Natural Resources, Water Distribution, and Oil Production in Southwest Asia (Middle East)

7th Grade Social StudiesMr. Short

Warm-Up 8/19/13Directions: Answer the following questions on a clean sheet of paper. Be sure to write the questions.1.List as many uses for water as you

can. You have 3 minutes!!!• • • • •

Label your paper like this!

Natural Resources A natural resource is any useful material

found in the environment. Natural resources can be in the form of raw

materials (a resource or material that is still in its natural state; example: crude oil).

There are many different types of resources:• Recyclable Resource – A resource that cycles through

natural processes in the environment (example: water).• Renewable Resource – A resource that the environment

continues to supply or replace (example: trees, water).• Nonrenewable Resource – A resource that cannot be

replaced once it is used (example: fossil fuels, minerals such as iron, copper, and gold).

Fossil Fuels One of the important types of nonrenewable

resources found in Southwest Asia are fossil fuels.

Fossil fuels are any one of several nonrenewable resources created from the remains of plants and animals.

Some of the major fossil fuels are:• Oil• Coal• Natural Gas

Once fossil fuels are used up, they are gone for good!

Amounts and Uses of Resources Consumption is the act of consuming, or using

up goods and services. As the population of an area increases, the

amount of goods consumed also increases. This can lead to numerous issues:• Production – More materials have to be produced

(made or refined; example: using oil to create gasoline).

• Abundance or Scarcity – As materials are used up, they may become more scarce (not enough of something). If there is an abundance of the materials (a lot of something) this is less of an immediate issue, but still could be an issue in the future.

Water Distribution One natural resource that is scarce in Southwest Asia

(Middle East) is fresh water. The areas around fresh water sources, such as rivers,

usually are densely populated ( a lot of people living close together in that area). People living in areas without access to enough fresh water have to find other ways to get water. One way, used by Saudi Arabia for example, is desalinization (process of removing salt from seawater for drinking), but this process is VERY expensive.

Historically, many people in Southwest Asia (ME) have lived as desert nomads, or Bedouins, constantly moving to find water and other resources to survive. This lifestyle is slowly disappearing as Southwest Asia (ME) continues to become more modern.

Because there is an unequal distribution of water in Southwest Asia (ME) this can lead to conflicts.

Population and Water Distribution – Where do most

people live?

Population Distribution Because most of the people in Southwest Asia (ME) live near

water (rivers for fresh water or other waterways for shipping) these areas tend to be very crowded (have a high population density).

This overpopulation (population has outgrown an area’s resources) leads to a scarcity of supplies.

Example: So many people in Southwest Asia (ME) live close to rivers that there is a scarcity of water. Farmers diverting the river for irrigation (process of bringing water to land to assist in farming) leads to less water available to other people. As a result, since many of the rivers have less water in them, the silt (small particles of rich soil carried by flooding rivers) which naturally fertilized the fields when flooding occurred never reaches the soil. Without the flooding and silt, many fields are becoming unable to produce crops.

Oil Production While many of the people of Southwest Asia

(ME) live near fresh water, there are still other areas with high population densities. One example is areas with large oil reserves.

These areas tend to have a large number of high paying jobs and attract people from all over Southwest Asia (ME).

Because there is an uneven distribution of oil in Southwest Asia (ME), some countries have become increasingly wealthy, while others have remained poor.

Oil Production in Southwest Asia (ME) – Atlas p. 160

Oil Production in Southwest Asia (ME)

The countries of Saudi Arabia, Iran, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, and Iraq all have significant oil reserves and production, while many of the other countries in Southwest Asia (ME) do not.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is an intergovernmental organization, consisting of 12 oil producing and exporting countries; it regulates the supply (amount) and cost of oil in the world market. Saudi Arabia, Iran, UAE, Kuwait, and Iraq are all members of OPEC.

GDP and Standard of Living

Gross Domestic Product – The total market value of all final goods and services produced in a country in a year.

Gross Domestic Product Per Capita (GDP per capita) – The approximate value of goods produced per person in a country; equal to the country’s GDP divided by the total population. This is often times used to show the standard of living in a country.

Standard of Living – The financial health of a individual, group (population), or nation measured by how much that individual, group, or nation consumes. Countries with a high GDP per capita are said to have a higher standard of living since the country (and individuals within the country) are making more money. Governments can provide more, and better services and people have more money to buy what they need.

GDP and Standard of Living - Examples Saudi Arabia (large country; lots of oil)

• GDP = $921.7 billion• Population = 26,939,583 • GDP per capita = $34,213.60

Afghanistan (large country; little to no oil)• GDP = $34.29 billion• Population = 31,108,077 • GDP per capita = $1,102.29

Qatar (very small country; lots of oil)• GDP = $191 billion • Population = 2,042,444 • GDP per capita = $93, 515.42

GDP and Standard of Living – United States

United States• GDP = $15.94 trillion• Population = 316,668,567• GDP per capita = $50,336.54