NORTH AFRICA & SOUTHWEST ASIA III (Chapter 7, pages 257-267)

Arabian Peninsula 2

Arabian Peninsula Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen Old-style sheikdoms Oil wealth Modern-looking emirates Site of Islam’s origins 3

Saudi Arabia One-quarter of world’s liquid oil reserves Most economic activity from Dhahran across Riyadh to Mecca and Medina Political ties with U.S. and unanswered political opposition Regional disparities: Oil-based boom in east Efforts to relieve disparities hampered by lack of water

Saudi Arabia’s Neighbors Kingdoms: Kuwait: invasion by Iraq (1990) Bahrain: Oil dwindling, building banking center Qatar: Oil dwindling, tapping natural gas United Arab Emirates: federation of 7 emirates, each under a sheik Oman: Faces choke point of Strait of Hormuz Yemen: Faces choke point of Bab el Mandeb Strait

The Empire States Turkey and Iran Imperial heritage Arab ethnicity gives way but Islamic culture continues High mountains and plateaus vs. rocky and sandy desert

Turkey Ottoman Empire: ended 1923 Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk) Father of modern Turkey Moved capital from Constantinople to Ankara Westernized Turkey and broke with the Arab world Turkey and its contentious neighbors Armenians Kurds Cyprus Membership in European Union? Diversified economy Turkish migrants in Europe Extension of Europe to Southwest Asia? Turkish human rights record?

Turkey

Iran A country of mountains and deserts Nomadism Central plateau Vulnerability to earthquakes Nomadism Population of 72 million; 67% urbanized Oil reserves providing 90% of national income 1980-1990 war with Iraq Continued modern versus traditional conflict Nuclear power?

Iran

Turkestan Former Soviet Republics: Kazakhstan Uzbekistan Turkmenistan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan Afghanistan

Former Soviet Republics Soviet attempts to stamp out Islam Revival of Islam since Soviet Union fell Kazakhstan Largest Most Russified—part of Soviet Union’s Eastern Frontier Uzbekistan Most populous state in region Environmental problem with shrinking Aral Sea

Former Soviet Republics Turkmenistan Garagum (Kara Kum) canal project to bring water from mountains to east Oil resources—but difficult to export Kyrgystan Irregular boundaries, with enclaves and exclaves Mountainous topography Tajikistan Regional disunity

Afghanistan Buffer state Turbulent history Opium poppy crop Mujahedeen fighting Soviet invasion Taliban era Failed state, terrorist base