Iran, Iraq and Turkey

1. Iran, Iraq and Turkey Ethnic Populations • Turks- migrated from Central Asia • Eventually became known as the Ottomans and ruled the region for 600 years • Most Turks practice Sunni Islam • Iranians- migrated from Central Asia • Speak Farsi • 90% practice Shia branch of Islam • Arabs- majority of people in Iraq • Most are Shia Muslims • Arabic is the most commonly spoken language • Kurds- live in mountainous border area of Turkey and Iraq • Most are Sunni Muslims • Speak Kurdish and have different customs than Arabs of the region • Have no country of their own • Efforts at self rule have been repeatedly crushed by Turkish and Arab rulers

2. Iran, Iraq and Turkey • Most populous countries are Iran and Turkey • Most live in cities • Istanbul and Tehran dominate social and cultural life in their countries • Cities have had problems because of many villagers looking for opportunity • Government of Iran has relocated people to the countryside to relieve overcrowding

3. Iran, Iraq and Turkey • Mesopotamia was one of the world’s first cultural hearths, part of the fertile crescent • Persian and Ottoman Empires were once regional powers • Late 1800’s British controlled Iraq until 1922 • Country of Turkey established after the fall of the Ottoman Empire • Iran’s secular government was overthrown in 1979 and is run by mullahs (religious leaders) that influence politics in the country today

4. Iran, Iraq and Turkey • Discovery of oil in the early 1900’s changed region drastically • 1950’s Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela formed the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to regulate oil production and set oil prices • OPEC has gained power as the demand for oil has increased • 1973 imposed a ban on the sale of oil when they became angry over Arab-Israeli conflicts • Demand for oil has made the region important internationally

5. Arabian Peninsula • Harsh desert climate means most people live along the coast • Lives shaped by traditional Islamic culture and modernization driven by the oil industry • Most in region are Arabs • Economic prosperity has brought a labor shortage to many countries (need somebody to do work they don’t want to) • Many foreign workers from South Asia immigrated to the region for economic opportunity • Most of the population lives in urban areas • Discovery of oil led to modernization, increased wealth and immigration • Majority of population in UAE, Kuwait and Qatar are immigrants

6. Arabian Peninsula • British controlled most of the area during the 1800’s, except for Oman which has always remained independent • Unified Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was established in 1932 • Still ruled today by Saud family • Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar gained independence in mid-1900’s • UAE became a country in 1971, country today is an association of sheikdoms ruled by an Islamic religious leader • Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain are monarchies • Saudi Arabia is ruled by shari’ah law based on the Quran • Kuwait, Qatar are constitutional emirates ruled by princes

8. Arabian Peninsula • Standards of living vary widely across the region • Oil rich countries have used money to improve infrastructure and promote education • Qatar's oil and gas reserves have given it on of the worlds highest per capita incomes • Sunni and Shia are the dominant sects of Islam found in the region • Other sects of Islam are Ibadhism practiced in Oman • Wahhabi is a very conservative sect of the Sunni branch that believes in the literal translation of the Quran, found in Saudi Arabia

9. Central Asia • Region has numerous ethnic groups, reflects centuries of migration and invasion by outside groups • Population has been shaped by conflict • Crossroads of many cultures, early history influenced by the Silk Road • Afghanistan predominant ethnic group is Pashtun • More than 50 nationalities live in the Caucus Mountains (Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan) • Turkic peoples live in the republics of Central Asia (Uzbeks, Kazakhs)

10. Central Asia • Population densities are uneven across the region because of the climate and terrain • Afghanistan is the most populous country • Crossroads of many cultures, early history influenced by the Silk Road • Region has been controlled by Alexander the Great, Mongols, Ottomans • Armenia and Georgia are ethnically and culturally different than other countries in the region because they practice Christianity • Soviet Union unified parts of Central Asia in the 1900’s • Many countries were objects of Soviet cultural, political and economic influence • Caused an rise in the standard of living and literacy

11. Central Asia • Afghanistan was invaded by the Soviet Union in 1979 • Mujahedeen freedom fighters defeated the Soviets and set in motion their decline • After the Soviets left the Taliban, they imposed a strict form of Islamic rule on the country • When Soviet Union dissolved in 1991 the Central Asian republics declared their independence • Countries are have moved toward political and economic stability with various degrees of success • Poverty and unemployment are widespread • Healthcare is lacking, years of turmoil have left the region with few resources to spend on social programs

12. The Region Today

13. The Economy • Oil and water two key economic resources • Countries with oil need water, countries with water generally don’t have oil • Only a small portion of the land is available for farming, yet a large percentage is involved in farming • Agriculture plays a smaller role in oil rich countries where they import most of their food • Uzbekistan is one of the world’s largest cotton producers

14. The Economy • Petroleum and oil products have transformed the region • Villages in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and other Persian Gulf countries have becoming modern cities • Iran and Saudi Arabia have developed oil refining and shipping industries • Petrochemical industries provide jobs and improve the standard of living for many • Service industries (banking, real estate, retail sales, insurance industries, tourism)

15. The Economy • Extensive road systems are found in oil rich countries to connect oil fields and seaports • Other countries are hampered by geography and finances • Water transportation is vital to the region • The Strait of Hormuz and the Suez Canal have strategic and economic importance to ship oil across the world • An elaborate system of pipelines connects oilfields to ports on the Mediterranean, Black and Red Seas

16. The Economy • TV and radio is expanding, much of it government controlled • Satellite technology is helping sparsely populated areas improve communication services • Economic interdependence is growing across the region • Transportation and communication has increased interaction • Industrialized countries need oil from the region and the region depends on industrial products from other countries • OPEC has a major economic influence in many countries around the world • There is a wide disparity between the oil rich and oil poor countries

17. People and the Environment • Water resources key issue in region • Few major rivers, few countries have enough freshwater for irrigation • Oil rich countries can afford desalination plants to meet their need for freshwater • Very expensive and takes large amounts of energy to run them • Libya’s Great Man Made River tries to meet freshwater needs • Taps large aquifers under the Sahara desert and carries water to urban areas • Could create problems by depleting aquifers faster than they can be recharged and by taking water from other countries

18. People and the Environment • Aswan High Dam in Egypt • Controls Nile’s floods, provides water for irrigation, supplies electricity • Negative impact is that it prevents Nile floods that bring fertile alluvial soil to lower Nile, and washes away salt • Dam traps soil so farmers have to use expensive fertilizers • War has had a negative impact Persian Gulf War, war in Afghanistan, turmoil in Israel • Central Asia inherited Soviet area environmental problems • Soviets tested nuclear, chemical, biological weapons there • Soviet heavy industry was based in these countries and left many areas with polluted water