2. 6.1 Area and Population
Middle East and North Africa
“Middle East” is Eurocentric
21 Countries, Palestinian Territories of the West Bank
and Gaza Strip, and the disputed Western Sahara
Area of 5.6 million square miles
Population of 503 million people (2011)
Turkey, Iran & Egypt each have more than 70 million people
People locate where water is abundant in this arid region
Region on the whole is 62% urban
High rate of population growth across region
Many oil-rich countries of the Gulf region have
more foreigners than citizens living in them
8. 6.2 Physical Geography & Human Adaptations
Margins of region are oceans, seas, high
mountains, and deserts
Atlantic Ocean to the west
Sahara to the south
Mediterranean, Black, and Caspian Seas to the north
Hindu Kush and Baluchistan Desert to the east
Land composed of arid plains and plateaus
Large areas of rugged mountains
Isolated “seas” of sand
9. 6.2.1 Region of Stark Geographic Contrasts
Climate
Aridity
75 percent of region receives < 10” of annual precipitation
Higher precipitation around Mediterranean or up at elevation
Strategies of drought avoidance and drought endurance
Temperature
Large daily and seasonal ranges
Very hot days and surprisingly cool nights
Summer relocation of government in Saudi Arabia
Tectonic Processes
Collision zones have resulted in mountain building
Frequent earthquakes for places like Turkey, Iran,
and Afghanistan
19. 6.2.2 Villager, Pastoral Nomad, Urbanite
Middle Eastern Ecological Trilogy
Villagers
Subsistence farmers of rural areas where dry farming
or irrigation is possible
Pastoral Nomads
Desert peoples who migrate through arid lands with
livestock, following rainfall and vegetation patterns
Urbanites
Inhabitants of large towns and cities, generally located
near bountiful water sources
21. 6.2.3 The Village Way of Life
Historically, agricultural villagers represented the
majority populations in the region
Villages located near reliable water sources with cultivable
lands nearby
Production and consumption focus on a staple grain
Reliance on nomads for pastoral produce
Effects of exposure to outside influence
Introduction of cash crops
Improved and expanded irrigation
Modern technology
Rural-to-Urban Migration
22. 6.2.4 The Pastoral Nomadic Way of Life
Pastoral Nomadism
Emerged as offshoot of village agricultural way of life
Vertical Migration in mountainous areas
Horizontal Migration in flatter expanses
Sedentarization (settling down) is a recent trend
Nomads in region number estimated 5 to 13 million
Identified by their tribe, not be their nationality
23. 6.2.5 The Urban Way of Life
The city was the final component to
emerge in the ecological trilogy
Mesopotamia, 4000 B.C.E.
Egypt, 3000 B.C.E.
Medina (classic Islamic city)
High defensive wall
Congregational mosque
Administrative and educational complex
Bazaar or Suq (Commercial Zone)
Residential areas based on ethnicity,
not income
Rural-to-Urban Migration
New modern urban development in
oil-rich countries
27. 6.3 Cultural & Historical Geographies
Egypt and Mesopotamia are among the
world’s great culture hearths
Language Families
Afro-Asiatic Family
Examples: Semitic (Arabic & Hebrew), Berber, and Bedawi
Altaic Family (Turkic)
Caucasian Family
Indo-European Family (Farsi and Kurdish)
Nilo-Saharan Family
Religious Hearth
Monotheistic faiths of Judaism, Christianity & Islam
30. 6.3.1 The Promised Land of the Jews
Judaism
First significant monotheistic faith
Practiced today by 14 million worldwide
Torah is the Jewish holy scripture
Unlike Christianity, Jesus not seen as a savior
Ethnic, not proselytizing religion
Western Wall (“Wailing Wall” to Jews) in Jerusalem
The most sacred site in the world accessible to Jews
32. 6.3.2 Christianity: Death & Resurrection in Jerusalem
Christianity
Offshoot of Judaism that emerged in Palestine
Jesus Christ
Born in Bethlehem around 4 B.C.E.
His teachings denied validity of many Jewish
doctrines and protesters called for his death
Jesus was put on trial, was found guilty of being a
claimant to Jewish kingship, and was crucified
Christians believe Christ was resurrected from the
dead two days later and ascended into heaven
Seldom has Christianity been majority religion in
the land where it was born
Crusades (11th – 14th centuries)
34. 6.3.3 The Message of Islam
Islam
Monotheistic faith
Dominant religion by far in Middle East & North Africa
Prophet was Muhammad, who was from Mecca
Qur’an is the holy book of Islam
Five Pillars of Islam
Profession of the faith
Prayer five times daily toward Mecca
Almsgiving
Fasting during Ramadan
Hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca (Islam’s holiest city)
36. 6.4 Economic Geography
Oil dominates the region’s economic geography
Large reserves
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
Aim of taking joint action to demand higher profits
Other resources include:
Remittances
Earned income sent home by guest workers
Revenues from ship traffic through Suez Canal
Exports of cotton, rice, and other commercial crops
37. 6.5 Geopolitical Issues
Historically, region has been a geographic crossroads
Geopolitical Interests
Narrow Waterways
Access to Oil
Access to Freshwater
Terrorism
38. 6.5.1 Chokepoints
Chokepoints
Strategic narrow passageways on land or sea that may
be easily closed off by force or even the threat of force
Examples Links:
Suez Canal Mediterranean & Red Seas
Strait of Tiran Gulf of Aqaba & Red Sea
Strait of Hormuz Persian Gulf & Arabian Sea
Bab el-Mandeb Red Sea & Indian Ocean
Bosporus Mediterranean & Black Seas
Dardanelles Mediterranean & Black Seas
Strait of Gibraltar Mediterranean Sea &
Atlantic Ocean
41. 6.5.2 Access to Oil
Region’s oil is marketed primarily in western
Europe and Japan
American Interest in Oil
Support for Israel while courting Israel’s oil-rich enemies
Carter Doctrine
U.S. would use any means necessary to defend its vital
interests (i.e., Maintaining a secure supply of Gulf oil)
Gulf War
U.S. led coalition of Western and Arab allies against Iraq
U.S. Invasion of Iraq in 2003
About weapons of mass destruction or control of oil?
42. 6.5.3 Access to Freshwater
Hydropolitics
90 percent of usable freshwater in the region crosses
one or more international borders
Role of water in Palestinian-Israeli conflict
Water is a critical issue blocking a peace treaty
between Israel and Syria
Nile Water Agreement
Signed by 10 countries in 1926
Guaranteed Egyptian access to water
Many countries have defied the treaty in recent years
Upstream country is usually able to maximize its
water use at expense of a downstream country
45. 6.5.4 Terrorism
Terrorists pursued by U.S. are Islamist militants
Islamist Groups
Hizbullah
Hamas
Islamic Salvation Front (FIS)
Al-Qa’ida
1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania
2000 bombing of American destroyer U.S.S. Cole in Yemen
September 11, 2001 - World Trade Center attacks
Tiny minority of Muslims have carried out terrorist
actions that the great majority of Muslims
condemned
46. 6.6.1 Regional Issues and Landscapes:
Israel and Palestine
Israel and Palestine (Arab-Israeli Conflict)
One of the world’s most intractable disputes
Primarily a conflict over ownership of land, but has far-
reaching repercussions throughout the rest of the world
According to the UN, this conflict is the largest force
behind global tensions
Resolution of this conflict would probably result in a more
peaceful world
47. The Middle East and North Africa in 1920
The victorious allies of World War I carved up the Middle East
among themselves. Growing difficulties of administration
would drive them from the region within a few decades.
48. 6.6.1 Regional Issues and Landscapes:
Israel and Palestine (continued)
The Arab-Israeli Conflict and Political Geography
Modern state of Israel carved from lands that have been
undetermined since the end of WWI
Area was divided between British and French after defeat
of Ottoman Turks in WWI
British withdrew in 1947, leaving the
UN to determine the region’s future
UN responded with a 2-state solution
Arab State (Palestine)
Jewish State (Israel)
Plan was flawed, leaving each
side feeling vulnerable
49. 6.6.1 Regional Issues and Landscapes:
Israel and Palestine (continued)
Israel
Declared itself into existence in May 1948
Surrounding areas mobilized vs. Israel, but were defeated
Through the defeat, Israel acquired its pre-1967 borders
Boundary separating Israel from the West Bank later
became known as the ”Green Line”
Important wars between Israel and Palestine:
1948-1949 Arab-Israeli War
The Six-Day War of 1967
The 1973 Arab-Israeli War
Camp David Accords returned Sinai to Egypt
United Nations Resolutions 242 and 338:
Called on Israel to withdraw from the Occupied Territories
52. 6.6.1 Regional Issues and Landscapes:
Israel and Palestine (continued)
On the Brink of Peace
In 2000, President Clinton attempted to broker a historic
peace, to include:
The creation of an independent Palestinian country
A “land swap”
Peace talks broke down over the following issues:
The status of Palestinian refugees abroad
Control of historic city of Jerusalem, holy sites held by each side
Within weeks of the breakdown of these peace talks, the
sides were again engaged in a state of war
53. 6.6.2 The Arab Spring: Beginnings
The Beginning of the Arab Spring
In a city in Tunisia on December 17, 2010, a vegetable
vendor named Muhammad Bouazizi was shaken down
after refusing to pay a bribe to a city inspector
He was denied entry to the local governor’s office
when he went to lodge a complaint
Later that day he returned to the governor’s office
and set himself on fire in the street
News of his death spread quickly, and touched a nerve
with Tunisia’s largely young and disaffected population
Jasmine Revolution
Tunisian President Ben Ali’s own generals turned against
him, and his family was forced to flee to Saudi Arabia
54. 6.6.3 The Arab Spring: Egypt
Contributing factors to revolution in Egypt:
“People overpopulation”
Youth Bulge: 60 percent of population under 25
Unemployment and Underemployment
Government repression
The wide gap between the rich and the poor
Inspired by the events of the Jasmine Revolution, the
people of Egypt rioted in Spring 2011
Egyptian President Mubarak fled from Cairo, but was soon
imprisoned and put on trial
55. 6.6.4 The Arab Spring: Libya
Libya
Had been led by Muammar Qaddafi
He favored tribes on the central coast and in the center and west
Showed no favor to tribes in the eastern region
Treated ethnic Berber tribes as second-class citizens
Inspired by the Arab Spring, the Berbers and eastern tribes
rose up against him
Qaddafi was captured and executed in October 2011
56. 6.6.5 The Arab Spring: Syria
Syria
A minority Shiite group (7% of population) ruled the
Sunni majority (74%)
In 1982, an army assault against an uprising resulted in
tens of thousands of deaths
After the January 2011 uprising began, the leaders again
opted for violence
At least 7000 people have died
57. 6.6.6 The Arab Spring: Bahrain
Bahrain
Small oil-rich Gulf island linked to eastern Saudi Arabia
Inspired by the Jasmine Revolution, the repressed Shiite
majority expressed a desire for democracy, public
participation, and justice to Sunni monarch
King Khalifa ordered government forces to crush
rebellion, resulting in many casualties
58. 6.6.7 The Arab Spring: Yemen
Yemen
A beautiful but poor country located on Arabian Peninsula
Loyalties are to clan and tribe, with no natural sense of
cohesion as a nation state
Al-Qa’ida has a strong foothold
Widespread revolt against ruler President Saleh inspired
by the Arab Spring
After surviving assassination attempt, President Saleh
offered concessions to protestors and pleaded for them
to stop protesting
The shabaab have ignored the president’s advice
59. 6.6.8 The Arab Spring:
Hallmarks of the Revolution
Revolutions were much facilitated by social networking and
other social media
The traditional geography of revolt in public spaces played a
prominent role
Women had an unprecedented strong role in the Arab
Spring
Traditional Islamic classification of sacred time played an
important part
Religion and militant Islamism did not otherwise feature
prominently in the Arab Spring
60. 6.6.9 The Arab Spring: What Now?
The “Arab Spring” has transitioned into an “autumn”,
a period of danger and uncertainty
Concerns over what will replace the stability of the
region’s repressive, autocratic regimes
Concerns over what will happen to countries yet to
overthrow their governments
Divisiveness, polarization, and even violence based on
major faith, minority sect, and tribal affiliations
61. 6.6.10 The Arab Spring:
Involvement of the United States
How much instability in this oil-rich region will the U.S.
tolerate without intervention?
The U.S. has provided economic aid to countries such as
Egypt and Israel for some of the following reasons:
To help maintain strategic and political interests
in the Middle East
To prevent the ascendance of militant Islamists
62. 6.6.11 The Gulf Oil Region: Masdar
Masdar (“The Source”)
Futuristic city being planned in Abu Dhabi
Goal of being “carbon-neutral”
Energy to be provided by renewable resources
Will be zero-waste, with everything recycled or reused
Water provided by desalinization
To be a “smart” city designed to attract scientists & visionaries
GIS has been a very important tool in planning this city
Global financial crisis has derailed construction schedule, but
tentative plan is that city will be open for settlement in 2015
63. 6.6.12 The Gulf Oil Region: Iraq and the US
Iraq
Known since ancient times
as Mesopotamia, “the land
between the rivers”
Oil-rich country, but
has little coastline and
poor port facilities
One reason behind wars
instigated by Iraq was a
desire to increase Gulf access
Gulf War I
Gulf War II
64. 6.6.13 The Gulf Oil Region: The Kurds
The Kurds
A mostly Sunni Muslim people of
Indo-European origin
World’s largest ethnic group
without a country
Largest non-Arab minority in Iraq
Largest minority group in Turkey
Turkish officials have long treated
the Kurds poorly
Kurdish Workers Party (PKK)
Largest Kurdish resistance
to Turkish rule
65. 6.6.14 The Gulf Oil Region: Iran
The area of the Middle East
formerly known as Persia
Tension between Iran and U.S.
escalated in 2005 when
Ahmadinejad became president
of Iran
Historically, Iranians (Persians)
are also an enemy of Arabs
Great deal of dislike between
Iran and neighbors Iraq and
Saudi Arabia
66. 6.6.15 Turkey
Turkey
Founder Mustafa Atatürk determined
to westernize Turkey, raising standard
of living and making it a strong and respected national state
Only Muslim country in region to officially separate church and state
Southeast Anatolia Project
Agricultural effort to double the country’s irrigable farmland
European or Great Middle Eastern Power?
Is an “in-between” country, near line between MDCs and LDCs
Culturally between traditional Islamic and secular European ways
of living, but aspires to become more European
So far, Turkey has been blocked from membership in the EU
Could seek alliances eastward in Russia, India, and China
During Arab Spring of 2011, Turkey appealed to the U.S. to
recognize it, rather than Israel, as the best Middle Eastern ally