Southwest Asia: Economics

Southwest Asia

Economic Factors

Southwest Asia: Oil

• The major natural resource found in Southwest Asia is a large supply of oil

• Six of the fourteen members of OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Countries) are in Southwest Asia

• Ease of access to the oil makes the business extremely profitable

• Drilling through sand is easier than drilling through the jungles of Africa, off the shores of Venezuela, or the tundra of Russia

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Multiple Choice

Which is easiest to drill through for oil?

• Tundra

• Off the shore

• Sand

• Jungle

Southwest Asia: Scarce Resources

Scarcity not enough resources available to make everything that individuals want/need

• Water is a limited resource in the region

• It must be diverted to manage the growing population

• The main rivers are: Tigris, Euphrates, and Nile

Multiple Choice

Not enough resources available to make everything that individuals want/need

• soil-building process

• tenets

• desalinization

• scarcity

Southwest Asia: Desalinization

• Desalinization- the removal of salt from ocean water to serve as a fresh water supply

• Many nations in the region use this process because of a lack of access to water

• Desalinization plants are extremely expensive to build and maintain

• Unites Aran Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait are some of the only countries with these plants

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Multiple Choice

Which of the following countries do NOT utilize a desalinization plant?

• Kazakhstan

• Saudi Arabia

• Kuwait

• United Arab Emirates

​Southwest Asia: Benefits of Location

• The location made Southwest Asia a substantial trading center
  (through the Red Sea & Indian Ocean)

• Heavy trading lead to more advanced systems of measurement and the creation of the astrolabe (sea navigation tool) and the lateen sail

Multiple Choice

What is a benefit of Southwest Asia's location?

• abundant water source

• cold climate

• trading opportunities

• technological advances