Middle East – Human-Environment interaction

1. Population Distribution & Environmental Issues Middle East – Human-Environment interaction

2. Desalination Water Pollution Desertification Words to know

3. Water Supply • Very limited in Middle East • Many countries must use desalination to get drinking water • Process of removing salt from salt water to make it okay for drinking and farming • Few rivers in the area • Tigris, Euphrates, Jordan and Nile rivers • Used for drinking water and generate power • If you don’t have a river in your region, you must find alternate methods for drinking water and power. Major Environmental Issues

6. Rights to Water Supply • Disputes over rights to water supply and other natural resources in the region • Water rights • Agreements about how countries can use the water in a region. Major Environmental Issues

7. Israel, Jordan and Palestinians • Rely on the same scarce water supply on the West Bank • Israel has the most power – so they have the ability to claim more water. • What happens if they build a dam? • Recycle the water so many people have access to water without a major shortage Major Environmental Issues

8. Water Pollution • Port cities • Ports make it easier to ship things • Water is often polluted by the shipping industry • Oil is the main export • Oil spills are one of the main causes for water pollution in the Persian Gulf Major Environmental issues

9. How does a limited supply of water affect how nations treat each other? Does the Middle East suffer from a small amount of water supply, unequal distribution of water, or both? Why??? How has water rights caused conflict in the Middle East? Summarizing Strategy – Think, Pair, Share

10. Desertification The process of land turning to desert

11. According to recent studies the desert is making a comeback in the Middle East, with fertile lands turning into barren wastes that could further destabilize the area, according to a recent AFP report

12. Oil Distribution – World

13. Oil Distribution – Middle East

14. Oil Distribution

15. World’s largest source of oil - Persian Gulf • Pollution issues– air and water • Damage to refineries during war • Not repairing damages • Pollution was a strategy used during war • Dumped oil into Persian Gulf • Burned oil wells to prevent USA from gaining control • Lack of water supply makes the pollution issue even bigger. Oil Distribution

16. How does oil distribution impact the development of countries with and without oil? • Standard of Living - GDP • Literacy Rate Oil Distribution

17. Standard of Living – Average Income

18. Literacy Rate

19. If a country does not have oil fields, what type of economy do they have? If a country is poor, what type of literacy rate do they have? Why??? Summarizing Activity – Think-Pair-Share

20. How do rivers and deserts impact where people live, where they work and how they travel? • People settle around the limited fresh water supply. • Civilizations concentrate around fertile soil. • People aren’t going to settle in a hot desert . . . . Why? • Crops are grown within these areas. • Subsistence Farming – Grow enough only for their families. • Most people within the Middle East are nomads (wander) within the desert regions. Population Distribution

21. Population Distribution

22. Most economies were once based on farming • Discovery oil – main source of income • Governments with large oil deposits stopped investing in other parts of their economies. • Countries without oil are poorer. Natural Resources

23. Land Use and Resources

24. How do deserts and rivers impact transportation in the Middle East? • Rivers provide transportation routes • Remember . . . There are few rivers in the region. • Deserts and mountains are transportation barriers • Difficult to produce and transport goods. Transportation

25. How has the development of the oil industry in the Middle East impacted other industries within those countries? Summarizing activity – Think-Pair-Share