5. Oil & Water: The Land and The People of the Middle East
"Many of the wars of this [20th] century were about oil, but the wars of the next century will be about water."
–Former World Bank Vice President Ismail Serageldin

6. I. Five Main Regions in the Middle East
Northern Tier: Modern day Turkey & Iran
Region of mountains and plateaus. Anatolian Plateau (Pontic and Taurus mountains) has fertile soil and has a large population
Arabian Peninsula: Modern day Saudi Arabia
- Vast plateau and 1/3rd the size of the US. Small population. Most people live in scattered oases.
Oasis: fertile desert area that has enough water to support plant and animal life

7. The Maghreb: Modern Day North Africa
3. Fertile Crescent: Modern day Iraq
Rich soil and abundant water have made it a population destination
4. Nile Valley: Modern day NE Africa
- cradle of ancient civilization
The Maghreb: Modern Day North Africa
- “Western Isle,” in early years it was seen as an isolated land surrounded by water, mountains and deserts. Sahara and rugged Atlas Mountains. Little water. Crossroads.

8. II. Climate and Resources
Climate has dictated where people live in the Middle East
People have moved to where the water is located in the Middle East
Less than 10% of the land receives enough water to make farming possible
People built irrigation systems to carry water from rivers to crops
Many resources in the Middle East: salt, phosphate (used in fertilizers), copper and most importantly oil

9. III. Ethnic Group vs Religious Group
Group of people with shred cultural beliefs
Language, religion, shared history, types of food, traditions, celebrations
Examples- Arabs, Kurds, Persians, Turks
Group of people who shade a belief system in a god or gods, with a specific set of rituals and holy book
Can be from different ethnic groups
Examples- Jews, Christians, Muslims

11. IV. Peoples
A. Many languages, religions and traditions
B. Languages: Arabic, Turkish, Hebrew, Kurdish, Persian, Greek and Armenian
C. Religions: Islam, Christianity and Judaism

12. Ethnic Group-Arab Arabs: the majority group in the Middle East
Term used to describe anyone whose native language is Arabic
Arabs are a very diverse group of people
Most are Sunni Muslim, some are Shia Muslim, others are Christians

13. Ethnic Group- Kurd
Kurds- group of people of non- Arab people who live in the mountainous regions of Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran and speak Kurdish
Kurdish is a language closely related to Persian
Hope to one day have their own country
Historically have had conflicts with Iraq and Iran
Practice a number of religions, but most are Sunni Muslim

14. Ethnic Group- Persians
Persians- ethnic group who lives ( lived) in Iran and speaks Persian ( Farsi)
Their ancestors come from Central Europe and Southern Russia
While they may practice a number of religions, most are Shia Muslims

15. OIL

16. Oil The most valuable ( money wise) resource in the region
Oil in the Middle East is unevenly distributed
As a result, some nations have great wealth, while other nations do not benefit.

18. Did you know???
Of the world's known petroleum reserves, 65 percent lie beneath the Middle East, where supplies could be exhausted in about 85 years if no new reserves are found. But the most critical resource here is water, which has contributed to past conflicts and may one day start others. A key issue dividing Israel and its Arab neighbors, for example, is control of the tributaries of the Jordan River and West Bank aquifers.
Across the region, recycling of wastewater and drip irrigation, along with dam reservoirs and desalination, could help relieve shortages. With few regional water agreements and the growing threat of pollution, the most fundamental problem, though, is scant and undependable rainfall. Without oil, the Middle East cannot live well; without water it cannot live.