1. HUMAN GEOGRAPHY OF SW ASIA PART I – ARABIAN PENINSULA
Objectives:
Discuss the influence of Islam on SW Asia and later the rest of the world.
Describe the history of theocracy and colonialism of the region and how it is relevant today.
Explain the importance of oil for the regional economy and the global economy.
HUMAN GEOGRAPHY OF SW ASIA PART I – ARABIAN PENINSULA
Essential Question:
Unit IV
How do natural resources affect the course of history?

2. Political Map

3. Kingdom of Bahrain Population: 1,248,348
Infant Mortality Rate: deaths/1,000 live births
Per Capita Income: $27,735
Arable Land: 2.8%
Median Age: 31 years

4. Sultanate of Oman Population: 3,090,150
Infant Mortality Rate: 15 deaths/1,000 live births
Per Capita Income: $27,567
Arable Land: 0.12%
Median Age: 24 years

5. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Population: 26,534,504
Infant Mortality Rate: deaths/1,000 live births
Per Capita Income: $24,411
Arable Land: 1.67%
Median Age: 26 years

6. Qatar
Population: 1,951,591
Infant Mortality Rate: deaths/1,000 live births
Per Capita Income: $98,948
Arable Land: 1.64%
Median Age: 32 years

7. United Arab Emirates Population: 5,314,317
Infant Mortality Rate: deaths/1,000 live births
Per Capita Income: $47,729
Arable Land: 0.77%
Median Age: 30 years

8. Republic of Yemen Population: 24,771,809
Infant Mortality Rate: deaths/1,000 live births
Per Capita Income: $2,307
Arable Land: 2.9%
Median Age: 18 years

9. Population Pyramids

10. Religious Composition

11. Ethnic Composition

12. Linguistic Composition

13. Largest Cities in SW Asia
Istanbul, Turkey 13,483,052
Tehran, Iran 12,223,598
Baghdad, Iraq 7,216,040
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 4,725,000
Ankara, Turkey 4,965,542
Kabul, Afghanistan 3,289,000
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 3,012,000
Izmir, Turkey 2,783,866
Mashhad, Iran 2,427,316
Amman, Jordan 1,919,000
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

14. Dubai 1990

15. Dubai 2013

16. Doha 1990

17. Doha 2013

18. Sketch: The Arabian Peninsula

19. Al-Masjid an-Nabawi Mosque
The Arabian People
The Arabian Peninsula is made up of 6 countries:
Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Yemen.
Most people living on the peninsula are ethnically Arab and religiously Muslim, more specifically Sunni Muslim.
Linguistically most people in the Arabian Peninsula speak Arabic.
Al-Masjid an-Nabawi Mosque
Medina, Saudi Arabia
Capacity: 1,000,000

20. The Arab People
There are approximately 300,000,000 Arabs on the planet.
280,000,000 live in Southwest Asia.
Arabs were first know as nomadic desert dwellers called Bedouins, who moved across the peninsula from oasis to oasis.
They adapted to the harsh conditions of the desert and built a culture based on strong family ties.
Their fighting skills would eventually help to spread a new religion, Islam, and develop an empire that would last over 1,300 years.

21. From Nothing To Something
In the past, some towns in the sub-region served as trade centers for caravans moving across the deserts.
Other cities were ports where goods were exchanged from the Silk Roads in East Asia, Indian Ocean trade from South Asia, and Mediterranean Sea trade from Europe.

22. A Human Perspective
2,000,000 people pour into the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca for a few weeks each year. They come from all over the world. In the past, the trip to Mecca involved a difficult journey across oceans and over miles of desert. Today, pilgrims arrive on airplanes. These people are fulfilling the Islamic religious duty of hajj, which is a pilgrimage to the holiest city of Islam, Mecca. For five or more days, all are dressed in simple white garments and all perform special activities, rituals, and ceremonies. It is a powerful example of spiritual devotion by the followers of one of the three major religions that claim a home in Southwest Asia.

23. There used to be a picture of Muhammad here!
The Spread of Islam
There used to be a picture of Muhammad here!
Islam is a monotheistic religion based on the teachings of its founder, the Prophet Muhammad.
Muhammad was born in the holy city of Mecca.
Muhammad died in the holy city of Medina.

24. The Spread of Islam
Islam requires certain religious duties of all who follow its teachings. The basic duties are called the Five Pillars.
By performing these religious duties, all converts to Islam, called Muslims, practiced a similar culture.
The Five Pillars are:
Faith: All believers must testify to the following statement of faith: There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
Prayer: Five times a day, Muslims face toward the holy city of Mecca to pray.
Charity: Muslims believe they have a responsibility to support the less fortunate by giving money for that purpose.
Fasting: During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Muslims do not eat or drink anything between sunrise and sunset.
Pilgrimage: All able Muslims are expected to make a pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca at least once during their lifetime.

25. The Global Spread of Islam

26. Muslim family in Tajikistan celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr, a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan.

27. The Spread of Islam
As more and more people on the Arabian Peninsula began to convert to Islam, they spread its teachings.
Armies of Bedouin fighters moved across the desert, conquered lands, and put Muslim leaders in control.
Arabic language and Islamic teachings and culture spread across Southwest Asia.

28. A New Form of Government
The governments of lands controlled by Muslims were theocratic, a government where religious leaders control the government.
Rulers relied on religious law and consulted with religious scholars on running the country.
Most countries on the Arabian Peninsula have a mixture of Theocracy and Absolute Monarchy.
Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia
The United Arab Emirates is a federation of several absolute monarchies.
Bahrain and Yemen are the only exceptions.
Bahrain has a Constitutional Monarchy
Yemen is a republic.

29. Oil Dominates the Economy
The principal resource in the economy of the Arabian Peninsula is oil.
The region grew in global importance as oil became an important commodity to the West.
Large increases in oil prices allow the oil-producing nations to funnel money into development of other parts of their economies, especially water development projects.

30. OPEC
In 1960, a group of oil- producing nations established an organization to coordinate policies on selling petroleum products.
The group is the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, also known as OPEC.
The purpose of OPEC is to help members control worldwide oil prices by adjusting oil prices and production quotas.

31. OPEC Members

32. Oil Wealth Fuels Change
Strategic Commodity, a resource so important that nation will go to war to ensure its supply.
57% of the world’s oil production comes from Southwest Asia. Saudi Arabia has the largest proven oil reserves in the world.
Oil is not distributed equally throughout Southwest Asia. For example, Yemen, Oman, and Syria have almost not oil and Jordan and Lebanon have none at all.

33. Where Does the Oil Go?

34. Using Oil Wealth to Diversify
To promote more economic growth, the oil-rich nations of Southwest Asia face three challenges in the way that they use oil profits.
First, each has to modernize its infrastructure and move from a primary and secondary economy into a tertiary economy.
Second, each has to develop its agricultural, mineral, and water resources.
Finally, the people of each nation have to gain access to higher education and job training.
Saudi Potato Farms

35. Modernizing the Infrastructure
The region has improved its infrastructure.
Saudi Arabia, for example, has built new roads in rural areas, irrigation networks, and facilities to store agricultural products. It has also built desalinization plants that remove the salt from seawater and provide water for cities and industrial use.
Many nations have built airports, shopping malls, and port facilities.
Dubai launched a plan in called Internet City. The plan made it possible for its government to conduct business on-line.

36. Developing Resources
In order to create a more diversified economy, nations have developed other resources besides oil.
High-tech agricultural production:
The region’s arid conditions mean that the area is not able to produce great quantities of food.
To trap much-needed water for agricultural production, governments have built dams.
They have also dug deep wells to tap the water trapped in huge underground reservoirs.

37. Saudi Success Saudi Arabia can boast several economic success stories.
By 1985, the Saudis completely met the nation’s demand for dairy products, red meat, poultry, and eggs.
The biggest Saudi success story, however, was wheat production. In 2012, Saudi Arabia produced 1000 tons of wheat. Enough to meet their needs and to have wheat to export.

38. Modern Arabic Life
Cities were always a part of life in Southwest Asia. However, because of changes in the economy, the entire area is much more urbanized.
Millions of people abandoned their lives as villagers, farmers, and nomads and moved into cities.
In 1960, the region was about 25% urbanized. By the 1990s, this number had risen to about 58%. According to estimates, 70% of the population will live in cities by

39. Modern Arabic Life Foreigner Workers
As the economy switched to providing petroleum and petroleum products, the types of jobs available in cities changed as well.
Highly skilled workers were of high demand and foreign workers were brought in to work at jobs the native population could not fill.
As a result, a large number of foreign workers now live in peninsula countries. In some cases, such as Qatar, only one in five workers is a native of the land.

40. Women’s Role in Modern Life
Despite its rapid modernization, some aspects of Muslim culture have remained the same for centuries.
One tradition that has remained the same is women cover their heads, hair, and sometimes faces with a scarf or veil.
In 2012, Saudi women were granted the right to vote, yet they are still barred from driving.
Women’s roles have expanded in the 20th century. Arabic women are becoming educated and are able to pursue careers in other nations.
Although most women still stay at home to manage household affairs.