Economies of the ME & NA
Introduction
Why the Middle East?
Geography
The Middle or Near East:

Arab countries: Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan,
Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Palestinian
Authority, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab
Emirates, Yemen

Non-Arab countries: Cyprus, Iran, Israel,
Turkey
Geography
North Africa:

Arab countries: Algeria, Libya, Morocco,
Sudan, Tunisia
Geography
Regions:
Arabian Peninsula
 Iranian Plateau
 Anatolian Plateau
 Fertile Crescent & Mesopotamia

Geography
Waters:
Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Persian Gulf
 Read Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Black
Sea, Caspian Sea
 Nile River, Jordan River, Tigris &
Euphrates Rivers

History
5500 B.C. to 2004 A.D.
Sumerian & Akkadian
 Babylonian & Neo-Babylonian
 Persian, Greek & Roman
 Arabian & Mongolian
 Saavid & Ottoman
 Independent nation states

Regional Characteristics
The Crossroad
 The
world’s island
 The tri-continental hub of Asia,
Africa, and Europe
 The Silk Road
Regional Characteristics
The Cradle of Civilization
 Beginning
of human civilization
with major development in
agriculture, science, literature,
and urbanization
Regional Characteristics
The Birthplace





Judaism (5700+ years)
Mithraism & Zoroastrianism (5000 & 3500 years)
Christianity (2000+ years)
Islam (1400+ years)
The Bahai Faith (100 years)
Regional Characteristics
The Arc of Crisis
 Military
conflict from the prehistoric to the present time
Regional Characteristics
Large Population
 Over
300 million people living
in 22 countries and millions of
immigrants living outside the
region
Rich Natural Resources

Over 60% of the world’s oil reserves

About 50% of the world’s oil supply

Reserves of natural gas, copper, iron
ore, zinc, lead, etc.
Regional Characteristics
Trade & Commerce

Exporting natural resources and human
resources

Importing capital and consumer goods
and military equipment & services
Regional Similarities
Common History
The Persian Empire
 The Arab Empire
 The Ottoman Empire

Regional Similarities
Common Culture
Language: Arabic, Farsi, Turkish
 Religion: Islam, Christianity, Judaism

Regional Similarities
Third World Nations

Economic problems: poverty, income
inequality, dependence on exports

Social problems: gender and ethnic
discrimination, inefficient governments
Regional Similarities
Military Conflict
Arab-Israeli conflict (1948, 1956, 1967,
1973, 1982, on-going)
 Iran-Iraq War (1980-88)
 Persian Gulf War (1991)
 Iraq Invasion (2003-present)

Regional Differences
Country Size in Area
Large: Sudan, Saudi Arabia
 Small: Lebanon, Kuwait

Regional Differences
Population
Large: Egypt, Iran, Turkey
 Small: Qatar, Kuwait, UAE
 Medium: Algeria, Morocco, Iraq

Regional Differences
Urbanization
Rural: Sudan, Yemen, Libya
 Urban: Kuwait, UAE, Qatar

Regional Differences
Economic Size
Affluent: UAE, Saudi Arabia
 Less fortunate: Sudan, Yemen

Regional Differences
Government
Democratic & Non-secular: Tunisia,
Turkey
 Autocratic & Secular: Saudi Arabia, Iran
