CASE STUDY 3 -MIDDLE EAST-

HISTORY

MAP OF UAE

The Middle East lies at the juncture of Eurasia and Africa and of the Mediterranean Sea and the India Ocean. It is the birthplace and spiritual center of the Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Yezidi, and in Iran, Mithraism, Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism and the Bahai Faith. Throughout its history the Middle East has been a major center of world affairs  a strategically, economically, politically, culturally, and religiously sensitive area.The modern Middle East began after World War I, when the Ottoman Empire, which was allied with the defeated Central Powers, was partitioned into a number of separate nations. Other defining events in this transformation included the establishment of Israel in 1948 and the departure of European powers, notably Britain and France. They were supplanted in some part by the rising influence of the United States.

MAP OF SAUDI ARABIA

In the 20th century, the region's significant stocks of crude oil gave it new strategic and economic importance. Mass production of oil began around 1945, with Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates having large quantities of oil. Estimated oil reserves, especially in Saudi Arabia and Iran, are some of the highest in the world, and the international oil cartel OPEC is dominated by Middle Eastern countries.

MIDDLE EAST COUNTRIES

The Middle East (from a European perspective) is a region that encompasses Western Asia and North Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East. The corresponding adjective is Middle-Eastern and the derived noun is Middle-Easterner.

MAP OF MIDDLE EAST

The history of the Middle East dates back to ancient times, and throughout its history, the Middle East has been a major centre of world affairs. When discussing ancient history, however, the term Near East is more commonly used. The Middle East is also the historical origin of major religions such as Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The Middle East generally has an rid and hot climate, with several major rivers providing for irrigation to support agriculture in limited areas. Many countries located around the Persian Gulf have large quantities of crude oil. In modern times the Middle East remains a strategically, economically, politically, culturally and religiously sensitive region. The Middle East expected economic growth rate is at about 4.1% for 2010 and 5.1% in 2011.

GEOGRAPHICAL OF THE MIDDLE EAST

PHYSICAL REGIONS

The Middle East region represents an area of over 5.0 million square miles. The physical geography of the Middle East is varied. Vast deserts are common in the region. The Sahara Desert runs across North Africa, essentially limiting settlement to along the Mediterranean coastline and in Egypt along the Nile River. The desert of the Arabian Peninsula is so inhospitable that it has been given the name "The Empty Quarter." Other significant deserts exist throughout the region. In areas better served by rainfall and rivers (for example the Tigris-Euphrates river system, the Jordan River, and along the Mediterranean coast), rich agriculture is abundant. Mountain ranges exist throughout the region with some peaks rising as high as 19,000 feet. Snow is a common sight in these mountain ranges. Between the mountains, high plateaus are common.

Ease of movement in and out of the Middle East by water is also affected by the presence of a number of narrow water passageways. Gibraltar controls the water route linking the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Water access between the Mediterranean and Black Seas is only possible through the Bosporus and the Dardanelles, which in some places is only half a mile wide. Other critical water routes would include: the Suez Canal, which links the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea; Bab el Mandeb, a strait that separates the Red Sea from the Indian Ocean; and the Strait of Hormuz, which links the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. 

CLIMATE

There is very little rain in this area with a large portion of the area being desert. Great care needs to be taking when travelling to avoid sun stroke and heat exhaustion. In the hottest months deserts should be avoided by the independent traveller unless you have survival skills. Along the coastal areas there is high humidity.

DUBAI, UAE

To the north the desert turns to great steppes, in this area expect extremes of temperature and rain in winter and spring. Over the rest of the area rain falls between March and November. Floods can occur due from March to May.

Along the Mediterranean coast the summers are long and hot and the winters mild and wet. The coastal areas can be humid but this is usually counteract by a steady breeze.

IMPORTANCE OF GEOGRAPHICAL

Physical Regions and Climate 

• The importance of the region to the world centers on its vast reserves of oil and oil related wealth.
• Its role as cultural hearth for the world's major religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
• The area historically as a cradle of civilization.
• Its present strategic location and repeated conflicts that threaten to draw other regions of the world into global war.

DEMOGRAPHY

Population

 Egypt 79,011,0002

 Turkey 77,804,1223

 Iran 75,078,0004

 Iraq31,467,0005

 Saudi Arabia 27,136,9776

 Yemen 24,256,0007

 Syria 22,505,0008

 Israel 7,627,8009

 Jordan 6,472,00010

 United Arab Emirates 4,707,00011

 Lebanon 4,255,00012

 Palestinian Authority 3,935,24913

 Kuwait 3,051,00014

 Oman 2,905,00015

 Qatar 1,696,56316

 Bahrain 807,000

NATURAL RESOURCES
Oil and water

JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA

The Middle East has always had a rich abundance of natural resources, although which resources are coveted and valued has changed over time. Today, abundant petroleum fields dominate the area's economy. The Middle East is similarly disproportionately rich in natural gas (32 percent of the world's known natural gas reserves are in the region) and phosphate (Morocco alone has more than half of the world's reserves).
Water has always been an important resource in the Middle East -- for its relative scarcity rather than its abundance. Disputes over rights to water (for example, building a dam in one country upstream from another) are a fundamental part of the political relationships in the region. Water for irrigation is necessary for many of the ecosystems to sustain crops
Another resource of vital importance to the region is water. Egypt, Iran, and Turkey are the only countries in the region with abundant fresh water resources. Roughly two-thirds of the Arab world depend on sources outside their borders for their water supply.