347
Less than 100 years ago, many of the inhabitants of the Middle east
were Bedouins—desert-dwelling nomads who lived in tents and led their
animals in search of food. the rest of the population lived in small towns
and villages and made a living as farmers or craftsworkers. almost everyone
was poor and uneducated. today, the lives of their children and
grandchildren have been transformed by the discovery of oil. Many
people have grown rich from the new industries and services related to
oil production and refining. In some countries, notably Kuwait and Bahrain,
there is free education and medical care for everyone. oil transformed the
international importance of the Middle east as well. the region had little
influence in world affairs. now it controls one-quar ter of the world’s oil
production, and decisions made in the Middle east affect the economies
of europe, the americas, and asia. But despite this mas sive change,
traditional customs have not been
completely abandoned, and the
religion of Islam continues to
dominate daily life throughout
the Middle east, as it has done
for more than 1,300 years.ModernIzatIon
the discovery of oil brought great wealth and
rapid industrial and social change to the
Middle east. But gov ern ments in the region
recognize that the oil will eventually run out, so
they have spent some of the money they earned
from selling oil in encouraging and modernizing
local industry and business. Many Middle eastern
countries have also invested in property and businesses
in other nations throughout the world.Landscape and cLIMate
Most of the Middle east consists of hot,
dry, rocky deserts. a crescent of fertile land
stretches west from the tigris and euphrates
rivers through northern Iraq and syria and
then south into Lebanon and Israel. turkey
and Iran are mountainous, as are the
southern parts of the arabian peninsula.
In the southeast of saudi arabia lies the
rub’ al Khali, a vast, uninhabited sandy
desert known as the empty Quarter.WaterWays
rising in the mountains
of turkey, the tigris and
euphrates rivers irrigate
the almost rainless land
of the Middle east as they
flow in parallel to the
persian gulf. the fertility of
the euphrates-tigris delta,
known as Mesopotamia in
ancient times, gave rise to
the world’s first cities.the Middle east consists of 15
independent countries. they sit
at the crossroads of three great
continents—to the northwest
lies europe, to the southwest is
africa, to the north and east are
the caucasus and central asian
republics, all part of asia.The areas
bordering the
Euphrates and
Tigris rivers are
swamps and
marshlands. Here,
small boats
replace the camel
as the most
common means
of transportation.Middle East 347-
Camels are well
adapted to the harsh
conditions of the
Middle East, and are
still a popular form
of transportation.The shopping malls of the Middle East are well known
for their opulence and famous luxury stores.US_347_Middle_East_1.indd 347 22/01/16 11:11 am