 Issue is the feeding a rapidly growing population  Agriculture  Small part of region is arable-suitable for farming  But large percentage of population work in farming  Afghanistan – 12% is arable and 67% farm for a living  Fishing  Important food source

 Petroleum and oil products are main exports  Holds 70% of world’s oil  Oil, Natural Gas, and Mining  Use of petrochemicals  Products created from petroleum or natural gas  Ex. Fertilizers, medicines, plastics, and paint  Mining of coal and copper  Cement production

 Significant roles in the region’s economies  Banking, real estate, insurance, financial services, and tourism  Tourism  Travel destinations because of historical importance  Muslim make a Hajj  Pilgrimage to Mecca

 Roads, Railroads, and Airlines  Desert and mountains make road building costly  Waterways  Strait of Hormuz  Suez Canal  Communications  Television and radio broadcasting is expanding  Government control of the media limits programming

 OPEC  Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries  11 countries founded in 1960  Control the prices of oil in the region  Large attempts to shift dependence of oil to other industries  New Silk Road  World’s longest telecommunications highway  16,767 mile cable  Provides 20 countries with digital circuits

 How might recent advances in communications technology help unify the region and change its cultures?  How do the prices of oil affect global consumers?  Why are countries in the region attempting to shift their dependence on oil?