Mineral resources of the countries of southwest asia. Natural resource potential of Southwest Asia

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Southwest Asian countries presentation

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Deserts and semi-deserts, their inhabitants

Definition of the concept of deserts and semi-deserts. Familiarization with the animal and flora dry and barren regions of the Earth. Features of sandy, rocky and clayey deserts. Acquaintance with the reasons for the absence of rain in the deserts. Formation of oases.

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Southwest Asia

Natural landscapes are varied. Sun-scorched deserts, semi-deserts and mountain steppes prevail. Against their background, there are snow-capped mountain ranges and river valleys buried in greenery, oases near water sources. This is the land of lowlands, plateaus, highlands, mountains.

With the vastness of the territory and the extremely complex nature of the surface, of course, there is a wide variety of climatic conditions.

It is an extremely hot region that receives the largest amount of solar radiation in Asia, and therefore is the driest part of the continent of Eurasia. Here, two climatic zones are clearly expressed on the plains: tropical and subtropical; in the mountains, with a pronounced altitudinal zonation, the climate is sharply continental.

Southwest Asia is extremely poor in soil suitable for agriculture. Sandy and rocky deserts, highlands, and a super-dry climate limit the use of land. The following types of soils prevail here: sierozem, chestnut and red soils.

Southwest Asia has the richest oil reserves.

In its depths there are about 50 billion tons of explored "black gold". Until the 1970s, oil production in the countries of Southwest Asia was almost completely controlled by the largest capitalist monopolies. Since 1973, all oil-producing countries have operated under the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), foreign companies have been nationalized, and Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain have acquired (through the buyback of shares) most of the property of foreign oil monopolies.

In the bowels of South-West Asia there are also huge reserves of natural gas (about 10 trillion.

m3), chromite, iron, copper, manganese, lead, zinc, antimony, molybdenum ores, phosphorites, bauxite, natural sulfur, boracite, potash and sodium chloride, building materials, etc. were found.

Some mineral deposits are among the largest in the world in terms of their reserves.

For example, Turkey ranks fourth in terms of chromite reserves (after Zimbabwe, South Africa and the Philippines). Jordan and Israel have a unique deposit of potash salt (Dead Sea). There are rich deposits of phosphorites in Iraq and Syria.

Natural conditions and resources of Southwest Asia wikipedia
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Southeast Asia

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Over the past three decades, the countries of the region have realistically moved from a backward to a high level of development. This made it easier:

First, the ASEAN countries have an extremely advantageous geographic location.

They are located at the intersection of the most important sea, the air routes leading from the Pacific Ocean to Indian Ocean;

Secondly, the countries of Southeast Asia have a rich potential of minerals and raw materials. In this area, there are reserves of the world's tin, tungsten, chromium and timber. There are large deposits of oil, gas, nickel, cobalt, copper ore, gold, precious stones, coal, as well as large reserves of hydroelectric power plants and agro-climatic sources;

Thirdly, the countries of Southeast Asia are currently the first in the world in terms of investment inflows of 39.5 billion euros.

Investment flows have been generated in the region as capital accumulated in several Southeast Asian countries. ASEAN countries are implementing a number of projects in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia;

Fourth, human resources in these countries are enormous and characterized by a high degree of reproduction, which allows companies to evaluate them inexpensively;

Fifth, for the model with the countries of Southeast Asia, Japanese capitalism, with increased attention to latest development STR and speeding up their implementation in practice.

For the Japanese, the crane flies;

Sixth, the development of export-oriented products that provide these countries with rapid growth in the global economy (computer hardware, consumer and industrial, textiles, footwear, clothing, watches, super tankers, bulk carriers, container ships, cars, etc. )); information Technology, biotechnology, optical fibers; Southeast Asian countries are gradually moving from labor-intensive to capital-intensive industries;

Seventh, R&D spending, which accounts for 1-2% of GDP and GDP per capita, is growing.

in Hong Kong, Singapore - 14-15 thousand.

General characteristics of farms in Southwest Asia

Eighth, the non-manufacturing sector is growing: transit international financial transactions, tourism (5 million people a year), a tropical resort, etc.

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Natural resources of Central Asia

The natural resources of the plains of Central Asia are diverse. Of the combustible minerals, Jurassic stony coals were found in Dzhanak and brown coals in Mangyshlak and in the Alakul region; oil and gas in Mangyshlak, in Bukhara and in the Ili depression, oil in the Cheleken peninsula, in Nebit-Dag and Kum-Dag, ozokerite in Cheleken. Manganese deposits in Mangyshlak (Aitkoksha) and oolitic iron ore deposits in the Northern Aral Sea region become famous from ore deposits.

Asbestos, graphite and copper were found on the territory of the Paleozoic uplands of the Kyzylkum desert.

Mineral resources of Southwest Asia

In the Low-lying Karakum, for many years, sulfur has been mined in Sernye Bugry, located 250 km north of Ashgabat; in recent years, gas reserves have been explored. The richest reserves of self-precipitated salts are found in the Kara-Bogaz-Gol Gulf on the Caspian Sea (mirabilite), in the Karagiye tectonic depression (magnesian salts), in the Aralsk region (astrakhanite) and the Aral Sea region (sodium sulfate).

The supplies of gypsum and table salt are unlimited everywhere.

The plains of Central Asia are rich in light and warmth. In the Low-lying Karakum, heat resources for the period with temperatures over 10 ° C exceed 5000 C, in Kyzyl Kum - about 4000 ° C; in the deserts of the Aral Sea region, the southern Balkhash region and in Muyunkum - 3000-3500 ° C. With such heat resources, in the presence of water, subtropical plants, such as fine-staple cotton, sesame seeds, peanuts, world famous Charjuy melons, and high-sugar table grape varieties, are successfully grown in the southern deserts.

Over the past decades, new cultures for those places have been mastered on the plains of Central Asia: southern hemp, kenaf, jute, sugar beet. Southern fruit growing is developing successfully.

The plains of Central Asia are poor in surface watercourses, except for transit rivers, the sources of which are in mountainous areas. Measures for the collection and storage of temporary runoff waters, including the installation of underground rain runoff collectors, are of great economic importance.

The underground waters of the plains are concentrated in the vast Artevian basins, explored by Soviet hydrogeologists in recent decades.

Among the basins, the Aral Sea group (Turgai, Syr-Darya and Karakum) artesian basins is distinguished. The Chuisky and Iliiskin basins are located within the Tien Shan folded region, and the group of artesian basins of the Balkhash region is located in the Dzhungarsk region.

All basins have pressure (self-flowing) or semi-pressure waters of different flow rates and variegated mineralization - from fresh to salty, inclusive.

Part of the groundwater is used for the drinking needs of the population and for animal husbandry. For this purpose, many mine and artesian wells have been built in the deserts in the last decade.

The deepest groundwater is found on the Badkhyz and Karabil plateau.

Here, dug wells for livestock watering reach a depth of 200-260 m. Upon entering the Karakum Desert, groundwater rises closer to the surface (15-40 m and closer) and becomes noticeably lonely. The eastern regions of the Zaunguz Karakum are relatively well supplied with water, and the western regions of the Low-lying Karakum are poorly watered.

In Kyzylkum, as well as in the Aral Sea region, Muyunkum and the Southern Balkhash region, everywhere in the sands there is fresh groundwater, the discharge of which is mostly low, but the total reserves of fresh and slightly saline groundwater in Muyunkum and in the sandy massifs of the Southern Balkhash region are large. On the foothill plains, groundwater often wedges out, forming numerous "karasu" - small streams and rivers used by the population for irrigation and watering. The abundance of "karasu" can be observed on the foothill plains of the northern slopes of the Kirghiz, Zailiyskiy and Dzhungarskiy ridges, in the Fergana Valley.

The development of solar technology makes it possible to receive fresh water from brackish and salty groundwater. The plant resources of the plains are of great economic importance in connection with the intensive development of animal husbandry, in particular, karakul and fine-wool sheep breeding.

Pastures are the dominant type of farmland in the deserts and semi-deserts of Central Asia. Desert-woody and wormwood associations are of the greatest fodder value.

Deserts with a predominance of desert-woody associations, which, along with saxaul, kandyms and other woody associations, are many ephemeroids and ephemerals, are used mostly as year-round pastures. The average productivity of the forage mass is 0.8-1.9 c / ha.

Deserts with dominant wormwood in the vegetation are considered the best autumn-winter pastures. Their average fodder productivity is 1.3-2.7 c / ha. Horses and cattle are most often grazed in tugai. Hay is collected on reed and sedge bogs.

The most valuable in terms of food are psammothy-shrub and saltwort communities.

In the fuel balance of the Central Asian republics, a significant place belongs to the wood of the saxaul woodlands.

Out of the total area of ​​20.5 million hectares of desert forests and thickets of Central Asia, saxaul forests account for 19.8 million hectares. The timber stock in this area is about 35 million liters * 1.

The bonitet of saxaul forests is closely related to the level of groundwater and the type of soil: the best saxaul forests develop on sandy loam and light loamy soils with groundwater occurrence at a depth of 3-8 m.

For the decade 1947-1967.

sown saxaul and desert shrubs on an area of ​​about 97 million hectares.

Large areas of land have been developed for agriculture in the largest irrigated oases: Fergana, Khorezm, Tashkent Zeravshan, Murghab, Tejen, Gol odnostep with a lump, Chuisk, Talass, Semirechensky. Total irrigated land in the republics of Central Asia, excluding Tajikistan, 6.8 mln.

ha. In the future, it is possible to irrigate about 15 million hectares in the republics of Central Asia and Kazakhstan (B-D. Korzhavin, 1962).

During the Soviet period, the Aral, Repetek and Dzhezkazgan experimental stations carried out a great deal of work on studying the methods of developing deserts and fixing sands. They have developed a series of effective methods for oasis transformation of deserts: new methods of rainfed and irrigated agriculture and forage, developed a trench method for growing vegetables, potatoes and fruit in the sands, scientifically substantiated and introduced into production effective methods for fixing sands and their afforestation.

All these methods make it possible to more efficiently use Natural resources deserts of Central Asia.

The work of zoologists and physicians on the elimination of the nesting sites of the Asiatic locust, a sharp decrease in the incidence of malaria, and the development of methods for combating ticks and other vectors of serious human and animal diseases are of invaluable importance.

On the plains of Central Asia, fur and other animal industries are of some importance.

The commercial species of animals that occupy a prominent place in the national economy of the plains include ground squirrels, jerboas, muskrat acclimatized on Balkhash (Ili river delta) since 1935, gazelles and saigas, the shooting of which is limited by the law on nature protection. Wild boars are shot in tugai and many waterfowl are caught - ducks, coots, geese, cormorants, and fewer pheasants.

Protection and expanded reproduction of natural resources are the most important state and public measures.

The regulation of cattle grazing on the sands and the hunting of animals, as well as the rational use of water resources require close attention.

Tourist resources and centers of Southwest Asia

Southwest Asia includes the states of the Near and Middle East with an ancient history and predominantly Muslim culture.

An exception is Israel - a country of immigration and widespread Judaism with its shrines. Historically, the city of Jerusalem is currently located on the territory of Israel, in which the shrines of three religions are located: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, which, on the one hand, attracts big number tourists, partly pilgrims, and on the other - creates the basis for constant acute conflicts, which also affects the scale of tourism.

In the countries of this zone, the attention of tourists is attracted by the warm sea (especially widely - the Mediterranean, washing the shores of Turkey, Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria, Israel), favorable for recreation subtropical climate.

Fans of educational tourism are attracted by ancient cities or their ruins, numerous cities with their historical and cultural population. Among them are Istanbul (Turkey), Amman (Jordan), the ancient cities of Lebanon - Baalbek, Sayda, as well as the country's tourism center - its capital Beirut, Nicosia (Cyprus), the Iranian cities of Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Hamadan. There are many interesting historical, cultural and archaeological sites outside these centers.

Individual countries of the Arab East, as well as Turkey, attract many "shuttle traders" - participants in shopping tours.

Afghanistan has interesting tourist opportunities, but the events of recent decades make it impossible to use them.

As a part of South-West Asia, there are tourist macro-regions: Turkey and Cyprus, Palestine, Arab states (Middle East), the Middle East.

Turkey and Cyprus are connected both by their history and modern relations. The fact is that the northern part of Cyprus is occupied by Turkish troops: Turkish Republic Cyprus, not recognized, however, by any state other than Turkey. This northern part of Cyprus is home to Turkish-speaking Muslim Cypriots, while the rest of the island is predominantly Greek-speaking Orthodox.

Naturally, the division of Cyprus creates unnecessary tension, but this does not prevent a large number of resort tourists from enjoying the benefits of the Mediterranean Sea and the fertile Mediterranean climate. In addition to relaxing on the coastal beaches, tourists have the opportunity to visit low mountainous areas, take baths near mineral springs.

In the capital of the state of Nicosia, tourists visit the Selim Mosque, the Cathedral of St. Sophia, the six-meter Venetian column, the ruins of the fortress wall, a museum rich in Bronze Age objects and masterpieces of historical art; in Famagusta and its surroundings - ancient ruins; in Paphos - the ruins of the temples of Aphrodite and Apollo; near Limassol - the tower of Colossia.

Cypriot tourists from the CIS countries have also mastered Cyprus.

They are also private visitors to neighboring Turkey. At the same time, the latter also attracts recreational tourists: the coastal regions (along the Mediterranean, Aegean, Marmara, Black Seas) are known for their numerous swimming seasons (warm sea, subtropical climate), which contributed to the emergence of famous Mediterranean resorts (Antalya, Alanya, etc. ).

There are resorts in the interior of Turkey based on the use of mineral springs. For example, springs near the city of Bursa were used by the Byzantines.

But, of course, Turkey attracts tourists with its historical and cultural values. Many of them are concentrated on the shores of the Bosphorus in Istanbul (in the past - Constantinople, in ancient Russian documents - Constantinople).

The transformation of the Orthodox Byzantine capital into a Muslim city also led to a change in the appearance of the city: Orthodox churches turned into mosques. There are many of them, therefore, there are also many minarets. The most famous temple is the outstanding work of Byzantine architecture, Hagia Sophia. After the capture of Constantinople by the Turks in the 15th century. a large number of new mosques were built, including those outstanding for their architectural merits. There are also museums in Istanbul, including archaeological (with the sarcophagus of Alexander the Great), monuments of civil architecture.

In the twentieth century. Istanbul is largely Europeanized.

Other centers of educational tourism in Turkey: the capital Ankara (where both ancient buildings and the mausoleum of the founder of modern Turkey Ataturk (Kemal Pasha) are located; Izmir (which is famous for antiquities and annual fairs); Bursa, Adana, Erzurum (with their ancient monuments and numerous mosques).

Most of Turkey is plateaus and low mountains, which in the east of the country turn into high-altitude regions, where the altitudinal zonation is well expressed (up to the nival zone), the Ararat massif, sacred to Armenians (but located after World War I on the territory of Turkey), is located, where According to biblical tradition, Noah's Ark, a large and very picturesque Lake Van, completed its journey.

So there are many natural attractions in the east of Turkey. However, so far this undoubtedly potential resort area has been little developed.

Palestine.

This macro-region includes the state of Israel, inhabited mainly by Jews (indigenous people and immigrants), and the Arab territories, which have been fighting for the creation of an Arab Palestinian state for many decades.

The territory of Palestine has seen many historical events in its lifetime that have left their mark on its ancient monuments. Suffice it to say that in the Jordan Valley “the very first city in the world was discovered - Jericho (“ the city of dates ”), which is seven thousand years old.

On the big hill are underway archaeological excavations that attract the attention of many tourists ”. South of Jerusalem, the largest city in Palestine, is the city of Bethlehem, over which, according to legend, a star lit up at the moment when Jesus Christ was born in a humble manger. A grandiose temple was built here.

But, of course, the largest number of tourists is attracted by Jerusalem itself, associated with the relics of the Jewish, Christian, Muslim religions. This is really a city of three historical confessions and therefore attracts countless of their representatives, as well as simply curious tourists.

Among the historical and cultural monuments, it is enough to name the Jewish Wailing Wall, Christian shrines - the chapel of the Holy Sepulcher, Golgotha, where Christ was crucified, the rock where he prayed (and many more places associated with evangelical subjects). According to Islam, the Muslim prophet Muhammad later ascended to heaven from the rock where Christ prayed (the magnificent Omar mosque was built here).

It is no coincidence that during the division of Palestine after World War II, the UN made a decision on the special status of Jerusalem, which is historically divided into the Old and New City.

Among other cities in the region, the actual capital of Israel, Tel Aviv, should be named (although the government considers Jerusalem as the capital, which is not recognized by most of the world's states) with its Haaretz Museum of Mediterranean Art and an art gallery.

Among the streets of Tel Aviv there are Korolenko, Zola and others. Jaffa practically merged with Tel Aviv, in contrast to the very young Tel Aviv, which has existed for several centuries. In this city you can walk along Pushkin Street, Pestalozzi, Michelangelo, M. Gorky, Ozheshko, Dante.

Even more ancient is another city of Israel on the Mediterranean Sea - Haifa. Therefore, in these cities there are also historical and cultural objects of previous centuries.

Sea resorts are located on the Mediterranean coast, especially in the Natanya area and in the Eilat area in the Arabian Gulf of the Red Sea.

There are resorts on the coast of the Dead Sea located below the ocean level, the very high salinity of the waters of which allows swimmers to freely float on the water. A corresponding infrastructure has been created for tourists in Israel.

Arab countries of Southwest Asia include almost all of this zone, with the exception of the two regions described above, and the states of the Middle East.

In practice, we are talking about the Middle East or most of Asia Minor (from Lebanon in the northwest to Yemen in the southeast). All these are Muslim Arab states.

With the exception of its outskirts - Mediterranean Lebanon and partly Syria in the northwest and "happy Arabia" (southern Yemen) on the edge of the Arabian Peninsula - all countries in the region are arid desert and semi-desert territories. Therefore, civilization developed there only in areas where it was possible to create irrigation systems at the expense of rivers (as in Mesopotamia) or groundwater - in oases.

From the middle of the twentieth century. in many countries of the region, oil began to be extracted in large quantities, and this led to the formation of oases on an "industrial basis" due to the supply of water from deep horizons or desalination sea ​​water... In the course of these processes, modern civilization with all its pros and cons. In particular, the centers of this new civilization attract a large number of shuttle tourists from the CIS countries to the countries of the region. In some states of the region, modern sea resorts have appeared on the shores of the seas.

There are also mountain resorts in the cities of Lebanon. All this serves the development of recreational tourism. However, we must not forget that in almost all countries of the macroregion there are many historical and cultural attractions - monuments of distant millennia and centuries.

So, on the territory of Lebanon there is one of the earliest human settlements - Baalbek, "where the ruins of religious buildings dedicated to Jupiter, statues, sculptural images of Venus, Bacchus, rows of columns and sculptures, stairs" are preserved.

One of the oldest settlements in Lebanon is the city of Sayda. The very same capital of the country - Beirut, along with the old quarters, is distinguished by quite modern buildings, corresponding to the role of Beirut as a center of finance and culture.

In Syria, the ancient cities of Palmyra and Aleppo with their monuments and Hellenistic art are of great interest to tourists.

The capital of the country, Damascus, attracts with objects of Muslim culture, among which one of the most famous shrines of Islam is the Omayyad Mosque.

Muslim architecture is typical for most areas of the capital of Iraq - Baghdad.

Characteristics of the natural resources of Asia

The Nazimiyya Mosque, or the Golden Mosque, is very famous, decorated with four minarets with gilded domes (which is a rarity in such structures). The city has many modern buildings and monuments stylized in the spirit of Muslim traditions. Away from the capital, located on the banks of the famous Tigris River, are the ruins of ancient cities, including the famous Babylon. There are in Iraq (in the north and north-east of the country) and summer alpine resorts.

Despite the undoubted tourist attraction of Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, the flow of tourists to these countries is limited due to political instability.

Other Arab countries of the Middle East are much less interesting for educational tourism: Jordan, Yemen, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates.

The latter, as a rule, attract a large number of shuttle tourists. In these countries, whose economies are based on oil production (Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates), modern cities are attracting attention.

Saudi Arabia occupies a special place among the countries of the Middle East. It is on its territory that the main places of pilgrimage for Muslims are located - the holy cities of Mecca (with the black stone Kaaba) and Medina, cities associated with the activities of the Prophet Muhammad and the birth of Islam.

Hundreds of thousands, and in some years even millions of Muslims from all over the world come here as pilgrims. The pilgrimage (hajj) brings huge incomes to the country, and the pilgrims "attach" themselves to eternal life in paradise.

On the Red Sea coast of the country is the city of Jeddah, through which thousands of pilgrims go. There are also several historical monuments, among which, according to legend, the grave of the first woman Eve.

Middle East countries Are Iran and Afghanistan. From the point of view of tourism, Iran is especially interesting - a country of very diverse nature and ancient history... Nature lovers will find in Iran the seas and rivers, plains (low and elevated) and high Elbrus mountains with the main peak Demavend (in the north of the country), various forests, dry steppes, semi-deserts and deserts, healing mineral springs and curative mud.

In Iran, there are numerous monuments of Muslim culture (civil and religious buildings) in the capital Tehran, the cities of Isfahan, Tabriz, Mashhad, Qazvin and others. Currently, due to the difficult international situation of Iran (largely due to its isolation), the flow of tourists to the country is very limited, which is facilitated by both external forces and the activity of Islamic fundamentalists.

It is practically impossible in our days to travel to Afghanistan - a multinational mountainous country, where military operations have been going on for many years.

Therefore, and also because of the very low level of development of tourist infrastructure, the harsh, but impressive nature of Afghanistan, and its historical and cultural sites located in the capital Kabul, the cities of Herat, Kandahar and others, remain unclaimed. Almost inaccessible and one of the most famous tourist sites throughout Asia - Biamin.

In this depression, located at an altitude of more than 2 thousand meters, in the central part of the country there is a rock dug by hundreds of caves. In the rocks there are two carved 50-meter statues of Buddha, and on the hill there is the Shahar-i-Gulgula fortress. The possibilities of the winter resort of Jalalabad, and the possibilities of hunting, and the observation of local ritual holidays are also unclaimed.

Natural conditions and resources …………. ……………………………… 4-5

Population …………………… .. …………. …………………………… ... 5-7

Population distribution ……… .. …………. …………………………… .. 7-9

Livestock ………… .. ………….…. ……………………… ... …… 9

Agriculture ………… .. …………. ……………………… ... …… 10-12

Transport …………… .. …………………. ……………………… ... …… 12-13

Mechanical engineering …………… .. …………. ……………………… ... ... ... ... 13-15

Industry …………… .. …………. ………………. ……… ..… ... 15-16

Trade and services ………… .. …………. ……………. ………… ... ……. 16-17

Recreation and tourism ………… .. …………. ……………………… ... ……. 17-19

Conclusion …………..……………….….………………………...……. twenty

List of sources used.…. ……………………… ... ……. 21

Appendix No. 1.…. ……………………………………… .. …… ... ……. 22

Appendix No. 2.…. ……………………………………… .. …… ... ……. 23

Introduction:

Abkhazia

Azerbaijan

Armenia

Afghanistan

Bahrain

Egypt (Sinai Peninsula only)

Israel

Jordan

· Saudi Arabia

· South Ossetia

Foreign Asia is the largest region in the world in terms of area and population, and it retains this primacy, in essence, throughout the entire existence of human civilization. Area of ​​Foreign Asia - 27 million km2
, it includes more than 40 sovereign states. Many of them are among the oldest in the world. Foreign Asia is one of the centers of the origin of mankind, the birthplace of agriculture, artificial irrigation, cities, many cultural values ​​and scientific advances... The region is mainly composed of developing countries.

Natural conditions and resources

Southwest Asia lies in the subtropical and tropical zones. It is one of the hottest and driest regions in the world. Most of it is occupied by mountains, dry steppes, semi-deserts and deserts, which are used only as rough pastures. Farming here is possible in most cases only on condition of artificial irrigation. The soils are poor in humus and suffer from erosion and salinization. There are almost no forests. Water is often more valuable than land. Precipitation can only be relied on on plateaus and in mountainous regions. Surface and groundwater resources in lowlands are limited. Desalination of seawater, which has expanded in recent years, is concentrated on the Arabian coast of the Persian Gulf. The region is extremely homogeneous in terms of tectonic structure and relief: within its limits, the greatest amplitude of heights on earth is noted, both ancient Precambrian platforms and areas of young Cenozoic folding, grandiose mountainous countries and vast plains are located here. As a result, the mineral resources of Asia are very diverse. The main basins of coal, iron and manganese ores, and nonmetallic minerals are concentrated within the Chinese and Hindustan platforms. Ores predominate within the Alpine-Himalayan and Pacific fold belts. But the main wealth of the region, which also determines its role in the MGRT, is oil. Oil and gas reserves have been explored in most of the countries of South-West Asia, but the main fields are located in Saudi Arabia (about 35 billion tons, over 1/4 of the world), Kuwait, Iraq, Iran. The Gulf Basin contains 66% of the world's oil reserves and 26% of the world's natural gas reserves. Other minerals include the chromites and copper ores of Turkey, the natural sulfur of Iraq and the mineral salts of the Dead Sea, and the phosphorites of Jordan and Israel. Numerous mountain ranges and vast expanses of deserts complicate transport construction. Saudi Arabia is called the largest desert country in the world, and the Hindu Kush mountain system in Afghanistan is one of the most rugged. Asia's agro-climatic resources are heterogeneous. Vast tracts of mountainous countries, deserts and semi-deserts are not very suitable for economic activities, with the exception of animal husbandry; the provision of arable land is low and continues to decline (as the population grows and soil erosion increases). But on the plains of the east and south, rather favorable conditions are created for agriculture. Asia has 3/4 of the world's irrigated land.

Population

Population.
More than 254 million people live in the Southwest Asian countries. More than 80% of the population lives in Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia. Its maximum number is in Iran (67.3 million people), the minimum is in Qatar (0.55 million people).

Demographic features.
The influence of Islam on the life of most countries is also evident in demographic indicators: there is a rapid population growth, a “demographic explosion”.

Fertility rates are very high - 20-35% per year. The average annual population growth rate is 2.8%. The maximum values ​​are observed in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (5.8%), Jordan (4.7%), Oman (4.5%), Saudi Arabia (4.3%), Yemen (4.2%), which are some from the highest levels in the world; minimum - in Georgia (0.2%), Kuwait (0.3%), Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey (1.7%), Cyprus (1.2%). Mortality has declined in recent decades and life expectancy has increased. The infant mortality rate in some countries is still very high, for example in Afghanistan (one of the highest in the world).

Men are outnumbered over women - 53% of the population. In all Muslim countries, children and youth in the age structure of the population make up 33%. The number of elderly people in the region is insignificant (5%), but there is a tendency to increase it due to an increase in life expectancy. For men, it is 67 years old, for women - 71 years.

Racial makeup.
The vast majority of the region's population belongs to the southern racial group of the large Caucasian race. It is distinguished by significant skin pigmentation, dark, predominantly dark wavy hair, dark (brown and black) eyes.

Ethnic composition.
Very variegated and represented by several linguistic families: the Semitic-Hamitic family (the Arab population of the region, the Jews of Israel); Altai family (Turks, Azerbaijanis, Turkish Cypriots); Kartvelian family (Georgians) and Indo-European family ( Iranian group- Persians, Kurds, Baluchis, Pashtuns; Armenian group - Armenians; Greek group - Greek Cypriots).

National minorities live in each country. In particular, over 50% of the world's Azerbaijanis are concentrated in Iran (Iranian Azerbaijan); Kurds make up 20% of the population of Turkey and Iraq, there are many of them in Iran and Syria; there are significant numbers of Russians in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan; in Afghanistan, 25% of the population is Tajik, who live in the north of the country; in Lebanon 4% are Armenian; in Bahrain, Qatar, OAU, Kuwait, the indigenous population represents only 50-60%, and the rest are foreign workers from other countries of the region.

Religious composition.
The majority of the population professes Islam in different directions: Sunism (the predominant part of Islamic countries), Shiism (Iran, partially Iraq, Azerbaijan, Yemen), Wahhabism - Saudi Arabia, Kharijism (Orthodox Islam) - Oman.

The region is the birthplace of Islam. On its territory there are saints for every Muslim city - Mecca (the holiest city in Islam), where, according to the legend, Muhammad was born, and the "city of the prophet" - Medina, where a majestic El-Haram mosque, with the tomb of the founder of Islam and other "saints". Pilgrimage here is one of the five "pillars" of Islam. Islamic fundamentalism plays a significant role in the life of some Muslim countries of the region, especially in Iran.

Jews of Israel profess Judaism - the official religion in the state, although this is not legally confirmed. Nevertheless, the influence of Rabinat on the inner life of Israeli society is very great. The rabbis control the issue of marriage and family, since only they are authorized to draw up acts of civil status, monitor the observance of kashrut (rules for preparing, eating and preserving food) and the Sabbath (Shabbat), which requires the termination of any production and service activities. Religious holidays in Israel are also state holidays.

Greek Cypriots and Georgians are Orthodox, while Armenians belong to the Virmen-Gregorian Church. Approximately 1/2 of the population of Lebanon is representatives of the local Christian churches of the Catholic and Orthodox directions.

Accommodation of the population

Due to the peculiarity of natural conditions, the bulk of the region's inhabitants live on the coast, in mountain valleys and lowlands (for example, the Ararat valley of Armenia, Colchis in Georgia, etc.), in the valleys of large rivers - Mesopotamia in Iraq (the average population density is 80 -100 people / km2 and more). Huge areas of the deserts of Arabia and the Iranian Highlands are poorly populated (1 person / km2) or have no permanent population at all.

Visible here are the migrations of people caused by traditions, socio-economic, political conditions, etc. Pashtuns in Afghanistan). According to various estimates, there are from 10 to 20 million people.

Many ancient cities of the region appeared before our era in oases and at the crossroads of caravan routes. They are rich in monuments of medieval Muslim architecture. It is believed that on the territory of modern Israel there was the most ancient city on Earth - Jericho (it arose in the 4th millennium BC near the mouth of the Jordan city).

The level of urbanization is generally low and represents an average of 65%: in Kuwait - 97%, Qatar - 92, Israel - 91, OAU - 90, in Yemen - 34, in Afghanistan - 18, in Oman - 13% (one of the lowest in the world). The largest agglomerations in the region are: Tehran (12 million people), Istanbul (10 million), Ankara (4 million), Baghdad (3.8 million). Millionaire cities - Yer-Riyadh (2.6 million), Jeddah (2.6 million), Damascus (2 million), Izmir (2 million), Beirut (1.8 million), Baku ( 1.8 million), Yerevan (1.3 million), etc.

Almost half of the population lives in rural areas, mostly in compact villages.

Labor resources. The overwhelming majority of the local population is employed in the spheres of administration, trade, finance, or lives on interest on capital. The majority of the economically active population (especially 80-90% in the manufacturing sector) of many oil-producing countries in the region (except Israel, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Cyprus, Afghanistan) are immigrants from poor Arab countries who are attracted by earnings that are 10-15 times higher the level of wages in their homeland. In recent decades, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of foreign workers in the service sectors.

The tense external economic situation for decades, almost constant military conflicts in many countries of the region became apparent in the demographic situation, causing massive migrations. Low living standards (poverty, illiteracy, spread of diseases, epidemics, etc.) are characteristic of a significant part of the region's population.

Livestock

In animal husbandry, the main thing is the breeding of sheep and goats. The total number of sheep is almost 135 million heads. There are many donkeys and camels (almost a quarter of the world's population). Livestock productivity is low. Breeding of small ruminants, horses and camels predominates. There are significantly fewer large horned livestock and pig breeding is completely absent. The main method of keeping animals is distant pasture or nomadic grazing. In the world market, wool of Angora goats from Turkey and karakul from Afghanistan are valued.

Fishing.
The waters of the Red, Arabian and Caspian Seas, the Persian Gulf are rich in fish. Here such valuable industrial fish species as tuna, mackerel, horse mackerel, etc. are caught. In the waters of the Persian Gulf, shrimp fishing is common. Iran has become the largest producer of black caviar on the world market (270 tons of sturgeon caviar annually), displacing Russia and other Caspian countries. On the coast of the Arabian Sea, turtles are caught, the meat of which is used in food.

Agriculture

Agriculture employs about half able-bodied population... This industry remains still backward and unproductive, mainly due to archaic agrarian relations. The territories are severely affected by droughts. Low rates of reproduction in agricultural production are primarily due to unsatisfactory technical and technological support, the predominance of pre-industrial forms of production. In the 70s-80s of the XX century. in all countries of the region, in order to stimulate farm agricultural production, agrarian reforms(large land ownership was liquidated, the maximum land ownership per person or family was established). A policy of promoting the cooperative movement was pursued. But due to inconsistency, the reforms did not give the expected efficiency.

Despite the increased role of animal husbandry in the arid countries of the region (sheep breeding, camel breeding, goat breeding), agriculture is dominated by agriculture. Part of the land is set aside for vineyards and fruit plantations. Only 5-7% of the land fund is used for the needs of agriculture. Wheat occupies the main place among grain crops. Its homeland is the plateau of Western Asia, from where it spread to other countries. Recently, thanks to the use of desalination devices and hydroponic irrigation of agricultural crops, significant successes in the development of the agro-industrial complex have been achieved by Israel (even banana plantations are irrigated), Saudi Arabia (collects 2.5 million tons of wheat with an amount of precipitation of 100 mm per year). They also grow barley, corn, oilseeds, cotton, tobacco and a variety of vegetables and fruits. Rice is grown on irrigated lands in Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Azerbaijan. From industrial crops, many countries cultivate cotton (mainly medium-staple varieties), in Turkey, Armenia, Georgia - sugar beet. Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Lebanon, Cyprus, Iran grow a lot of tobacco, and the varieties that are planted in the north and the events of Turkey are considered among the best in the world for their aroma. The countries of the Mediterranean coast (Turkey, Israel, Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria) and the Absheron Peninsula of Azerbaijan have large plantations of wooden oils. On the Caspian and Black Sea coasts of Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran, tea is cultivated for local needs, in the southern regions of Yemen around the city of Moha - mocha coffee, which is considered one of the best in the world. For the production and export of raisins, dried fruits, nuts and dates, cotton and tobacco, Southwest Asia occupies one of the leading places in the world. Dates are an important part of the local diet. Most of all date palms are in the south of Mesopotamia. 80% of the world export of dates passes through the port of Basra. Bananas are grown in Lebanon, Israel and Yemen. Traditionally, generous harvests of apricots are harvested, from which dried apricots (especially in Turkey), figs, pomegranates and almonds are produced.

Turkey, Yemen, Cyprus, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran specialize in the cultivation of wine and table grape varieties. Turkey is famous in the world for its raisins. Traditionally, melons (watermelons, melons, etc.) are grown in South-West Asia. The inner mountainous regions of Iran and Afghanistan (the so-called "Golden Crescent") are the place of legal and illegal cultivation of opium poppy.

Southwest Asia imports: grain, vegetable oil, sugar, tea and animal products. Exports: karakul (Afghanistan), dates (Iraq), raisins and hazelnuts (Turkey), almonds (Iran), mocha coffee (Yemen), berries and flowers (Kuwait), etc.

Transport

Modern modes of transport acquired intensive development with the beginning of active oil production in many countries of the region. The railway network with a total length of 26,689 km is concentrated in the north-western part, in the coastal regions of the Mediterranean, Turkey, Iran, Georgia, Azerbaijan. The Trans-Eurasian Railway Berlin - Belgrade - Istanbul - Basra runs through the territory of many countries. In 1958, a 2 km long railway ferry crossing the Bosphorus (Sirkeli-Haydar) was opened, through which the region is connected with European countries. Bahrain, Yemen, Cyprus, UAE, Oman, eastern Saudi Arabia railways do not have, only 24.5 km were built in Afghanistan. ways. In external and internal transportation, road transport plays an important role. The total length of motorways is up to 400 thousand km, the largest motorways are laid to all centers of civilization and oil production regions. The region's vehicle fleet is 11.9 million passenger and 4.5 million trucks. The Transaravian Highway has been laid through the territory of the region. Sea transport is of great importance. In all countries, in recent decades, modern ports and docks have been built, where oil tonnage is served.

Anchors, passenger liners and ships. The largest fleet in the region - in Cyprus ("the country of convenience"), has 2,753 ships. Turkey, Iran, Iraq (tanker fleet), Kuwait, Bahrain (annual cargo turnover - 1.5 million tons) have their own fleets, the Saudi National Shipping Company has 21 vessels for transporting oil products. Two important international sea routes pass through the region: from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean through the Suez Canal and from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles. The emirate of Dubai (UAE) has the world's largest dry dock, designed for the repair of tankers with a displacement of up to 1 million tons. There are ship repair docks in Bahrain and Qatar. Two bridges have been built across the Bosphorus Strait, which is strategic for Turkey and the entire region, and an underwater tunnel under it is being designed. The countries of South-West Asia have a significant place in the system of international air communications. The region is crossed by the most important air routes that connect Europe with South and East Asia and Australia. Recently, some countries have created national airlines: the largest in the Middle East, Saudi Arabien Airlines (Saudi Arabia), El Al (Israel), Sirien Arab Airlines (Syria), Kuwait Airways Company (Kuwait) , "Alia" (Jordan). There are 121 airports with regular flights; of these, there are many airports of international importance: in Baku, Yerevan, Tel Aviv, Baghdad, Istanbul, Izmir, etc. The region is one of the leading in the world in terms of capacity and length of pipelines. An intermediate oil pipeline from Suez to Alexandria was built near the Suez Canal. Giant tankers deliver oil to the port of Suez, and from the port of Alexandria it is transported by ordinary tankers. In some countries (Israel, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, etc.), a highly developed system of international telecommunications has been created. Currently, most countries in the region are investing heavily in improving transport infrastructure, especially in the development of maritime, pipeline and air transport. Internal transport (primarily rail and road) is underdeveloped. In desert and semi-desert areas, horse-drawn transport (camels) is still actively used.

Mechanical engineering

Car manufacturing is well developed (Iraq, Kuwait, Israel, Turkey, Armenia, Georgia). Recently, electrical engineering has been intensively developing (Iraq, Israel, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates), air conditioners are being assembled in Bahrain and Azerbaijan. Israel has a strong position in the world market in the production of medical electronics, communications, aircraft and shipbuilding (especially military). Mechanical engineering is developing in Israel, Turkey and some "golden principalities" of the region (for example, the United Arab Emirates) high tech(electronic and for the military-industrial complex).

Mineral fertilizers
(based on phosphorites) are produced in Jordan, Syria and Iran. On the Arabian Peninsula, a new area is expanding - the desalination of seawater and the production of marine minerals.

Cement industry.
Growing rapidly, represented by factories in all countries of the region.

Textile industry.
It has long been developing in Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Israel, Azerbaijan. Iran is known all over the world for Persian carpets. Sericulture and natural silk production play an important role in the economies of Azerbaijan and Turkey.

Food industry.
A traditional area for all countries in the region. The production of canned vegetables and fruit is of great importance. The following industries are developed: in Georgia - mineral waters, wine, tobacco products, tea; in Turkey - sugar, confectionery, packaging of dried fruits; in Syria - tomato juice, grape processing; in Lebanon - confectionery; in Saudi Arabia - tomato paste and confectionery; in Yemen - the processing of tobacco and the production of cigarettes, cold drinks, coffee; in Oman - processing of dates to obtain molasses, wine; in the OAU - the production of Coca-Cola; in Bahrain - soft drinks; in Cyprus - olive oil, etc. Wine and brandy production is developed in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Israel and Georgia. Cypriot wines are also appreciated on the world market.

National handicrafts and crafts.
Among them are carpet weaving (Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Turkey), brocade production (Syria), pearl mining (Qatar, Bahrain), processing of imported diamonds (Israel) and precious stones (Armenia), production of daggers (Syria) and processing corals (Yemen, Bahrain).

The industry of the highly developed countries of the region is based on extractive industries, while in economically backward countries, industries based on semi-handicraft and small enterprises dominate.

Industry

The countries of the region have rich natural resources for creating a diversified national industry. Israel, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Georgia, Azerbaijan, OAU, Saudi Arabia have achieved significant results in the industrialization and use of natural resources. In other countries, the level of industrial development is not high, and the industry is mainly aimed at processing local agricultural raw materials.

Oil and oil refining industry.
The mining industry, primarily oil and gas, takes the leading place in terms of the volume and cost of production. The countries of the region produce more than 1/3 of the world's oil volumes. The main oil-producing countries are Saudi Arabia (402.8 million tons), Iran (189 million tons), OAU (108 million tons), Kuwait (102 million tons), Iraq (32 million tons). ). In addition, oil is produced in Oman, Qatar, Syria, Bahrain, and Turkey. Exports account for 9/10 of production, which accounts for almost 40% of world exports. Crude oil is exported mainly (petroleum products - no more than 10%). Oil refining is intensively developing in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Qatar, and Syria. This is due to the fact that petroleum products are more expensive from crude oil.

In Jordan, Yemen, Syria, Saudi Arabia, phosphorites, potash and kitchen salt, gypsum, marble, raw materials for the glass and cement industries, building stone, sand, clay, as well as lead-zinc and iron ores are mined.

Energy.
Almost all electricity is generated at TPPs, the total volume is 427 billion kWh. In Armenia (at Hrazdan), Georgia (at Rion), Syria (at Euphrates), Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq hydroelectric power plants were built. A nuclear power plant with a capacity of 0.4 million kW is located in Armenia, which generates 37% of the country's electricity. Nuclear power plants are being built in Iran.

Ferrous metallurgy.
It is represented by the production of steel in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Qatar, Jordan, Bahrain, ferroalloys in Saudi Arabia, coke-chemical, pipe-rolling, nitrogen-fertilizer production in the countries of the Caucasus (Georgia and Azerbaijan).

Non-ferrous metallurgy.
Recently, the aluminum (Bahrain, OAU, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Saudi Arabia) and copper industries (Oman, Armenia) have been developing rapidly.

Trade and services

The trade and services sector is important in the structure of the region's economy. In 2000, its share in the total value of GNP was approximately 51%. This increase is due to a reduction in agricultural and industrial output in oil-producing countries.

The state sector of the economy is an influential factor of economic development in many countries of the region. This is primarily due to the fact that significant financial resources from oil exports are controlled by the state. In addition, the state and the public sector have traditionally played an important role in the economic life of the region. In the countries of the Middle East, the state determines the main tasks and directions of the economic strategy, using long-term planning as a tool for its implementation. However, there is quite a tangible instability in the social and political life in the region. Due to the historical peculiarities of development, internal political contradictions (most often due to religious and ethnic factors) and large reserves of oil and gas raw materials, the countries of the region have long been the arena of interstate and interethnic armed conflicts. This is the reason for the high degree of militarization of the economy. Over the past decades, military spending here has reached an average of 50% of all military spending in developing countries. Israel, Turkey and Iraq have developed military-industrial complexes, manufacture their own military weapons, while other countries in the region import a lot of weapons and military equipment. In general, in the countries of the region, the share of military spending in the structure of GDP is from 9 to 13%. According to the UN data, at the end of the 90s of the XX century. Kuwait ranked first ($ 1,958) for the share of military spending per capita, Saudi Arabia ($ 1,338) was second, and Israel was third ($ 1,337).

Recreation and tourism

The countries of the region have favorable preconditions for the development of the recreational sector of the economy. Most of them have unique natural conditions - mountain landscapes and healing springs, resorts of the Black, Mediterranean, and Red Seas; historical and cultural monuments of three thousand years of history. An interesting exotic way of life for tourists in the oases, mountains, as well as the modern exoticism of the rich "golden principalities" of the Persian Gulf.

Major tourism centers: Yerevan (repository of ancient Matenadaran manuscripts), Etchmiadzin in Armenia; the coastal Black Sea strip Gagra - Sukhumi - Poti - Batumi in Georgia; Jerusalem, Haifa in Israel; Aegean and Mediterranean coast of Turkey, Istanbul, Izmir, Antalya, the ruins of Troy, Ephesus and Miletus, etc.

The region is the largest pilgrimage center in the world. In Israel, there are 8 holy places of the Jews (Jerusalem, Safad, Hebron, etc.), 11 - Christians (Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Nazareth, the shores of the Galilee (Tiberias) Lake, Nablus, Mount Tabor and Carmel, etc.), Muslims - Jerusalem and Hebron. In Iraq, the Muslim religious centers are Najef, Karbala, Baghdad, and in Iran, Mashhad and Qom. In Saudi Arabia, there are the holy places of all Muslims - Mecca and Medina. Mecca, where Muhammad was born, is a sacred place for 1 billion Muslims around the world. The main mosque Haram ("God's house"), the Kaaba temple ("Cube") and the black stone ("Qibla") are located here. The annual pilgrimage ("hajj") is carried out by 4.5 million people (according to the quotas of each Muslim country).

There are 47 sites on the UNESCO list, including:

In Azerbaijan (1) - the historical center of Baku;

In Afghanistan (1) - Jama minarets and archaeological sites;

In Armenia (3) - Haghpat monastery complex (X century), cathedrals and churches of Etchmiadzin, etc .;

In Georgia (3) - Upper Svaneti, the city-museum of Mtskheta, Gelati monastery;

In Yemen (3) - the historical center of Sani, the city of Zabed (capital of the 10th century), the city of Shibam with serf muras;

In Israel (2) - Jerusalem, the historical center of Acre;

In Iraq (1) - Hatra (Parthian city of the 1st-2nd centuries AD);

In Iran (3) - Persepolis - the capital of Iran during the times of the Achaemenids, the Maidan-Imam square in Isfahan, etc .;

In Jordan (2) - the ruins of the city of Petra (capital of the Nabataean kingdom, IV century BC), Quseir-Amra (Umayyad castle, VIII century);

In Cyprus (3) - historical monuments of Paphos and Troodos churches, etc .;

In Lebanon (5) - ancient Byblos and Tyr, the Baalbek temple complex (I-III centuries), Anjar castle (VII century), etc .;

In Oman (6) - Bahla fort, archaeological sites of Bata, Al-Khutma, Al-Ain, Orix nature reserve, etc .;

In Syria (4) - the old districts of Damascus, Aleppo and Basri, the ruins of Palmyra (II-III centuries AD);

In Turkey (10) - the historical zone of Istanbul, the national park of Cappadocia, the Divrigi mosque, the capital of the Hittites, Hattushash, the archaeological sites of Nemrutdag and Xanthos-Letun, the hot springs of Hierapolis-Pamukkale, Safranbolu, etc.

For many countries in the region, tourism has become an important source of foreign exchange earnings (Cyprus, Israel, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, etc.). Foreign tourists are attracted by the unique natural conditions and wonderful tourist infrastructure (hotels, campgrounds, motels, a varied entertainment system, etc.). However, the main factor that restrains the flow of foreign tourists is the unstable political and economic situation in some countries of the region (Israel, Georgia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq), which negatively affects the development of not only the recreational sphere, but the economy in general.

CONCLUSION

This region can be characterized as rather rich and promisingly developing. Perhaps the main thing worth noting is the geographical location of most countries. Almost all of them have access to the sea, which gives them cheap transport network for the import and export of goods, the development of fisheries, the recreational area of ​​the economy and economic development in general. The fact that almost all the countries of South-West Asia have huge reserves of natural resources, and the main ones such as oil and gas, makes us believe that in the future the economy of these countries will become one of the leading in the world. What can already be seen in the example of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Turkey. It should be noted that with its advantageous geographic location, the region does not have a very favorable climate for agriculture, especially for crops such as wheat. But the agro-industrial complex is developing well for irrigating the plantation, which gives not a bad result. In general, we can say that Southwest Asia has great potential in the development and creation of a diversified economy.

LIST

USED ​​SOURCES

1. Lipets Yu. G., Pulyarkin VA, Shlikhter SB Geography of the world economy: a textbook for students. - M .: Humanit. Ed. Center VLADOS, 1999 .-- 400 p .: ill.

2. Electron. resource: azia
.
ru

3.
Electron. resource: http://ru.wikipedia.org

Appendix # 1

The numbers indicate the states and their capitals:

1.
Cyprus - Nicosia 2.
Syria - Damascus 3.
Lebanon - Beirut 4.
Israel - Tel Aviv 5.
Jordan - Amman 6.
Palestinian Territories (West Bank and Gaza Strip) 7.
Kuwait - Kuwait 8.
Neutral zone 9.
Bahrain - Manama 10.
Qatar - Doha 11.
UAE - Abu Dhabi 12.
Nepal - Kathmandu 13.
Bhutan - Thimphu 14.
Bangladesh - Dhaka 15.
Laos - Vientiane 16.
Cambodia - Phnom Penh 17.
Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur 18.
Brunei - Bandar Seri Begawan 19.
DPRK - Pyongyang 20.
Rep. Korea - Seoul

Appendix # 2

International arms trade and military equipment(USD million)

Major exporters and importers	1988 year	1992 year	1988-1992
Exporters	12204	8429	54969
USSR-Russia	14658	2043	45183
France	2403	1151	9349
Germany	1241	1928	8190
China	2161	1535	7659
United Kingdom	1704	952	7623
Czech Republic and Slovakia	927	772	3164
Other exporting countries	4736	1595	14877
World export	40034	18405	151014
Importing developing countries	23688	9320	85553
including: India	3709	1197	12236
Saudi Arabia	2441	883	8690
Afghanistan	1264	-	7515
Turkey	1447	1511	6167
Iraq	2845	-	4967
Iran	648	877	3632

From previous courses in geographers, remember in which climatic zones Southwest Asia is located. What are the development problems of these countries associated with climatic conditions?

The mineral resources of the region are insufficiently explored. In addition to huge reserves of oil (66% of world reserves) and gas (26%), significant volumes of chromites (Turkey), mineral salts of the Dead Sea are allocated. 206 million people live on the territory of South-West Asia. The population is growing rapidly due to high natural population growth. The countries of the region differ greatly in terms of population; 2/3 of the region's inhabitants are concentrated in Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan.

The population is also unevenly distributed. Medium density it in one country does not exceed 100 people / km2, and in desert regions it is less than 1 person / km2. The region is characterized by significant population migrations. Peoples leading a nomadic lifestyle still live here. The population of Israel is formed by immigrants. Many Palestinian Arabs are forced to leave their homeland, and a significant number of foreign Muslim workers work in the oil fields. Many Turks work in Western Europe, especially in Germany.

The level of urbanization is generally low, and Afghanistan and Yemen are among the lowest in the world. The urban population is growing rapidly, but individual cities predominate, agglomerations are just being formed (Istanbul, Tehran). The share of urban residents is especially high in small oil-producing countries, in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, it exceeds 90% of the population. Some cities arose in ancient times (Damascus, Baghdad, Beirut, Riyadh, etc.). It was in this region that the three main religions of the world were born: Judaism, Christianity, Islam. The cities of Jerusalem, Mecca, Medina are considered sacred; many pilgrims visit them every year.

The ethnic composition of the population is quite complex. The most homogeneous population of the Arabian Peninsula, which is based on the Arabs. Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Iraq are multinational countries. Along with the Turks, Persians, Afghans (Pashtuns) and Arabs, there are national minorities: Kurds, Azerbaijanis, Uzbeks, Tajiks and others. Ethnic and religious differences create serious political and economic difficulties in every country. I and phosphorites, potash salts (Jordan, Israel). characteristics of the economy of South-West Asia

According to the level of economic development, the countries of South-West Asia belong to two types: Israel, Turkey and Cyprus are medium-developed countries, the rest of the states are developing countries. But even these groups are not homogeneous.

Israel is an industrial-agrarian country, the share of industry in GDP is 30%. The structure of the industry is dominated by knowledge-intensive industries: medical electronics, communications, computers. The metalworking, aviation, shipbuilding, electrical, chemical, and diamond-processing industries are also developing. The military industry has a high share in the economy.

The policy of the Cypriot leadership is aimed at turning the country into a commercial, financial and tourist center. The economy of this country is characterized by a high share of the service sector (47% of GDP). The leading industries are food, clothing, mining, building materials industry.

The basis of the economy of developing countries is agriculture, which is still backward and unproductive through archaic agrarian relations. Permanent droughts are a real disaster for the people of these countries. There is a lot of irrigated land, but the irrigation systems are mostly primitive. The countries of Southwest Asia bring grain, oil, sugar, tea, and animal products.

Agriculture is dominated by crop production. Its basis is consumer crops (wheat, corn, vegetables), cotton. Large areas are occupied by vineyards and fruit plantations. The region occupies a leading position in the world for the production and export of raisins, dried fruits, almonds and dates.

Section two

REGIONS AND COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD

Topic 11. ASIA

1. SOUTH-WEST ASIA

Geographical position. Southwest Asia is located at the crossroads of the world's important intercontinental routes (sea, air and land) that connect Europe with countries in Africa, South and Southeast Asia, Australia and Oceania.

Important links sea ​​routes the message in this sub-region is the Suez Canal, the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles. Important international sea communications are laid off the coast of the subregion: from the Black Sea through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles to the Mediterranean Sea and further through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.

Political Map... The modern political map of Southwest Asia began to take shape after World War II. In the pre-war period, almost all countries were colonies, only Iran and Turkey belonged to sovereign states. The struggle for strategically important territories in this subregion was mainly fought by Great Britain and France.

The political map of Southwest Asia is characterized by heterogeneous government. Eleven countries have chosen a republican form of government, in seven countries monarchies remain, including in three - absolute monarchies. According to the administrative-territorial structure, the countries of South-West Asia are unitary and only the United Arab Emirates is a federal state.

The modern political problems of Southwest Asia are a consequence of its colonial past. State borders which were established during the colonial period give rise to border conflicts, armed clashes and wars today.

The key problem of the subregion is the Arab-Israeli conflict associated with the occupation of Arab territories by Israel - the western bank of the Jordan River (5.5 thousand km 2) and the Gaza Strip (365 km 2). Back in 1947, according to the decision of the UN General Assembly, Palestine, the former colony of Great Britain, was divided into two states: the State of Israel with an area of ​​14.1 thousand km 2 and the Arab Palestinian State with an area of ​​11.1 thousand km 2. However, in 1948 Israel violated the UN decision and seized most of the territory of the Arab state.

There is no unity among the Arab states either. Iraq's aggressive policy, for example, led to war, first with Iran, then with Kuwait.

Serious problems arise on religious grounds, for example, between Christians and Muslims among the Arabs of Lebanon, between supporters of different directions of Islam (Sunnis and Shiites). Unresolved issue between the Turkish and Greek communities in Cyprus. Until that time, the Kurds do not have their own independent state, of which there are 21.3 million people in the sub-region (Fig. 26).

Natural resource potential. Natural resource potential (NRP) is very important for the development of the economy of the countries of South-West Asia. The economy in most countries retains a pronounced raw material and agricultural specialization.

In large areas, mountainous relief prevails. Northern part the subregion is occupied by the mountain systems of the Lesser and Greater Caucasus and the Central Asian highlands (Asia Minor, Armenian, Iranian), which in the south are replaced by the plains of the Arabian Peninsula. Compared to the vast mountainous areas, the lowlands are relatively small. Basically, they occupy a narrow strip along the coast of the Mediterranean, Black and Caspian Seas, the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf. The Mesopotamian lowland, the largest in the subregion, occupies a large foothill trough at the edge of the Alpine-Himalayan geosynclinal belt.

A small amount of precipitation, high temperatures in combination with dry winds create extremely unfavorable conditions for the economic development of the region. Mountainous areas and deserts are practically unpopulated and undeveloped, while the lowlands have a high concentration of population and economy.

Minerals. The main wealth of the countries of South-West Asia is oil. Its main reserves are concentrated within the vast oil and gas basin of the Persian Gulf, stretching for more than 2500 km. from the foothills of the Eastern Brand to the Arabian Sea. It occupies the foothills of the Zagros, Mesopotamia, the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula and the Persian Gulf. Most of the oil fields lie at a depth of 1800-3000 m. About 200 oil fields are known in the Persian Gulf Basin, including 12 so-called supergiants with actual oil reserves of more than 1 billion tons each. Saudi Arabia is home to the world's largest oil field, Gsawar. Its reserves are 11.9 billion tons. The second large field is Burgan-Ahmadi-Magwa, which occupies the eastern coast of Kuwait. Its reserves are estimated at 8.5 billion tons.

At the end of the 90s, oil reserves in the subregion were estimated at 100 billion tons and accounted for 65% of the world's liquid fuel reserves. The oil is found in 13 countries in Southwest Asia. Five countries account for 92% of all reserves: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, UAE, Iran. The largest reserves are found in Saudi Arabia - almost half of all reserves in the subregion.

The potential resources of the Gulf Basin have not yet been precisely determined. Its prospects are associated with oil exploration on the shelf of the Persian Gulf.

Natural gas reserves in the countries of South-West Asia at the end of the 90s were estimated at 34 trillion. m 3, which is a quarter of the world's reserves.

Natural gas deposits have been discovered in the same areas as oil ones. Its largest deposits are North Field (Qatar) and Kangan and Pars (Iran). Four countries - Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar - hold over 90% of all natural gas reserves in the subregion, of which more than half are in Iran.

The largest reserves in the world include reserves of other minerals: chromites (Turkey), potash salts (Jordan, Israel), phosphorites (Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia).

Climate resources affect the location of agricultural production, the sectoral structure of crop production, farming methods and crop productivity. Throughout the subregion, it is possible to harvest two, and in the tropics, three crops per year, subject to artificial irrigation.

Subtropical and tropical continental climate prevails on significant territories of the Western Asia highlands. The continentality of the climate increases with distance from the seas to the hinterland. Summers are hot and dry and winters are cool. Average July temperatures range from 25 ° in the north to 29 ° in the south, and January temperatures are 20 ° and 10 °, respectively.

Most precipitation is in the East Anatolian Highlands - up to 700 mm. In the rest of the territory, there is little precipitation; their annual amount ranges from 50 to 300 mm. The central and southern parts of the Iranian Highlands are especially arid.

The Mesopotamian lowland is distinguished by favorable climatic conditions within the limits of the Arid South-West Asia. Average temperatures in July are + 33 ° ... + 34 °, and in January - + 10 ° ... + 12 °.

The whole of Mesopotamia is characterized by a great aridity of the climate. Annual precipitation does not exceed 200 mm. Precipitation occurs mainly in winter. In a large area of ​​Mesopotamia, agriculture can only develop with artificial irrigation.

A zone of dry steppes stretches from the north and west of Mesopotamia. This area has significant agro-climatic potential. Summers are hot and winters are warm. Average temperatures in July are + 30 ° ... + 35 °, and in January - + 7 ° ... + 8: Annual precipitation ranges from 300 to 600 mm. This territory has long served the population as an important granary.

The coastal lowlands are characterized by the wettest climate, where agriculture is impossible without artificial irrigation. Summer is hot with average temperatures in July + 22 ° ... + 24 °, winter is warm - + 5 ° ... + 7 °. The wettest climate is on the Black Sea coast, where up to 3000 mm of precipitation falls per year.

Arabia is located in the tropical climate zone and receives the largest number solar radiation in Asia. Average summer temperatures reach 30 °, and the sum of active temperatures is 9000-10000 ° and ensures the development of the most thermophilic tropical crops. Annual precipitation is 100 mm or less, sometimes up to 150 mm.

Due to the lack of moisture in Arabia, irrigated agriculture is developing in small areas. There are no continuous agricultural areas.

Water resources are a super-scarce resource in the countries of South-West Asia. The subregion is experiencing an acute shortage of fresh water. In particular, in Saudi Arabia there are 4,000 people per 1 million m 3 of water, while in European countries - 350 people.

The subregion is poor in surface water. Most of the rivers are shallow and have a temporary flow. The largest of them are the Tigris and the Euphrates. Water supply and irrigation in the arid regions of Turkey, Syria and Iraq are highly dependent on these rivers.

Turkey has the densest river network in the sub-region. Its rivers are not floating, but are important as sources of hydropower.

The river network in Arabia is formed by temporary watercourses - wadis, which are full-flowing only during the rainy season. In the summer they dry up or become shallow. Only the city of Jordan has a constant current. This river meets the needs of four Arab countries - Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel. The political situation in the sub-region makes it impossible to coordinate the use of water resources.

The lakes are mostly closed, highly saline. Many of them dry up completely in the summer. The largest lakes are the Dead Sea, Rezaye, Van.

With a lack of surface sources of fresh water in the sub-region, groundwater is widely used, which is extracted using underground canals (ropes), and those that lie close to the surface - wells. Where groundwater comes to the surface in the form of a variety of sources, oases are formed.

Until recently, fresh water was delivered to the countries of the Persian Gulf by ships from Iraq and India. Now it is widely used here unconventional methods obtaining fresh water. In the second half of the XX century. in the subregion, a special seawater desalination industry has been established. In this area, the countries of the subregion occupy the positions of world leaders.

At the same time, other methods of water resources development are being used in the sub-region. For example, in the capital of Saudi Arabia, fresh water is extracted using wells with a depth of 1200 _ 1500 m. Other unconventional methods of obtaining clean water (wastewater treatment, reuse of water for irrigation) have not yet reached an industrial scale.

Turkey may become the largest potential supplier of water in the Middle East. In the late 1980s, the government put forward a project for the construction of the Peace Water Pipe "in eight Arab countries. The project can meet the water needs of about 30 million people. However, the implementation of these plans is impossible without peace and stability in the subregion.

Soil resources. Southwest Asia is poor in arable soils. The most fertile soils are found in the Mesopotamian and coastal lowlands. The characteristic soils of Lower Mesopotamia are alluvial. In Upper Mesopotamia, steppe gray soils and chestnut soils are widespread, which, when using artificial irrigation, give high yields. In the foothills of Mesopotamia, brown, red-brown and chestnut soils are widespread, and chernozems are found in intermontane basins. These soils are not saline.

In large areas of the subregion, unproductive soils - sierozem - predominate. The soil cover of the sandy and stony deserts of Arabia is represented by primitive soils, which are poor in humus and are highly saline.

Land resources. About 2/3 of the subregion's territory is non-agricultural land. The share of cultivated land is only 15.8%. With the exception of Iraq, significant land resources are found in countries without oil. The largest areas of cultivated land are in Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Yemen. The share of cultivated land in these countries ranges from 30 to 35%.

14.9% of the territory is occupied by pastures and meadows. Countries such as Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Syria, in which cattle breeding plays a large role, have the largest areas of these lands.

In general, the natural prerequisites for agricultural use of the territory of the subregion are unfavorable.

Forest resources.Southwest Asia is poor in forest resources. The share of the area occupied by forests is almost six times lower than the world level and amounts to 5.5%. The most "treeless" region is the countries of the Middle East. Almost "treeless" - Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, UAE. Less than 1% forest cover in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan. Forest lands are small in Iraq, Israel, Syria. The highest level of forest cover is in Turkey, where almost a third of the territory is covered with forests.

Population.The population of Southwest Asia almost entirely belongs to the southern branch of the Caucasoid race. An insignificant part of the population is characterized by admixtures of Mongoloid, negro and Australoid racial elements.

The ethnic composition of the population is very diverse. Ethnographers distinguish about 60 large peoples in the subregion. A significant part of the population belongs to three large linguistic groups: Iranian, Semitic and Turkic. In terms of population, the peoples of the Iranian language group predominate, which make up 40% of the inhabitants of South-West Asia. The Iranian language group includes Persians, Tajiks, Kurds, etc. The Semitic language group includes a third of the subregion's inhabitants, mainly Arabs. Jews also belong to the Semites.

About a quarter of the population of the subregion belongs to the Turkic language group, which are dominated by Turks and Azerbaijanis. Among the peoples of other linguistic groups, Greeks, Armenians, and Georgians predominate.

The multinational countries include: Turkey, Iran, Iraq. Along with Turks, Persians and Arabs, national minorities live here: Kurds, Azerbaijanis, Uzbeks, etc.

The population of Southwest Asia is extremely unevenly distributed. The average population density is 49.7 people / km 2. This figure ranges from 6 people / km 2 in Oman to 763 people / km 2 in Bahrain. Almost unpopulated large areas of deserts and part of mountainous regions, where the population density is less than 1 person / km 2. The highest population density is on the shores of the Mediterranean, Black and Caspian Seas, in the Tigris and Phratu Valley, in the desert oases. This territory is home to 90% of the population.

The demographic situation is marked by a high birth rate - more than 28 births per 1000 inhabitants per year, while the same indicator in Asia is 22 births (2001). The highest birth rates in the countries of the Arabian Peninsula. The maximum value of this indicator is observed in Yemen - 44, and the minimum - in Georgia - 9. The mortality rate is one of the smallest in Asia - 7 people per 1000 inhabitants. Its value ranges from 11 people in Yemen to 2 people in Qatar, UAE, Kuwait.

The average life expectancy in the countries of South-West Asia, although it has increased, amounted to 67, but still has not reached the level of economically highly developed countries (73), but two years more than in Asia as a whole. The highest average life expectancy in Israel and Cyprus is 77, and the lowest in Yemen is 59. In all countries of South-West Asia, women live four years longer than men.

Population growth rates in the countries of South-West Asia tend to increase further. Rapid population growth rates can jeopardize the current level of resource and service provision and bring many economic problems. According to UN forecasts, the population in the subregion will grow from 193 million. in 2001 to 329 million people in 2025

Population growth rates in Southwest Asia are the highest in Asia at 2.8% per year. The highest rates of population growth are observed in agrarian countries - from 3.5-4.5% per year. The maximum population growth is typical for Jordan and Saudi Arabia - 4.9% per year. Only Israel and Turkey have an average population growth rate of 2.3% per year. The lowest population growth rates are observed in the five countries of the subregion - Cyprus, Lebanon, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and range from 1.5 to 1% per year.

High natural population growth predetermines the young age structure of the population. In South-West Asia, half of the population is under 20, which creates a number of problems: increased demand for education, employment, and housing construction.

The sex structure of the population is dominated by men - 51.7%. The position of women in society in most countries is unequal.

The countries of South-West Asia are characterized by rather significant population migrations. In the oil-producing countries of the Arabian Peninsula, for example, there is a shortage of labor. Therefore, these countries are characterized by a significant influx of emigrants from other countries.

Emigration processes are most common in Lebanon and Turkey. Part of the population of these countries in search of work left for Western Europe and America.

Urbanization. With a low average population density for Asia (through the presence of deserts), South-West Asia has the highest level of urbanization in the region - 65.8%.

The most urbanized countries include Kuwait, Qatar, Israel. In these countries, the share of the urban population is respectively 96, 90, 90%. Seven countries have urbanization rates ranging from 50 to 70%. And only two countries of the subregion are dominated by the rural population - Oman and Yemen.

Cities in the countries of the subregion are mostly small - up to 10 thousand inhabitants. Now in South-West Asia there are about 100 large cities, among them 11 cities are millionaires. The largest cities are Istanbul and Tehran, which are home to more than 7 million people.

Economically active population (EAN). In the mid-1990s, the industry of the subregion employed 20% of the EAN and almost the same amount in agriculture - 19.1%. In most countries, the share of employment in industry prevails, mainly in oil production.

In the oil-producing countries of the Arabian Peninsula, there is a significant influx of labor from other regions. Among the countries importing labor, Saudi Arabia should be mentioned first of all. Non-indigenous inhabitants of this country make up more than 50% of the EAN. The largest suppliers of labor to oil-producing countries are Egypt, Yemen, and Jordan. Emigration in Yemen and Jordan became so widespread that these countries were forced, in turn, to import labor from India and Pakistan.

Religious composition of the population. The majority of the population of Southwest Asia is Muslim, which is the state religion in Muslim countries. Muslims in the countries of the subregion belong to two branches of Islam: Sunni and Shia. Sunnis predominate, most of whom live in Iran and Iraq. Shiite supporters live in the Gulf countries.

Christians are predominant only in Cyprus and Lebanon, where they make up about half of the population. Judaism is practiced in Israel. In South-West Asia there is an important religious center of Islam, Christianity and Judaism - Jerusalem, as well as important centers of Muslim pilgrimage - Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem, etc.

The modern structure of the economic complex. The countries of Southwest Asia, despite significant differences in the level of development of their economies, belong to the group of developing countries. Only Israel belongs to the economically highly developed countries. Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia, which became part of the sub-region, given their geographical position, represent the countries of the formerly planned economy.

The sectoral structure of the subregion's economy is determined by oil deposits and limited opportunities for agricultural development. In the creation of the GDP of the subregion, both in terms of the value of gross output and the number of employees, the leading role belongs to the industry, especially the oil-extracting one.

On the basis of oil revenues, the countries of the subregion are undergoing a fairly rapid process of industrial development. In the oil-producing countries of the Persian Gulf, in the coastal regions of Iraq and Saudi Arabia, this process occurs due to the construction of industrial complexes, which are characterized by three areas of specialization: oil refining and metallurgical; oil refining and cement; metallurgical and cement.

The countries of South-West Asia are characterized by uneven rates of economic development. The dynamics of economic growth in most countries over the past 20 years has mainly depended on the discovery and development of new oil fields, the conjuncture of world prices for oil and oil products and agricultural products.

In the 1980s, the dynamics of economic growth in South-West Asia declined sharply. Many countries, after high rates of economic growth, experienced stagnation. Political instability, internal armed conflicts, local wars, falling world oil prices were the reasons for the slowdown in economic growth in the subregion. In the mid-1990s, among the countries of the subregion, the highest rates of economic growth were observed in Kuwait and Lebanon - 7.8 and 7.0%, respectively, and the lowest - in Saudi Arabia and Iraq - 0.3 and 1.0% per year. The countries of the formerly planned economy (Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia) in the early 90s experienced a deep economic crisis and were characterized by negative indicators of economic growth.

In 2000 average level GDP per capita in the sub-region was quite high and amounted to $ 4,810, while the average level for developing countries was $ 3,800. The highest levels of GDP per capita were observed in Kuwait and the UAE. According to this indicator, they entered the top ten countries in the world.

Industry. The industrial development of the countries of South-West Asia is closely related to the territorial localization of oil resources. Large deposits of oil determine the sectoral structure of both the extractive and manufacturing industries. The revenues from oil in the countries of the subregion are used to build industrial enterprises, housing, and infrastructure.

Oil industry. Oil production in South-West Asia began long ago. Old fields located in the foothills of the Zagros gave the first oil back in the 1920s. The development of the deposits of the Arabian Peninsula began only after the Second World War. And already in the 50s, Southwest Asia turned into a world center of oil production.

Until the 1970s, the oil wealth of the countries of Southwest Asia was in the hands of the International Oil Cartel. Initially, British monopolies exercised control over oil exploration and production, and in the postwar period, American monopolies. They received large profits from the exploitation of oil resources. And the countries from whose depths oil was extracted, only an insignificant part of these profits remained.

In the post-colonial period, the oil resources in the countries of the subregion were nationalized. In 1960, to protect their interests from the International Petroleum Cartel, developing countries created the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which included six countries of the subregion.

In the 1980s, due to the restructuring of the energy balance in economically highly developed countries, oil exports decreased, which led to a sharp drop in prices. In 1986, oil prices fell almost threefold, practically reaching the 1974 level, that is, $ 70-100 per ton. This significantly affected the volume of export earnings in oil-producing countries.

The countries of the subregion produce oil of very high quality, and its cost is the lowest in the world - from 4 to 7 dollars per ton, while in the USA - 60-80 dollars.

In the early 90s, more than 800 million tons of oil were produced annually in South-West Asia, which accounted for 26% of its world production.

Southwest Asia is the largest oil export region in the world. Ten countries are oil exporters. Among them: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, UAE and Kuwait - to the largest not only in the subregion, but also in the world. Countries such as Turkey, Bahrain, Qatar and Syria fully meet their needs and export a small amount of oil to the world market. Only Yemen, Jordan and Lebanon meet their liquid fuel needs through imports.

A significant part of the oil from the sub-region is exported in crude form. About half of total exports go to Western Europe, 1/4 to Japan, and the rest to the United States and other Asian countries.

Oil is transported by sea and pipeline transport. The first oil pipelines were built before World War II. The main oil pipelines run from oil fields to ports on the Mediterranean. Most oil pipelines are no longer than 1000 km. The main purpose of international trunk pipelines is to pump oil to the ports of the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf. Then it is transported by tankers to Western Europe.

Gas industry. At the beginning of the 90s, 100 billion cubic meters of natural gas were produced annually in South-West Asia, which was 1/3 of the total natural gas production in Asia and 5.0% of the world. Natural gas is produced in ten countries of the subregion. The largest producers of natural gas are Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, which account for 2/3 of the total production. Saudi Arabia is among the "top ten" gas producing countries in the world.

The countries of South-West Asia export 20 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually. The main exporters in the sub-region are Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The export potential of natural gas is significantly limited by the difficulties of its transportation. Liquefied natural gas plants have been built in the countries of the subregion. For its transportation, special tankers - gas carriers are used. The volume of international trade in liquefied gas is still insignificant. The main importers are Japan, the USA and Western European countries.

Energy. The subregion produces 41.3% of all primary energy sources in Asia and 10.2% of the world. The total consumption of primary energy sources is 245 million tp, or 25% of the total production.

The main energy resource in Southwest Asia is oil. Its share in the structure of consumption of primary energy sources reaches 70%. In ten countries, oil is the main source of energy, and in Jordan and Yemen it is the only source of energy.

Natural gas ranks second in energy consumption in the sub-region. In countries such as Bahrain and Qatar, its share significantly exceeds oil. In oil-producing countries, the volumes of consumption of natural gas produced along with oil are constantly growing.

Only in Turkey, coal dominates in the structure of energy consumption. The role of hydropower and other energy sources in the sub-region is insignificant.

The oil-producing countries have the highest absolute level of consumption of primary energy sources. Countries such as Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia consume about 50 million tup annually, and in five countries this figure is more than 10 million tup.

In Southwest Asia, the average per capita energy consumption is 4.5 dt, more than double that of the world. A very high relative level of consumption in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates - 15-20 tup, which is due to the small population in these countries.

Manufacturing industry. Before World War II, only traditional manufacturing industries - textiles and food - were developing in Southwest Asia. In the postcolonial period, new manufacturing industries developed in the subregion - chemical and petrochemical, metallurgical, machine-building and metalworking, etc.

The manufacturing industry has become the most dynamic sector of the economy. However, its share in GDP creation is only 13%. The highest rates of development of this industry are observed in oil-producing countries. In most countries, the manufacturing industry in terms of its share in GDP is inferior to the extractive industry, and in the least developed countries - to agriculture. Only in Israel and Turkey is the manufacturing industry the leading sector of the economy. In these countries, its share is the highest in the subregion and exceeds 25%. In seven countries, it ranges from 10 to 15%, and in other countries - less than 10%.

In the sectoral structure of the manufacturing industry of oil-producing countries, the leading role belongs to the oil refining and chemical industries. The share of these industries in the structure of the manufacturing industry is 42%. To expand the export of petroleum products and petrochemical products, petrochemical complexes have been built. Among the branches of the chemical industry, the production of mineral fertilizers, rubber products and household goods is of great importance.

The food industry is closely linked to the local raw material base. It ranks second in terms of the value of the gross output of the manufacturing industry, although the growth rates of other industries are much higher. Its share in the structure of the gross output of the manufacturing industry is 16.6%. Among the branches of the food industry, the most developed are: flour, sugar, oilseeds, canning, tobacco, etc. The level of development of this industry does not provide food products to the needs of the country. The countries of the subregion have to import a significant part of food products.

Among the branches of light industry, the leading place belongs to the textile industry. The countries of the subregion have their own raw material base for the production of cotton and woolen fabrics. The production of fabrics from artificial and synthetic fibers is developing, as well as the kilimarska and the leather and footwear industry.

Mechanical engineering and metalworking in the countries of South-West Asia has a narrow specialization. Dominated by enterprises engaged in the repair of machinery and equipment, as well as assembly plants producing cars, tractors, combines, radio equipment and electrical appliances. Metalworking is developing in all countries of the subregion. Among the countries of the subregion, mechanical engineering is most developed in Israel and Turkey.

Almost all branches of mechanical engineering are developing in Israel, including aircraft and shipbuilding, including Vyskov. they are provided with financial and scientific and technical assistance from the United States and subsidies from Zionist organizations. For the production of military products per capita, this country ranks first in the world.

Turkey has the greatest prospects for the development of mechanical engineering, where it relies on a significant metallurgical base. The country is developing the production of means of production for the light and food industries, transport, electrical engineering and other industries.

The metallurgical industry in the countries of Southwest Asia is still underdeveloped. Ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy enterprises were built on the basis of domestic and imported raw materials. In the oil-producing countries of the Persian Gulf, enterprises for the production of aluminum operate on the basis of cheap energy. The building materials industry is one of the most dynamic industries, as it creates a material base for the development of other industries. The most developed were: cement, brick industries, production various designs from reinforced concrete products, etc.

Agriculture. The growth rate of the gross agricultural output, which averages 2.6%, lags far behind the population growth rate - 2.8% (1999), which does not meet the domestic needs for food. According to the calculations of UN experts, the required minimum growth rate of agricultural production in the country of the region should be at the level of 4%.

The countries of Southwest Asia, except for Turkey and Saudi Arabia, are classified as food importers. The dynamics of food imports was seriously affected by the long-term hostilities in different parts this subregion, as well as an unstable political environment. In the agricultural exports of countries, an important place is occupied by products of tropical and subtropical agriculture - dates, raisins, figs, citrus fruits, fruits, tobacco and cotton.

The variety of natural conditions of the territory determines the differences in the specialization of agriculture. In an arid climate, agriculture without irrigation is extremely limited. The largest agricultural regions of irrigated agriculture include the central regions of Arabia, where agriculture is widespread, and the Mesopotamian lowland. Nezroshuvane agriculture occupies a narrow strip of dry steppes that stretch north from the Mesopotamian lowland. Terrace farming is developing in the mountainous regions of Arabia. Yemen is one of the countries of terraced farming.

Plant growing. Most of the cultivated land is used for cereals - wheat, barley and rice.

Industrial and fruit crops occupy an insignificant place in the structure of cultivated land, although the climatic conditions are extremely favorable for the cultivation of many valuable tropical and subtropical fruit and industrial crops. The most promising fruit crop is the date palm, whose products have always occupied an important place in the food balance and export.

Cereals. Most of the irrigated lands of Mesopotamia, the oases of the central regions of Arabia are used for sowing grain crops. In the steppe zone, grain crops are grown on irrigated lands. The main crops are wheat, barley and rice. Among drought-resistant crops highest value have millet and sorghum. Almost half of the cultivated areas are harvested twice a year.

The grain farming is characterized by a low level of productivity. The average grain yield in the countries of the subregion is 15.2 kg / ha, which is 2 times less than in the whole world. The gross annual grain harvest is 46-48 million tons. The share of the countries of South-West Asia in the total grain production of Asian countries does not exceed 6%. The largest grain producers in the sub-region are Turkey and Iran. These two countries account for 8.5% of the total grain production. Grain production per capita in the countries of South-West Asia is 170 kg, which is more than 2 times less than the world average. Turkey alone produces 465 kg. grain per capita, and this is the highest indicator, both in the subregion and in Asia as a whole (1996).

The countries import 20-21 million tons of grain annually. Grain imports per inhabitant averaged 205 kg, which is 5 times higher than the same indicator in the world. The largest grain importers in the sub-region are Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Kuwait. Only Turkey and Saudi Arabia meet their needs through domestic production.

The main industrial crops are sugar cane, sugar beet, cotton, tobacco, and opium poppy. Cotton and sugarcane can be considered promising industrial crops. For their cultivation, the most favorable conditions have developed in Mesopotamia. In the north of the subregion, sugar beet crops are important industrial crops.

The cultivation of fruit trees is a traditional branch of agriculture that has developed in the sub-region for a long time. The main fruit crop is the date palm. The areas of its growth occupy the Mesopotamian lowland and the oases of Arabia. Citrus fruits are also widespread, although they appeared here much later than other fruit crops. Natural conditions are extremely favorable for the cultivation of figs, which were widespread here in ancient times. On the coast of the Persian Gulf, the main share of the cultivated area is occupied by plantations of fruit trees - peaches, apricots, citrus fruits and date palm.

Viticulture is one of the traditional agricultural sectors of the sub-region. However, grapes cannot be grown everywhere, as they are very sensitive to unfavorable soil conditions, in particular to salinity. This culture occupies the largest share of land in the Mesopotamian lowland.

Forage crops have not yet taken their due place in the structure of sown areas. They occupy about 1% of the cultivated land. This is due to the priority in growing food crops that do not yet meet the domestic needs of the countries of the subregion. However, the problem of expanding the acreage for fodder crops is very urgent in connection with the development of animal husbandry.

Southwest Asia includes the Transcaucasia, the Near and Middle East, has an area of ​​7 million square kilometers and a population (as of 2013) of 361 million people.

Southwest Asia is washed by the Mediterranean, Red Seas and the Persian Gulf. Access to the World Ocean may in the future change the economic and geographical position of countries such as Armenia, Afghanistan and Azerbaijan. The largest states in the region in terms of area and population are Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, and the smallest are Bahrain, Cyprus and Qatar.

The relatively developed states of the region include Israel, Cyprus, Turkey, etc., and the backward ones are Yemen and Afghanistan.

The economies of many countries of the Persian Gulf are focused on the production and export of oil.

Natural conditions and resources. Southwest Asia is a region with diverse natural conditions and resources.

Some states - Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey and Armenia - are predominantly mountainous countries. Most of Southwest Asia is dominated by a sharply continental and arid climate. The wide spread of mountains and deserts hinders the development of industry and agriculture. The exception is the Mesopotamian lowland, where irrigated agriculture is widely developed.

The bowels of Southwest Asia are rich in chromium (Turkey), polymetals (Iran and Turkey), phosphorites and potassium salts (Israel and Jordan). However, the main wealth of the region is oil. Oil fields are concentrated in the areas adjacent to the Persian Gulf and account for 2/3 of the world's oil reserves.

In terms of oil reserves, the top five countries in the world include: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

Oil production and export determine the place and role of Southwest Asia in the world economy. At the same time, the region is experiencing an acute shortage of water and land resources.

Population. High rates of natural growth (25-30 ppm), with the exception of Georgia, Armenia, Israel and Cyprus, are typical for South-West Asia. Iran, Turkey and Iraq account for more than half of the population of Southwest Asia. The average population density is 52 people / sq. Km. However, due to uneven settlement, some areas are characterized by a higher density, others - by a lower population density. The population is mainly concentrated in the coastal zone, in intermountain valleys and oases, where the population density reaches 50-100 people / km2. In the mountains and deserts, the population density is 1-10 people / km2.

The population is mainly sedentary, with the exception of the deserts of Arabia, Iran and Afghanistan, where millions of people are nomads.

The urbanization rate of Southwest Asia is 70%. In some countries, the urban population does not exceed 50-55%. In Israel, as well as in countries with hot and dry climates - Yemen, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, the urban population is 91-98%.

In Southwest Asia, there are both mono-national (most Arab countries) and multinational states (Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey).

The population of South-West Asia is represented by Arabs, Iranians, Turks, Jews, etc.

In Southwest Asia, you can find states with various structures, from theocratic absolute monarchy (Saudi Arabia) to a democratic republic (Turkey). Countries with a constitutional monarchy are Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait.

In the United Arab Emirates, a federal-monarchical leadership is elected every five years.

Economy, transport and internal differences

Most of the countries of South-West Asia belong to the category of agro-industrial states. Meanwhile, in terms of the level of economic development, individual states of South-West Asia differ sharply from each other. Countries such as Israel, Turkey and Cyprus are highly developed and diversified in industry. Other countries, and first of all the countries of the Persian Gulf, are characterized by one-sided development focused on the production and export of oil and oil products. In fairness, it should be noted that a number of countries, namely Iran, have made efforts in recent years to create a diversified and modern industry. The third group of countries (Afghanistan and Yemen) lag significantly behind their regional neighbors in economic development.
Industry. Most of the states of Southwest Asia are distinguished by their oil production and oil refining industries. The role of oil and the oil refining industry in the economy of the Gulf countries can be judged by the following indicators. Annual oil production averages 0.6 tons per capita of the Earth, and in the Gulf countries (where the annual oil production as of 2012 is 1150 million tons) - 3300 tons of oil per capita. Naturally, most of the oil produced in the Gulf countries is exported, primarily to Western Europe, Japan and the United States.
Large refineries, which process 500 million tons of oil, or 45%, have been built in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran and Iraq.
The oil fields and refineries of Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates employ people from East Africa and South Asia. About 90-95% of oil produced in the Persian Gulf is exported.
The manufacturing industry is developed in Turkey, Israel, Iran and the Transcaucasian republics. Along with the light and food industries, heavy industries are also developing in the states mentioned above. For example, the metallurgical industry has developed in Turkey, Georgia and Iran; mechanical engineering - in Turkey and Israel; chemical industry - in Turkey, Azerbaijan and Iran. Petrochemical and fuel and energy industries are developing rapidly in the Gulf countries. The light and food industries are almost universally developed.
The light industry of South-West Asia is represented mainly by the textile, leather and footwear, as well as knitwear industries. Iran, Turkey and the Transcaucasian republics supply the world market with folk craft products: carpets, artistic metal products, etc.
Agriculture is developed everywhere and occupies an important place in the economy of the countries of South-West Asia. However, a number of these countries do not provide themselves with food due to water shortage, as a result of which they are forced to import food from abroad.

Israel has achieved high results in agricultural production, which was one of the first to cultivate the drip irrigation method. Israel not only provides itself with food, but also exports it, in particular, to Western Europe. Desalination of sea water is practiced (Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia).
Agriculture is mainly developed in Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, Cyprus and the Transcaucasian republics, and animal husbandry - in the Arab countries, most of which are occupied by deserts and semi-deserts.
In South-West Asia, cereals are mainly cultivated (wheat, oats, rice, corn, millet), in Turkey, Iran, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Industrial crops (cotton, sunflower, etc.) are cultivated mainly in Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Azerbaijan and Iran, sugar beet - in Turkey and the Transcaucasian republics.
Transport. The low level of industrial development explains the low level of transport system Southwest Asia. Railway transport is developed mainly in Turkey, Iran and the Transcaucasian republics and is practically absent in Afghanistan and a number of Arab states. Automobile transport is developed in Turkey, the Mediterranean and the Transcaucasian republics. Sea transport is developed only in Turkey.
Internal differences. According to the level of economic development, the countries of South-West Asia are divided into diversified and highly specialized countries.
A diversified economy is characteristic of Turkey, Israel, Iran, Lebanon, Cyprus, the Transcaucasian republics and partly Syria. The manufacturing industry is relatively well developed in the countries mentioned. Accordingly, these countries have achieved good results in agricultural production and in the development of transport.
In each of the countries of South-West Asia, along with relatively developed regions, there are regions with a low level of economic development.

A. Kayumov, I. Safarov, M. Tillabaeva "Economic and social geography World "Tashkent -" Uzbekistan "- 2014