

Interior is plateau Has no permanent

rivers! Saudization

Persian Gulf Oil Exports

Saudi Oil Has the largest

amount of proven oil reserves in the world

Produces 2nd largest amount of oil

Ghawar, worlds largest oil field

Bahrain Small island Connected to SA by

four-lane causeway Also center for oil

refinement, but running out of oil

Only country of Arabian Penninsula to allow women to vote

Qatar UAE

On worlds third largest natural gas reserve

4/5 of population are imported workers because of that industry

Home of al-Jazeera But before the oil and

gas….

Confederation of seven units

Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the oil economic centers

Because of oil, UAE is successfully diversifying its economy

More liberal, especially Dubai

Yemen Oman

Located on mountainous southern tip

Receives heaviest rainfall of the peninsula

Struggling economy ○ Lack of industrial production○ Immigrant Yemen workers ○ Late oil discovery

Source of ancient worlds frankincense

Capital, Muscat vital trade port between ME-SA

Been U.S. allies in Gulf War and War in Iraq

Israeli-Palestinian conflict Israelis: Citizens of

the Jewish nation of Israel

Not all, but majority are Jewish

Palestinians: Arabs with Palestine origins.

Majority are Muslims A stateless nation

Why? What’s the big fuss? Occupied Territory

○ Gaza Strip○ West Bank○ Golan Heights

Wars of○ 1948-1949○ 1967○ 1973

Today, who gets what?

Israel Law of return

○ Grants citizenship to any Jew who wishes to live there

Pop. of 6.8 million, 80% Jewish

Culturally and religiously diverse

Jerusalem- political capital

Tel Aviv-Jaffa- economic capital

Continued….

Agriculturally self sustaining

Great irrigation systems

Recent conflict takes toll on economy

relies heavily on exports of equipment and U.S. aid

Continued…

IDF-Israeli Defense Force

One of the best Air forces in the world

Works with the United States on weapons development

Citizens required to serve once 18

○ Men 3 years○ Women 2 years

Palestinians A stateless nation Live in surrounding

countries and the Occupied Territories

Ghurba- similar to the Jews Diaspora

PLO- Palestinian Liberation Organization

Hamas- Palestinian political party

The recent focus 1993: Israel and PLO sign agreements, lead to withdrawal

of Israeli troops

2005: Israel to remove all Jewish settlements and troops from Gaza by end of 2005

Today: Palestinians claim Israel still occupying parts of Gaza, Israel claims they are offering protection against Hamas terrorism

Iraq Why such a hot

spot?○ Sunni○ Shi’ite ○ Kurd

Tigris and Euphrates used for agriculture

Baghdad is everything!

○ Located perfectly

Continued….. Oil is main source of

revenue Should have

allowed them to thrive, but….

○ Arab Baath Socialist Party

Saddam givith and Saddam takith away

Iran Used to be Persia, until occupied by British Restoration of the “shah”

○ Reza Pahlavi

1979, Khomeini ○ Islamic Republic

Continued… First country in ME

to produce oil○ Also, pistachio and

Persian rugs

Mostly Mts., plateau and desert

Northwest region able to grow subtropical crops

○ Majority depend on irrigation

Kuwait Size of New Jersey

○ Yet, 4th largest store of petroleum resources

From poor fishers and farmers to wealthy urbanized state

OIL ONLY!

U.S. and Iraq 1980-88 Iran-Iraq

War 1991 Gulf War 2003 War in Iraq

U.S. and Iran

1980 Iraq Iran War 1980 Tehran

Hostages 2002 “Axis of Evil” Straight of

Hormuz/Nuclear capabilities