Middle East
Agriculture and Fishing Small percentage of arable land Mediterranean climate - cereal crops Humid subtropical - citrus fruits, grapes, and cotton Steppes of Central Asia - crops, grazing, and silkworms Arable land - yet the majority of people work in agriculture
Industry Commodities – economic goods Over 60% of worlds oil 50% of natural gas reserves.
Petrochemicals Crude oil Products derived from petroleum or natural gas Crude oil Petroleum that has not yet been refined Exported to countries
Service Industries Banking, real estate, and insurance 60% of Bahrains’s GDP Tourism Northwest Africa and Southwest Asia Holy sites Mediterranean climate
Waterways and Pipelines Pipelines to transport oil and water Suez Canal connects Red Sea with Mediterranean
Communications Satellite technology brings communication to large expanses of desert Solar powered radio-phones Government in some places limits programming for television
New Silk Roads Telecommunications highway Plans to build road, rail and air routes along original Silk Road 30 countries
Trade OPEC Controls much of trade because of oil dependence 1973 embargo Restricted oil to U.S.
Water Aquifers Desalination Removes salt from seawater Aswan High Dam Underground layers of rock, gravel, and sand that contain water Desalination Removes salt from seawater Aswan High Dam Controls flooding along Nile Generates Hydroelectric Power
Aswan High Dam
Great Man-Made River Pipelines that carry fresh water to Mediterranean farms from aquifers in the Sahara