Review What three continents does the region known as the Middle East lie in between? What are the five geographic regions of the Middle East? What are the three major mountain ranges of the Northern Tier? How did the Nile River Valley differ from the Fertile Crescent?

Resources and Economy of the Middle East

Water and Oil in the Middle East “The next war in the Near East will not be about politics, but over water.” Boutros Boutros-Ghali: former UN Sec. General “Many of the wars of the 20 th century were about oil, but the wars of the next century will be about water.” Former World Bank Vice President Ismail Serageldin

Land and Water Less than 10 percent of the land is suitable for agriculture due to the lack of water People settle close to water sources; this has been the case since ancient times Larger settlements originally sprang up in Mesopotamia and the Nile River Valley

Rapid population growth has exacerbated the water scarcity MENA faces. While natural factors such as intermittent droughts and limited freshwater reserves can cause scarcity, high population growth imposes additional pressures. Experts measure water availability in terms of the amount of annual renewable fresh water per person. A country is considered “water stressed” when its total renewable freshwater resources lie between 1,000 cubic meters and 1,700 cubic meters per person per year. “Water-scarce” countries have an average of less than 1,000 cubic meters of renewable fresh water per person per year. Twelve of the world’s 15 water-scarce countries are in MENA.

Water Consumption Population Growth MENA’s population more than doubled between 1970 and 2001, rising from 173 million people to 386 million people and reducing the average amount of fresh water available per capita by more than half, to 1,640 cubic meters per person per year. chartsbin.com - chartsbin.com/view/1470

The Middle East and Oil Seven out of the top fifteen nations with the highest proven oil reserves are located in the Middle East The United States still imports roughly 23% of its oil supply from the region Uneven distribution of this valuable resource has resulted in huge income disparity within the region Do you know which country we import the most oil from????

Who is our largest supplier? The answer = CANADA!!!!!

Strategic Waterways Much of the oil extracted from the Middle East is exported through the Persian Gulf The Suez Canal and the Straight of Hormuz are two vital waterways through which much of this supply must flow

Strategic Waterways During the war between Iraq and Iran in the 1980’s, the U.S. sent warships to the region to protect the flow of oil out of the Gulf

Agriculture in the Middle East Wheat and barley are the major staple crops grown in the Middle East region, along with rice, maize, lentils, chickpeas, vegetables and fruits Agricultural sector ranges from 3.2% in Saudi Arabia to 13.4% in Egypt

Other Industries in the Middle East Other industries include Tourism: (Cyprus, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt) Hi-tech manufacturing: (Israel) Banking: (Dubai)