Transcript Chapter 19

Chapter 19
The Region Today: North Africa, Southwest Asia
and Central Asia
1. The Economy
 Oil producing countries in NA, SWA and CA - experienced
greater economic growth than other countries in region
 Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, oil reserves have defined their
economic history
Economic Activities
 Countries rich in oil generally have little water
 Countries with abundant water generally lack oil
Agriculture and Fishing
 Small part of the regions land is arable, or suitable for
farming
 Yet large percentage of population works in agriculture
 Agriculture plays smaller role in oil rich countries (SA,
Kuwait)
 Mediterranean climates (NA, SWA) best suited for
growing cereal crops, citrus, grapes, olives and dates
 When rainfall is below normal, crops do not meet needs
of people
 Countries must import additional grains
 Citrus fruits are important exports
Agriculture and Fishing
 Steppes of CA (semi arid, grassy plains) provide fertile
soil for crops and grasslands for grazing
 Uzbekistan - one of largest cotton producers
 Uzbekistan/Turkmenistan – raise silkworms
 Kazakhstan – major grain producer
 Azerbaijan – wheat, cotton, potato and tea exports
 Fish – important source of food in region
 Morocco – sardines and mackerel from Atlantic Ocean
 Israel – majority of fish come from farmed fish in manmade ponds
 Persian Gulf – home to 150 species of fish
 Iran – strong fishing industry
Industry
 Petroleum/oil products main export commodities, or
economic goods, of the region
 Over 60 percent of earth’s oil exists in North Africa,
Southwest Asia and Central Asia
 Region has 50 percent of earth’s natural gas
 Oil has brought riches and modern cities to SA, Kuwait,
Bahrain
Oil, Natural Gas, and Mining
 Iran/Saudi Arabia – oil-refining and oil-shipping facilities
 Most other oil-producing countries export crude oil, or
unrefined oil
 Petrochemicals – products made from petroleum or natural
gas, i.e. fertilizers, medicines, plastics and paints
 Coal and copper mining and cement production important
in SA and CA
Service Industries
 Bahrain – 60 percent of GDP comes from banking, real
estate and insurance industries
 NA and SA – popular tourism/travel destinations, possess
ancient religious sites
 Christians and Jews visit Israel, Jordan
 Muslims often go on a pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca),
Saudi Arabia
Transportation and
Communications
 Main Idea: Advancements in transportation and
communications are improving throughout the region
 Main Idea: Physical environment and government have
limited some development
Roads, Railroads, and Airlines
 Roads unevenly distributed across region
 Extensive systems: Iran, Turkey, Egypt
 Landlocked countries – entirely surrounded by land, no
water access for trade and transportation
 Examples of LL countries: Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan
Roads, Railroads, and Airlines
 Istanbul, Turkey – new subway system
 Air Travel – CA countries used to rely on Soviet airline
Aeroflot, now have own airlines
Waterways and Pipelines
 Map on p. 477
 Main shipping ports on Mediterranean and Black Seas
 Strait of Hormuz and Strait of Tiran strategic and
economic importance, oil tankers must pass
 Suez Canal – man made, allows ships to pass from Med. to
Red Sea, on to Indian Ocean
 System of oil pipelines transports oil overland to ports on
Med. Sea, Red Sea, Persian Gulf
Communications
 Govt. control of media limits media in many places
 Communication is difficult in areas due to vast deserts
 Cellular phones are common in major cities
Trade and Interdependence
 MI: Interdependence among the countries of NA, SWA,
and CA is growing, as well as with rest of world
 8 of regions countries in OPEC, gives them more
control over oil production and prices
 Countries rely on their oil, giving OPEC great power
 During 1973 Arab-Israeli War, OPEC placed an embargo,
or trade restriction, on oil shipments to US – due to
support for Israel
 1999 and 2000, OPEC cuts oil production, rise in oil
prices around the world
2. People and Their Environment
 People in NA, SWA, and CA often threaten their
environment
 People face dilemma of meeting needs without restoring
already damaged environment
Managing Resources
 MI: Growing populations in NA, SWA and CA put strain on
scarce water resources
Water Resources
 Nile, Tigris, Euphrates, Jordan , Amu Dar’ya and Syr Dar’ya
(run through Stan countries)– regions only major rivers
 Only a few countries in region have enough freshwater for
irrigation
Desalination
 Desalination – removing salt from seawater
 Many countries depend on desalination plants
 Region posses 60 percent of world desalination capacity
 These plants too expensive for some countries
 Australia, 12 % freshwater through desal, debate over cost
The Great Man-Made River
 Carries water from aquifers beneath the Sahara to farms near
Mediterranean
 Multibillion dollar project
 Brings freshwater to Libya
Human Impact
 MI: New technologies and destructive wars have increased
environmental problems in NA, SWA and CA
Aswan High Dam
 Located 600 miles south of Cairo
 364 feet tall
 Irrigates 3 million acres
 Controls Nile’s floods
 Created the worlds largest human-made lake, Lake Nasser
Impact of War
 Persian Gulf War, 90-91, Iraqi troops burned 700 oil wells in
Kuwait, dumped oil into Persian Gulf, polluted area
 US-Iraq war, 2003
 Israel, Lebanon War - 2006
 Hezbollah – Islamic fundamentalists, want to drive Israeli
troops from Lebanon
Three Troubled Seas
 Caspian, Aral and Dead sea, face environmental challenges
 Water level of Dead Sea, dropped 262 feet in past 40 years
 Primary reason:90 percent of water from feeder rivers
diverted for irrigation, hydroelectric plants
Nuclear and Chemical Dangers
 Kazakhstan, once home to Soviet nuclear bases
 Soviets tested nuclear, chemical and bio weapons there
 Soviets tested nearly 500 nuclear weapons in area
 NE Kazakhstan severely affected by radiation