Southwest Asia sits atop large reserves of oil that were formed millions of years ago and shaped the region's development. Countries like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait possess some of the world's largest oil reserves. While oil wealth has boosted economies and standards of living, it has also concentrated power among oil-exporting states and few citizens. The region's endowment with oil, a non-renewable resource, raises questions about future energy supplies and economic transitions.

1. Oil in Southwest Asia: How “Black Gold” Has
Shaped a Region

2.  State: A political unit that controls a particular
territory
 Nomads: A person who wanders place to
place
 Oil reserves: Underground oil that has been
discovered but remains unused
 Natural gas: Gas within the Earth’s crust.
 Crust: The outer layer of the Earth
 Region: An area defined by one or more
natural or cultural characteristics that set it
apart from other areas

3.  SW Asia lies at the crossroads of three
continents:
◦ Europe
◦ Africa
◦ Asia
 Oil: Southwest Asia’s Hidden Treasure
◦ Crude oil: Another name for petroleum as it is
found in the ground
◦ Developed countries: A wealthy country with an
advanced economy. Have many industries and
provide a comfortable way of life for most of their
people

4.  Nonrenewable
resources: Resources
that are in limited
supply
 Renewable resources:
Resources that will not
run out or that can be
replaced
 Geothermal energy:
Heat from the center of
the Earth

5.  Ethnic groups: A group of people in a country
who share a unique culture and identity
◦ Kurds (Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran)
◦ Persians (Iran)
 Islam is the most important religion in
Southwest Asia
◦ Israel is the only country in the region that does not
have a Muslim majority

6.  Oil Was Formed Millions of Years Ago

7.  A lot of the world’s oil lies buried under
Southwest Asia
◦ Millions of years ago, this area was under water
◦ Movement of the Earth’s crust
 Tectonic plates collide, creating pockets where oil can
form
 Oil Is Not Distributed Equally
◦ Saudi Arabia is the largest country in this region
 Has the most oil

8.  Kuwait (tiny country)
◦ Holds 1/10 of the world’s
known oil reserves
 Other countries, like
Syria and Yemen have
less oil, but still have
more than most other
countries

9.  Saudi Arabia’s royal family very rich from oil
◦ $185 million preparing the Marbella, Spain palace
for their visit
◦ Daily flower delivery ($1,500 for each day’s flowers)
 Oil Has Made Many People Better Off
◦ Life expectancy: The average age that a person in a
given population can expect to live to. Varies from
one country to another.
◦ Gross Domestic Product (GDP): A measure of the
goods and services produced by a country each
year

10.  Per capita GDP: Measure the average income
of the people in a country.
 Per Capita GDP Does Not Tell the Whole Story
◦ Human Development Index (HDI)
 Looks at a country’s per capita GDP along with other
factors that reflect quality of life.
◦ Infant Mortality Rate: Number of deaths of babies
under age 1 per 1,000 births in a year

11.  Yemen
◦ One of the 20 poorest countries in the world
◦ Population about 80% as large as Saudi Arabia’s
◦ Oil reserves are about 1% the size of Saudi Arabia
 Oil-Exporting Countries: Working to Control
the Price of Oil
◦ The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting
Countries (OPEC): An organization formed to ensure
a steady flow of money to come back into the
participating countries
 11 member countries, 6 from SW Asian countries
 Includes Venezuela, Algeria, Nigeria, Libya, Indonesia

12.  Countries depend on
the flow of oil from SW
Asia to fuel their
economies

13.  What energy sources is
the world using to
meet most of its
energy needs? What do
they have in common?
 Why isn’t the world
getting more of its
energy from renewable
resources?
 How might having
renewable energy
resources affect a
region in the future?