Population & Environmental Geography of SW Asia SSWG4 Assess the characteristics, spatial distribution, and migration of human populations on the earth’s surface. SSWG5 Analyze human interactions with the world’s environments.

Water & SW Asia Oil bring most revenue to region, but water is most critical resource Water available in small amounts & not consistently Challenge of finding & storing water

Dams & Irrigation Systems Needed to meet needs of large farms & growing populations Provide water & hydroelectricity Conflict – Turkey building 22 dams & 19 power plants on Tigris & Euphrates Less water for Syria & Iraq (south) Water shortages southeast of Fertile Crescent

Modern Water Technology Drip irrigation – small pipes that slowly drop water just above ground to conserve water for crops Desalinization – removal of salt from ocean water Allows use of ocean water Fossil water – water pumped from underground aquifers Not enough rain to refill these aquifers = 25 years left of water Qanat – system of underground tunnels that collect runoff water from mountains Noria – waterwheel run by the flow of water

Oil From the Sand Oil reserves developed here hundreds of years ago Industrialization = petroleum highly desired Crude oil – petroleum that has not been processed Refinery – convert crude oil into useful products Pipelines move crude oil to refineries or ports for transport

Risks of Transporting Oil Risk of oil spills January 1991 – Persian Gulf War; Iraqi forces blew up oil tankers/storage in Kuwait Oil transported in Red Sea, Suez Canal, Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz Narrow & shallow = risk of collisions or running aground

New Industry Requires More Workers Discovery of oil = rapid urbanization = move to cities for jobs/wealth Guest Workers – unskilled laborers that do jobs native people find culturally or economically unacceptable Cultural differences between natives & guest workers = conflict

Refugees & the Population Kurds – stateless nation = nation of people without a land to legally occupy Relocation of Kurdish people & other refugees Thousands of Kurds live in crowded relocation camps

Palestinian Refugees Arabs & their descendants who formerly lived in the Palestine Mandate West Bank – strip of land on west side of Jordan River Gaza Strip – plot of land along Mediterranean Sea Palestinians live in both places

http://www. pewglobal. org/2018/02/28/global-migrant-stocks/ http://www.pewglobal.org/2018/02/28/global-migrant-stocks/?country=AE&date=2017

POPULATION = 274.2 MILLION POPULATION DENSITY = 57 people/kilometer