1. Middle East Profile and Geography

3. Middle East -- refers to the collective areas of SW Asia and N. Africa:  Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Yemen, Bahrain, Oman, United Arab Emirates, and Qatar  Cultural area is dominated by Islamic law and custom.

4. Profile and Geography Ethnic groups: (various ethnicities)  Arabs, Turks, Persians, Jews, Armenians, Georgians, Egyptians, Kurds, Greeks, Assyrians, Azeris, Circassians, Berbers Religions: (very diverse)  Islam (dominant)  Judaism  Christianity  Bahai, Druzism

5. Profile of the Middle East Language: (3 main families)  Indo-European  Afro-Asiatic  Altaic Arabic + Persian are most widely spoken English, French, Romanian and Russian are spoken regionally Economy:  Countries range from very poor (Yemen) to extremely rich (UAE + Saudi Arabia)  Most nations economics are centered around oil only  Turkey + Egypt have a diverse economic base  Tourism

8. Profile of the Middle East Why is the Middle East important? (1) Cradle of Civilization (2) Total land area = larger than U.S. (3) Produced the world’s largest monotheistic faiths (4) Middle East contains 2/3 of the global petroleum reserves (5) Since end of WWII – Middle East has been the most volatile region on the planet

9. Profile of Middle East Why is the Middle East important? (6) Middle East has influenced America Presidential elections  Jimmy Carter (1980) (7) Middle East has been the setting for 6 major military confrontations since WWII

10. Geography of the Middle East Total population = over 200 million (comparable land area to U.S.)  90% of land area in ME is not suited to farming + much is uninhabitable 3 major mountainous areas:  1 st band – covers N. part of ME (Turkey + Iran)  2 nd band – stretches from Sinai peninsula to shores of Persian Gulf  3 rd band – reaches from N. Africa to western side of Arabian peninsula

11. Geography of the Middle East Predominant land feature – desert  Major desert is Rub’ al Khali  Located in Saudi Arabia  Largest sand dune desert in world  “Empty Quarter”

12. Geography of the Middle East River Systems:  Nile valley and Mesopotamia are best areas for agriculture in ME  Rivers have been a source of conflict due to the lack of rainfall and drinkable water

13. Geography of the Middle East Climate:  Driest place on earth  Arabian peninsula and Egypt get very little rain  Iraq + Iran receive 6-14 inches a year  Turkey (other countries bordering eastern shore of Med. Sea) receive 30 inches year  Temp range Summer – extremely hot Winters cool w/ below zero temperatures.

14. MAJOR GEOGRAPHICAL QUALITIES OF THE REALM Population  Discontinuous clusters around infrequent water sources Regional Imbalances  Oil and Non-oil states (“haves” versus “have-nots”) Political Geography  Fragmented due to colonial experience

15. THE IMPACT OF OIL HIGH INCOMES MODERNIZATION INDUSTRIALIZATION REGIONAL DISPARITIES FOREIGN INVESTMENT

16. World Oil Reserves

17. OIL AND NATURAL GAS RESERVES

18. Persian Gulf Oil Exports

19. The U. S. imports 30% of its oil needs from the Middle East. Leading U. S. Oil Suppliers

20. Historical Overview Fertile Crescent  Birthplace of agriculture + civilization  Agricultural Revolution (8000 BC)  3000 BC Sumerians of Mesopotamia developed writing, complex societies and city-states Cuneiform – first writing form Code of Hammurabi – first legal code All elements of civilizations  2000 BC Judaism emerged (first monotheistic religion) 1000 BC followers of Judaism established the Kingdom of Israel 1000 years later Christianity emerged in the region

21. Historical Overview Arabic speaking tribes of the Arabian peninsula adopted Islam (632 AD) 632 + 713 AD they gained control of most of SW and Central Asia 1400 AD Ottoman Empire had emerged and took control of entire region  Arabs take control of the entire “Middle East”  Rule until WWI

22. Historical Overview Ottoman Empire was defeated in WW I by European powers  Empire was divided into protectorates  Palestine began attracting Jewish migrants  1945 Lebanon, Syria and Iraq had gained independence and by 1971 all the protectorates were independent