N.Africa/SW Asia Modern Issue

Oil-rich nations can increase their profits from petroleum production by

• building their own oil refineries

• investing in foreign car companies

• researching oil sands technology

• developing extensive irrigation systems

Leaders in North Africa and Southwest Asia might begin trying to attract more foreign investment to

• reduce cultural conflicts within their countries

• develop an economy based solely on tourism

• prepare for when their oil reserves eventually run out

• improve their land for farming

Most of the world’s crude oil reserves are found in

• India and China

• the United States

• the Gulf of Mexico region

• North Africa and Southwest Asia

The petroleum wealth of Saudi Arabia has resulted in

• a sharp increase in the crime rate

• free government-provided health care

• improved relations among neighbors in the Persian Gulf

• high-paying jobs in the nuclear and solar power industries

Fossil fuels are considered non-renewable resources because they

• produce large amounts of pollution

• are necessary to produce energy

• take millions of years to develop

• are expensive to produce