1. SS7G7
The student will explain the impact of location, climate, physical characteristics, distribution of natural resources, and population distribution on Southwest Asia

2. a. Explain how the distribution of oil has affected the development of SW Asia
Two of the most important natural resources are oil and natural gas
Bring wealth to the region because they are needed for much of the world’s economy.
First deposits in SW Asia were found in the 1900s.
At first the drilling and refining was controlled by companies from the United States and Europe.

3. a. Explain how the distribution of oil has affected the development of SW Asia
Now most of the drilling and refining is controlled by the countries themselves.
Over ½ of the world’s known oil reserves are found in this part of the world.
This has made some of the countries very rich and has given them control over much of the global economy.

4. a. Explain how the distribution of oil has affected the development of SW Asia
In the 1960s, several of these countries joined with other oil-rich countries to create the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, in order to have more control over the price of oil on the world market.
OPEC has called for an embargo (a slow down or temporary halt) to oil supplies at various times in the past to get political and economic agreements from other countries in the world.

5. a. Explain how the distribution of oil has affected the development of SW Asia
Some countries in SW Asia have grown very rich due to their oil production.
Others have struggled to help their populations make a decent living.
The SW Asian countries with the greatest reserves of oil and natural gas are Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, and Kuwait.
Some countries have smaller reserves, especially those found around the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea.

6. a. Explain how the distribution of oil has affected the development of SW Asia
These countries have enjoyed great growth in national wealth and an improved standard of living in the past 50 years.
Countries without oil reserves have had a much harder time improving living conditions for their people.
The difference in wealth among the countries of the Middle East have led to conflicts among the nations.

7. Can you answer these questions?
What are the two most valuable natural resources in SW Asia?
How much of the world’s oil supply is found in SW Asia?
How has the discovery of oil in some SW Asian countries affected the economic development of this area?

8. Can you answer these questions?
Which countries in SW Asia are the most oil rich?
Why does OPEC play a powerful role in the world economy today?

9. b. Describe how the deserts and rivers of SW Asia have affected the population in terms of where people live, the type of work they do, and how they travel.
Three major river systems are located in SW Asia.
The Euphrates River runs through Turkey, Syria, and Iraq.
The Tigris River runs through Turkey and Iraq and joins with the Euphrates to become the Shatt al Arab which goes on to empty into the Persian Gulf.

10. b. Describe how the deserts and rivers of SW Asia have affected the population in terms of where people live, the type of work they do, and how they travel.
The Jordan River forms part of the border for Syria, Jordan, the West Bank, and Israel.
These rivers provide boundaries between some countries and are important sources of water.
They furnish water for drinking and irrigation as well as routes for transportation and trade for those who live along their paths.

11. b. Describe how the deserts and rivers of SW Asia have affected the population in terms of where people live, the type of work they do, and how they travel.
Many of the major cities in SW Asia are located on or near these rivers.
These cities and towns are also centers of industries as this is where workers can easily be found.

12. b. Describe how the deserts and rivers of SW Asia have affected the population in terms of where people live, the type of work they do, and how they travel.
The Middle East has a number of very large desert areas:
The great Syrian Desert between Syria and Iraq
The Rub al-Khali (or “Empty Quarter”) in southern Saudi Arabia
These deserts have historically provided a natural barrier against invasions.

13. b. Describe how the deserts and rivers of SW Asia have affected the population in terms of where people live, the type of work they do, and how they travel.
They also led to the development of a way of life that centered around the need to survive in such a harsh environment.
Some people survive living in tent camps, working as sheep and camel herders and making a living by trading animals and hand made goods with those who live in towns on the desert’s edge.

14. b. Describe how the deserts and rivers of SW Asia have affected the population in terms of where people live, the type of work they do, and how they travel.
These people are known as Bedouins, or desert nomads.
Their way of life is gradually disappearing.

15. b. Describe how the deserts and rivers of SW Asia have affected the population in terms of where people live, the type of work they do, and how they travel.
Countries of SW Asia generally have a very hot and dry climate.
Four large oceans or bodies of water surround this area.
They are the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the Persian Gulf

16. b. Describe how the deserts and rivers of SW Asia have affected the population in terms of where people live, the type of work they do, and how they travel.
Mountain ranges close to the coastal areas block rains coming from these bodies of water and the result is that much of the interior of the Middle East is desert.
Because there are coastal areas as well as the three large rivers, other parts of the region have enough water to support agriculture and cities and towns of a good size.

17. b. Describe how the deserts and rivers of SW Asia have affected the population in terms of where people live, the type of work they do, and how they travel.
Southwest Asia (the Middle East) is the gateway between the rest of Asia and Europe. It is also located close to Africa.
Therefore it has played a major role in trade among these continents.
The “Silk Road” ended in Turkey.
Ships from SE Asia would travel to the coast of SW Asia to unload goods.

18. b. Describe how the deserts and rivers of SW Asia have affected the population in terms of where people live, the type of work they do, and how they travel.
Those goods would be loaded onto caravans and taken across the desert to the Mediterranean coast.
Today the Suez Canal in Egypt links the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea and ultimately the Indian Ocean.
This makes the use of the overland caravans a thing of the past (obsolete).

19. b. Describe how the deserts and rivers of SW Asia have affected the population in terms of where people live, the type of work they do, and how they travel.
Many people practice subsistence agriculture, growing small amounts of crops to take care of their local needs.
Because the climate is so dry, farmers must direct water from small rivers and streams to their fields (irrigation).
There is some commercial agriculture but it is also limited by lack of water.

20. b. Describe how the deserts and rivers of SW Asia have affected the population in terms of where people live, the type of work they do, and how they travel.
Water = critical resource in Middle East
Both a source of life and a route for trade.
Tigris and Euphrates run through more than one country = source of political conflict in recent years.
Several countries have built dams to create lakes for irrigation and hydroelectric power.
Each dam cuts water supply to countries downstream.

21. b. Describe how the deserts and rivers of SW Asia have affected the population in terms of where people live, the type of work they do, and how they travel.
No agriculture or animal herding can take place without adequate sources of water.
People use many creative ways to get water to the fields (water wheels and pumps powered by animals or electricity, digging wells and qanats- underground tunnels that bring water from the hills to dry plains- and building canals.)

22. b. Describe how the deserts and rivers of SW Asia have affected the population in terms of where people live, the type of work they do, and how they travel.
Irrigated land usually needs chemical fertilizers.
Repeated use causes salts to build up in soil which makes it hard to grown anything.
Many places in SW Asia which have been irrigated for many years no longer produce crops as well as they did in the past.

23. Can you answer these questions?
Many of the largest cities in SW Asia are located on or near _________________
The “Bedouins” are SW Asians who have traditionally lived in and around ________
People living in the deserts in SW Asia have usually made their living by_____________

24. Can you answer these questions?
How have the major rivers of SW Asia become a part of political conflict?

25. Can you answer these questions?
Describe the climate of much of SW Asia.
The mountains that block winds coming from the oceans cause much of the interior of the Middle East to be _____________
Why have the major rivers of the Middle East become political issues?

26. Can you answer these questions?
Name some of the ways the people living along the rivers of SW Asia have gotten water for irrigation.
Why do dams built along rivers cause problems for people living further downstream?

27. Can you answer these questions?
Name the rivers that begin in Turkey.
Which 2 flow through Syria?
Which 2 empty into the Persian Gulf?