Arabia and Iraq Pages 590 -597 And 606-611

Vocabulary Desalination – Removal of salt from sea water. Fundamentalism – The belief that holy books should be taken literally, or word for word. Jihad – Arabic word that means struggle. Terrorism – The use of violence against innocent civilians to create fear for a political reason.

Section 1: Chapter Atlas Arabia or the Arabian Peninsula is surrounded by water on three sides. North of Arabia is Iraq. Both are a part of Asia. We generally refer to this region as the Middle East. Arabia is located on a large plateau. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers provide fresh water to an area that is primarily desert.

Section 1: Chapter Atlas Tigris River Euphrates River Syrian Desert Arabian Peninsula Zagros Mountains Persian Gulf Red Sea Indian Ocean

Section 1: Chapter Atlas There once was a shallow sea between Arabia and the rest of Asia. As sea creatures died their decayed bodies became a part of a thick mud on the floor of the ocean. The Arabian Plate and the Eurasian Plate pushed against each other. The Arabian plate bent down to create pockets known as fold traps. With the heat of the earth the thick mud full of decayed sea creatures turned into oil and natural gas. Primarily this can be found in the Tigris and Euphrates River valleys and the Persian Gulf. Saudi Arabia has the world’s largest reserves and output of oil as a result.

Section 1: Chapter Atlas This region has a lot of oil and not a lot of water. They use the wealth from the oil to build water facilities. They also use it to purchase food for their country because they are unable to grow it due to the lack of water.

Section 1: Chapter Atlas The money from oil is also used to pay foreign workers. These workers come into their country and do jobs that Arabians do not want to do. These are usually labor intensive jobs.

Section 1: Chapter Atlas This region produces more than 25% of the world’s oil. Oil is used all over the world to do everything from powering automobiles to heating homes. The rest of the world depends on this region. Anything that might cause the oil production to stop or slow down can be disastrous to the rest of the world. This will mean oil prices will skyrocket due to a shortage in the supply.

Section 1: Chapter Atlas There are a few big drawbacks to using these oil and natural gas resources. One drawback is these resources take thousands of years to be created. The region is using the resource much faster than it can be replaced. Also, oil spills have created problems for the environment in the region. Sea life is killed, the beaches are polluted, and toxic fumes from the production and processing fill the air and the rivers.

Section 1: Chapter Atlas Region Details Desert *Arid *Few Plants and Animals *Covers most of the Region Desert Scrub *Semi Arid *Some Plants and Animals Humid *Moist Air that comes off the Mediterranean Sea or the Indian Ocean *Farming is Possible * Farming throughout the rest of the region is dependant upon the rivers.

Section 1: Chapter Atlas Desalination is a process used in Arabia and Iraq to remove salt from salt water. In this process the water is forced through a very fine mesh. The fresh water goes through but the salt doesn’t. There is also a system used that heats the water and the salt stays below while the fresh water turns to steam and then condenses and is funneled out. This process is very expensive.

Section 1: Chapter Atlas Population Patterns Population is most dense near the water areas. The Mts. Of Iraq and Yemen Near the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers Desert Oasis Desalination plants make it possible for people to live in areas that previously had low populations. These plants are also put in place to support the populations of the large cities.

Section 1: Chapter Atlas Most people live in cities. The cities have the jobs that are created by the oil wealth.

Section 1: Chapter Atlas This region is known to have some of the highest rates of population growth. This population growth is due to the fact that they traditionally have large families. It is a part of their customs. An increase in population however creates many problem - a need for more jobs, water, education, etc…

Section 1: Chapter Atlas A Diverse Region Muslims form the majority. This means that more than half of the population believes in Islam. Arabs dominate politics. There are large Non-Arab minorities. This boils down to differences in religions. Even in the Arab Muslim group there are tensions over religious issues.

Section 1: Chapter Atlas Religion has long been a focus in this region. Islam, the largest religion in the region, is broken into two basic branches, the Sunni and the Shias. To make the situation even more complex you can throw in the ethnic background. Sunni Arabs, Shia Arabs, and Sunni Kurds (Non Arabs) These differences have caused conflict and civil war in Iraq and other areas of the Middle East.

Section 1: Chapter Atlas Other religions that can be found in this region are Christianity, the Jewish religion, Hindu, and Buddhist. These religions are found in much smaller numbers than the you find with those that follow Islam.

Section 2: Arabia and Iraq Today Islam and other traditions have shaped this region but so has oil. Oil has brought wealth and allowed contact with foreign countries through trade. As a result, this region does have to work to find a balance between traditional and modern ways.

Section 2: Arabia and Iraq Today Islam is a source of tradition that influences the people of this region. However, there are differences within the religion pertaining to how much influence the religion should have over their daily lives. For example some people believe that women should not mix with men in public. Others believe that it is ok for men and women to work together. There are traditions for everything from what to eat to how to welcome guests, from treating elders with respect to gift giving.

Section 2: Arabia and Iraq Today One branch of the Sunni Islam religion is the Wahhabis. These people believe in going back to original teachings from the Quran. They believe in interpreting it literally and rejecting all modern interpretations. This style of religion is known as fundamentalism. They are also Islamist. This means that they believe the government should be run according to the Islam religion. Saudi Arabia is run by Wahhabis. This means they strictly follow Islam and the Quran in the running of the politics of their country.

Section 2: Arabia and Iraq Today There are people that see American and European ways as a threat. They have adopted a form of Islamism that draws on jihad. A jihad is a struggle. This can be an internal struggle (Struggling to be a better person) or a violent struggle (War).

Section 2: Arabia and Iraq Today There are a small minority of Islamist that believe in using violence. One of these groups is Al Qaeda. Their former leader Osama bin Laden used violence in the form of terrorism against the United States. The holy writings of Islam call on Muslims to AVOID VIOLENCE TOWARD INNOCENT PEOPLE Most Muslims reject violent jihad and terrorism.

Section 2: Arabia and Iraq Today In the 1920’s and 1930’s oil was found in this region. Ever since that time period all the countries of this region, except Yemen which doesn’t have oil, have been gaining wealth. This wealth allows the government to provide services to everyone in their countries, even if the person doesn’t work. It also allows them to hire foreign workers to do jobs that Arabians do not want to do.

Section 2: Arabia and Iraq Today Economic growth is determined by four things. Natural Resources Educated People Investment in Local Businesses Entrepreneurship This region depends on its natural resource, oil, and the other three traits have been largely ignored until more recently.

Section 2: Arabia and Iraq Today The region realizes that need to diversify so they have made the following changes. Better education for the people of the region, including women. Encouraged investment and entrepreneurship throughout the region.

Section 2: Arabia and Iraq Today Two areas of the region have moved away from dependence on the oil industry to now become financial centers. These areas are Bahrain and Dubai. They rely more on services now. Banks in these regions hold the wealth of the oil industry. They make loans with that money to help other industries increase. They also use them to increase the infrastructure. All of this will lead to a more diversified economy.

Section 2: Arabia and Iraq Today Oil wealth has changed the countries in other ways. Wealthy Arabs met Westerners that were involved in the oil industry. The Westerners introduced them to televisions, computers, etc… The Arabs began to travel around the world and send their children off to be educated in Western Schools. They even adopted Western business practices to run many of their businesses. There are those who disagree with adopting the Westerners’ ways.

Section 2: Arabia and Iraq Today Women of the Region * Tradition has said that women must obey the men. * Throughout much of the region the women may not travel without a male relative. * Women are expected to cover their faces and hair. They also use baggy clothing known as hijab to cover their bodies. * Saudi Arabia is the strictest with restrictions on women. Their restrictions keep women from driving, meeting with unrelated men in public, and even having careers. Overall though there has bee some improvement, especially in Iraq where women can have jobs outside of the home.