Resources and Egypt Today
The Importance of Oil
• Half of the worlds oil is produced in the Middle East.
• Countries like the U.S. and France signed agreements
to build companies in this region
Drilling Begins
• 1908 William D'Arcy (British) discovered oil in
Khuzistan.
• The Anglo-Persian Oil company is formed.
• For 60 years D’Arcy laid claim to the oil in Persia
Oil and Iran
1954- British
Petroleum is formed
Reza Shah is resented
(Iranian Revolution)
Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi
Gaining Control
• After WWII many oil rich countries took control of their
own oil industries
• Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait joined Venezuela to
form OPEC
• OPEC- Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
• OPEC controls the price of oil around the world by
controlling the supply. When they pump more out of
the ground the price goes down. When they pump less
out of the ground the price goes up. Why?
• \
Primary Product v Secondary Product
• Primary Product- Raw Material
• Secondary Product- made from a primary product
• Example
• Primary=Oil also called petroleum
• Secondary=Petrochemical
Westernization vs. Traditional Culture
• Some in the middle east accept westernization
• Many believe there is too much westernization
The Roles of Women
• In more westernized countries women are
well educated and have more rights
• In other countries strict religious beliefs limit
women's rights
A disappearing Nomadic Culture
• The deserts of the
Middle East are
characterized by people
who move to find
resources. = Nomads
• Many Nomads have
begun to settle in cities
Egypt Today
Geography
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Sahara Desert
Nile River
Cairo
Suez Canal
Aswan High Dam- But a tradeoff
(exchange one benefit for another)
Benefits:
controlled flooding,
water for crops year
round, electricity.
fishing
Problem: must
use artificial
fertilizer which
pollutes the
water
Question!
• What is not a benefit of the Aswan High Dam?
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allows farmers to grow crops year round
has made fishing an important industry
provides Egypt with electrical power
farmers now use artificial fertilizer on their crops
The Significance of the Suez Canal
• Original head of the
project Ismail Pasha
• Built to make Egypt
equal to Western
powers and to
increase trade
• The project went
into bankruptcy and
was bought out by
the British
Government
History and Government
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Pharoahs
Foreign rule
monarchs
Republic
1954-1970 Nasser brought in republic
1970-1981 Anwar Sadat (assassinated)
– (first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with
Israel)
– Muslim Brotherhood (an extremists Islamic
group assassinated him
1981-2011 – Mubarek leads a moderate
government
2011 – protest leading to an overthrow
2012 – election of a new government headed by
the Muslim Brotherhood
Culture
• Half of population is rural
– most are fellahin or poor peasant farmers
– In some rural areas the overgrazing of sheep
is leading to desertification
• Rest of people live in urban areas
although almost all people live within 10
miles of the Nile river
• Leader of Arab culture
– Led in seeking rights and education for
women
– Provides much of regions information and
entertainment
The land and the people
• About 95% of Egypt's
population lives along
the Nile.
• Cotton is the major
primary product in
Egypt
• Textiles such as yarn and
fabric are secondary
products of their cotton
• What is the chief
reason for the
pattern of
population
density of Egypt
seen in the map:
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Village Life
• Fellahin- peasant farmer
Africa's Largest City
• Cairo is Africa's largest city
Egypt as a cultural leader
• Egypt has been ahead of the times in this region
• 1829- First Modern school for girls
• 1950- first Arab country to require children to go
to elementary school
• Started the technology wave in the middle east
Quiz – write only the # and the answer
• 1. What organization controls the price of oil
around the world?
• 2. What is the most important secondary product
that comes from oil?
• 3. List one (of the three) benefits of the Aswan
High Dam
• 4. The deserts of the Middle East are
characterized by people who move to find what?
• 5. What is the chief
reason for the pattern of
population density of
Egypt seen in the map:
• A. People like to swim
• B. People need to be near
water in the desert
region
• C. People like to live close
together
• D. none of the above
6. What is the number one Primary
Product in Egypt?