7-1 Water Management & 7-2 Demographics & Settlement

From 7-1 – Managing Scarce Water Resources… Although this region is home to 65% of the world’s known oil reserves, water is very scarce. Water scarcity has contributed to past conflicts & is a key issue dividing Israel & its Arab neighbors, especially with respect to control of the Jordan River & its tributaries, & the aquifers located in the West Bank. When water issues are complicated by problems between countries that’s hydropolitics.

Water Management Strategies SUPPLY strategies- Focus on finding ways to INCREASE the available water supply & include desalination, trading water rights and sequential water use are all examples of supply strategies. DEMAND strategies – Focus on finding ways to improve patterns of water use (“demand”) & include conservation and improving water technology and efficiency. Pop & Water Scarcity Web Link

Pastoral Nomadism… CHARACTERISTICS : Common in arid areas, this is a form of subsistence agriculture in which people depend on the seasonal movement of livestock for their livelihood (lack of water makes permanent settlement impossible ) HARDSHIPS: Ltd. By constricting political borders; decreasing demand for “beasts of burden”; competing land uses; selective overgrazing; gov. resettlement programs. Additional definitions for test: DOMESTICATION: plants & animals are purposefully selected/bred for their desirable characteristics. TRANSHUMANCE: the seasonal movement of livestock according to climate & rainfall conditions.

OASIS LIFE… CHARACTERISTICS: there are villages located near reliable moisture sources (“oases”) in the midst of an arid environment. Through intensive farming they raise crops for local consumption & commercial trade (figs, dates) New drilling & pumping technologies have allowed this lifestyle to survive & even grow in recent years. HARDSHIPS : population growth, groundwater depletion, pressures of cultural change, economic pressure.

EXOTIC RIVER SETTLEMENT… CHARACTERISTICS: exotic rivers transport water from distant lands into drier regions which use them for irrigated farming. (EX: Nile, Tigris, Euphrates, & Jordan Rivers) These rivers support sizeable rural populations; although farms are small, they are intensely utilized, & heavily irrigated resulting in significant crop production. HARDSHIPS : salinization, high population density, competition for scarce land & water. Example of success : “ Kibbutz” in Israel (collectively worked farming settlements )

DRYLAND AGRICULTURE … CHARACTERISTICS: these farmls depend on seasonal rainfall to support their activity. They produce multiple crops & support varied livestock – but farming under these conditions requires innovation so they have had to create some sophisticated water management strategies in the region. Physiological densities here are among the highest in the world! HARDSHIPS: drought, conflict over water management.

Urban legacy & traditions… 2/3 of the overall regional populations in the Middle East are urban; Cities have traditionally been centers of political & religious authority…Mecca & Medina (Islam), Jerusalem (Christianity). Eventually major trade cities developed as well. Examples: Beirut, Lebanon; Damascus, Syria. Imperialism also impacted the growth & infrastructures of cities (Cairo, Egyp t)

Middle East cities… Traditional/Islamic/Modern – all influence the architecture of modern Middle Eastern cities… YouTube - Middle East countries in 7 minutes

A REGION ON THE MOVE… 3 recent demographic shifts that impact MENA: 1.Rural to urban shift. 2.Workers migrate to other nations in the region to areas with growing job opportunities – Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE have booming construction industries & very small labor forces. – Workers migrate to other nations OUTSIDE the region looking for job opportunities – esp. to Europe, which is only 8 miles from N. Africa. 3. Politically forced migration

SHIFTING DEMOGRAPHIC PATTERNS Rapidly falling birthrates in some areas; Smaller families; older average marriage age; Other areas have extremely high rates of population increase combined with lower death rates; More than 35% of pop. Is under age of 15 in many areas…how do the 5 countries you chose for #5 compare today vs. when your book was published?