Name________________________________ Period____________ Date__________
Southwest Asia (Middle East) Environmental Issues
Water needs have caused many conflicts between countries in the Middle East. Who owns the scarce water? Who should be allowed to
divert water for irrigation? There are no enforceable laws to govern the use of water between countries. Below are some of the main
problems caused by unequal distribution of scarce water resources in Southwest Asia.
Turkey- In the highlands of Turkey, snow melts to form the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Turkey is better off than its neighbors because of these
rivers, but pollution from industry and agriculture is a growing problem. The pollution flows downstream to the countries of Syria and Iraq.
Oil spills pollute the Black Sea.
Turkey, Syria, and Iraq: Turkey built dams along the Euphrates River
to use the water for hydroelectric power and irrigation. This water
Aquifer- an
usage has reduced the flow of water reaching Syria. In turn, Syria
built a dam and reduced the river’s flow into Iraq. in 1975, Syria and
underground
Iraq came close to war over water issues! Iraq faces polluted waters
layer of rock and
from industry, and war damage to water treatment facilities and oil
drilling equipment.
sand that
Israel: water usage is up, and rainfall is down, leading Israel to draw
more water from its aquifers. More water is being taken out than is
being replenished by rain, and salt is able to enter the aquifers which
ruins the remaining water. Israel has been in military conflicts with
Jordan over rights to the Jordan River.
contains water.
Iran: Iran is also depleting the water in its aquifers for irrigation and drinking water. One of Iran’s most important crops, pistachios, is
being severely hurt by water shortages in the southern areas of the country.
Afghanistan: Open sewers, failed septic systems, fertilizers, drought and pesticides are contaminating Afghanistan’s shrinking water
supply.
Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia faces severe problems in its desert climate, including water scarcity and poor quality of ground water
from its aquifers. One solution is desalinization, which is the process of taking salt out of sea water. Saudi Arabia has used
income from its sales of oil to invest in desalinization plants. This has made water more available yet expensive . About 30
desalinization plants provide most of the country’s drinking water.
Life in the Middle East
Climate:
What is it like to live in the Middle East? The climate
varies, but it is mostly arid with hot dry summers
and cool winters. If you live along the Caspian Sea
coast of northern Iran , you might have 80 inches of
rain a year. However, in the deserts of Iran , rain
might not fall for several years! Throughout Saudi
Arabia, the most rainfall you could expect in a year
would be nine inches. In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s
capital, the average yearly temperature is 79◦F.
Ankara, the capital of Turkey, gets as cold as 32◦F in
January.
Desalinization plant on the Caspian Sea
Oil Brings Employment
In the Middle East you will find dense populations around areas where oil is found. Some of the people are natives of that country while
many others have come from other nearby nations to work in the oil industry. The face of the Middle East began to change in the 1930s
when huge oil reserves were found in Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Iraq. The world’s attention has turned more towards the Middle East as its
need for oil has grown. The industrialized nations saw the Middle East as a source of oil to fuel its factories and cars. Before the
discovery of oil, the Middle East was not considered an important area for trade in the world. That picture has certainly changed!
There is an uneven distribution of oil in the Middle East. The sale of oil has earned huge amounts of money for oil rich countries. Oil rich
Iraq and Iran are the most populated countries of the Middle East, but their countries have suffered from war and mismanagement of
money. Money from oil has transformed Saudi Arabia from a poor society to a very wealthy one. Turkey has benefitted from the oil
industry as a transportation hub for oil rich countries moving their product to Europe. Afghanistan looks to profit as a transportation link
of oil from Central Asia to the Arabian Sea. Geologists and oil companies have recently uncovered a small reserve of oil in Israel. Not all
Middle Eastern countries have oil reserves.
Traditional ways of life are disappearing as the oil industry
grows and modernizes the Middle East. In Saudi Arabia, most
of the population was nomadic or semi-nomadic until the
1960s. Because of the oil industry, more than 95% of the
population now lives in cities.
Nomadic-a group of people who have no fixed home
and move according to the seasons from place to
place in search of food, water, and grazing land.
Amazing But True! About half of the world’s oil reserves are in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest oil producer!
Where People Live and Work
In the Middle East, people have adapted to the climate and physical
characteristics of the land to earn a living.
Life in the Desert
There are 2.8 million square miles of land in the Middle East and much of it is
desert. Over the last 50 years, residents have been leaving the nomadic life of
the desert and settling in or near large cities for work. In Saudi Arabia, only
about 1% of the population remains as nomadic herders. There are huge
stretches of desert in Saudi Arabia where few people live or work and the
population is less than 1 person per square mile.
Follow the Water
Throughout the Middle East, you’ll find cities built near rivers to take advantage of a water source in an arid (dry) land. Away from the
cities you’ll find farmers growing crops by rivers and in river valleys, just as they have done since ancient times. Except in the
mountainous regions, areas around a river or stream are well populated. In modern Iraq and eastern Syria, fertile soil is found in the
“Fertile Crescent” between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. With canals built to use the river for travel and irrigation, this fertile area is
home to many people.
Afghanistan has very little land to farm and most farming is done in valleys with irrigation from their few rivers or springs. About 70% of
the population works on small farms or herds livestock.
In every country with a deep-sea harbor, the population swells around port cities because of employment opportunities in ship building,
and repair, and shipping industries. Turkey has major port cities along the Mediterranean, Aegean, and Black Seas. Port cities also dot the
coast of Saudi Arabia along the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.
Transportation
Getting from here to there is often challenging in the Middle East! Residents have developed many means of transportation to adapt to
different conditions. Examples include:
Iraq: the number of people driving car sis growing and new roads are being built, but public transportation has not been updated. 1 in
every 4 urban Iranian families owns a car. Urban areas experience heavy traffic and air pollution. People in the poorer areas of the city
have little access to public transportation such as buses or trains. This has led to less employment opportunities for poor families who
live on the outskirts of the cities. From 2003 to 2009 the number of cars in Baghdad, Iraq has tripled and now the government has
enforced an odd / even license plate system where people can only drive every other day!
Afghanistan: There are less than 16 miles of railroad track in Afghanistan. People must pile into buses or trucks along with animals and
produce to get from place to place. They even ride on the roofs of vehicles. City dwellers often ride bicycles. In the countryside, people
usually walk, ride donkeys, horses, or camels.
Turkey: People drive or take the bus using the country’s modern and inexpensive public transportation system. Most good travel on
Turkey’s extensive highway system because the old railway system is badly in need of repair and upgrading. Slightly larger than Texas,
Turkey has 127 airports and 18 heliports for international and local travel.
Iran: has 55 cars for every 1,00 people. Paved roads connect all of the main cities and many small towns. The cities have good mass
transportation systems and nearly 7,000 miles of railroad encourage transportation by train.
Israel: has very crowded roads and the government is urging citizens to ride buses by raising parking fees and setting up bus –only roads
in cities.