Chapter 24

1. Chapter 24 Oil in Southwest Asia: How “Black Gold” Has Shaped a Region

2. Introduction • State: A political unit that controls a particular territory • Nomads: A person who wanders place to place • Oil reserves: Underground oil that has been discovered but remains unused • Natural gas: Gas within the Earth’s crust. • Crust: The outer layer of the Earth • Region: An area defined by one or more natural or cultural characteristics that set it apart from other areas

3. The Geographic Setting • SW Asia lies at the crossroads of three continents: • Europe • Africa • Asia • Oil: Southwest Asia’s Hidden Treasure • Crude oil: Another name for petroleum as it is found in the ground • Developed countries: A wealthy country with an advanced economy. Have many industries and provide a comfortable way of life for most of their people

4. Oil: Southwest Asia’s Hidden Treasure cont’d • Nonrenewable resources: Resources that are in limited supply • Renewable resources: Resources that will not run out or that can be replaced • Geothermal energy: Heat from the center of the Earth

5. Many Ethnic Groups, One Major Religion • Ethnic groups: A group of people in a country who share a unique culture and identity • Kurds (Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran) • Persians (Iran) • Islam is the most important religion in Southwest Asia • Israel is the only country in the region that does not have a Muslim majority

6. The Geology and Geography of Oil • Oil Was Formed Millions of Years Ago

7. Oil is Found in Pockets Deep in the Earth • A lot of the world’s oil lies buried under Southwest Asia • Millions of years ago, this area was under water • Movement of the Earth’s crust • Tectonic plates collide, creating pockets where oil can form • Oil Is Not Distributed Equally • Saudi Arabia is the largest country in this region • Has the most oil

8. Distribution of Oil cont’d • Kuwait (tiny country) • Holds 1/10 of the world’s known oil reserves • Other countries, like Syria and Yemen have less oil, but still have more than most other countries

9. Oil Wealth and People’s Well-Being • Saudi Arabia’s royal family very rich from oil • $185 million preparing the Marbella, Spain palace for their visit • Daily flower delivery ($1,500 for each day’s flowers) • Oil Has Made Many People Better Off • Life expectancy: The average age that a person in a given population can expect to live to. Varies from one country to another. • Gross Domestic Product (GDP): A measure of the goods and services produced by a country each year

10. Oil Has Made Many People Better Off cont’d • Per capita GDP: Measure the average income of the people in a country. • Per Capita GDP Does Not Tell the Whole Story • Human Development Index (HDI) • Looks at a country’s per capita GDP along with other factors that reflect quality of life. • Infant Mortality Rate: Number of deaths of babies under age 1 per 1,000 births in a year

11. Oil Has Not Improved Life for All • Yemen • One of the 20 poorest countries in the world • Population about 80% as large as Saudi Arabia’s • Oil reserves are about 1% the size of Saudi Arabia • Oil-Exporting Countries: Working to Control the Price of Oil • The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC): An organization formed to ensure a steady flow of money to come back into the participating countries • 11 member countries, 6 from SW Asian countries • Includes Venezuela, Algeria, Nigeria, Libya, Indonesia

12. Oil-Importing Countries: Working to Protect the Flow of Oil • Countries depend on the flow of oil from SW Asia to fuel their economies

13. Global Connections • What energy sources is the world using to meet most of its energy needs? What do they have in common? • Why isn’t the world getting more of its energy from renewable resources? • How might having renewable energy resources affect a region in the future?