GEOG 213 Lecture 8: Northwest Africa / Southwest Asia Part 2
13 Oct 2016
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Department
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Professor
1
The Geography of Oil’s Impact
• Urban Transformation
o Most visible manifestation is urban modernization
o Glass skyscrapers are engineering marvels
• Variable Incomes
o Fluctuating petroleum prices create states with vacillating income levels
o Many oil exporters stay in upper-middle-income category
• Infrastructure
o Money available for transportation and governance structures
o Stark differences between oil-haves and oil-have-nots
o Spending creates an image of comfort and affluence
• Industrialization
o Some far-sighted governments are investing oil revenues back into the economy
o Building industries that will outlast oil exports
▪ Manufacturing and high technology
• Regional Disparities
o Strong contrasts within and among countries
• Foreign Investment
o Realm’s governments and private entrepreneurs have invested oil wealth in other
countries
▪ Creates a network of international links between economies and Islamic
communities abroad
• Foreign Involvement
o Oil industry relies on foreign input and exports
▪ To some, this is a very unwelcome by-product
• Intra-Realm Migration
o Oil production requires additional labour inputs
o The first order of migrants is from the realm itself
• Migration from Other Realms
o Not all inputs can be met by intraregional migrants
o Also driven by difference in wages between realms
• Diffusion of Revivalism
o Oil revenues as investment into Islamist communities and structures throughout the
world
o Relocation diffusion of revival of Islam
The Megherb and Its Neighbours
Atlas Mountains
• Countries of NW Africa
• Full name “Jezira-al-Maghreb” or “Isle of the West” refers to Atlas Mountains
• Facilitate settlement
o Orographic rainfall helps sustain life in the valleys
o Good soils support productive farming
• Southwest-northeast alignment of Atlas ranges
o In between are foothills and intermontane basins
• Rain shadow effect: of drier downwind areas
o Intermontane valleys
o Steppe-like vegetation and pastoralism
Colonial Impact
• European settlement, commercial and urban life
o Dominated trade and commerce and integrated North Africa and Europe
• European agriculture
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2
o Established prosperous farms in favoured lands of the tell (lower Atlas slopes and
narrow coastal plain)
o Mediterranean-style farming
▪ Vineyards and wine
▪ Citrus groves
▪ Olives and olive oil
The Magherb Countries
• Morocco
o Conservative and economically weak kingdom
▪ Core area is in the north around four major cities
▪ Aims to absorb it southern neighbour, Western Sahara
▪ Many migrated to nearby Spanish exclaves, the Canary Islands, and Europe
• Algeria
o Former French colony
▪ Agriculture drew many European settlers
▪ Millions have migrated to France
o Economy is based primarily on oil and gas reserves
o Occasional skirmishes occur between Islamist and secularists
• Tunisia
o Outranks surrounding Magherb countries
▪ Higher urbanization, higher social indicators, and lower population growth rate
▪ Productive capacity lies in the hinterland of the historic capital, Tunis
o Launched the Arab Spring
▪ Revolt against repressive and corrupt government finally ousted the dictator of
the totalitarian police state
▪ Must deal with the power vacuum and dysfunctional government system
Libya
• Libya’s economy
o Limited agriculture
o Oil as main economic driver
• Fight for the Arab Spring
o Qadhafi’s iron-fist response to protests
o Underlying tribal divisions
o Some tribes in support of and others repressed by Qadhafi
o Led to civil war
▪ Rebel forces’ fight to take citities
▪ Help of NATO forces
▪ Qadhafi killed
The Middle East: Crucible of Conflict
• Middle East
o Originated when Europe was the world’s dominant realm
▪ Naming was from the European perspective: near, middle, and far from Europe
o Meaning today
▪ Very commonly used
▪ Middle of the vast Islamic realm
o An important region for world affairs
Iraq’s Enduring Importance
• Territory, Arab population, energy, and agricultural resources
• Nearly landlocked, but a small Gulf outlet
o 1990, tried to annex Kuwait
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
The geography of oil"s impact: urban transformation, most visible manifestation is urban modernization, glass skyscrapers are engineering marvels, variable incomes, fluctuating petroleum prices create states with vacillating income levels, many oil exporters stay in upper-middle-income category. Infrastructure: money available for transportation and governance structures, stark differences between oil-haves and oil-have-nots, spending creates an image of comfort and affluence. Atlas mountains: countries of nw africa, full name jezira-al-maghreb or isle of the west refers to atlas mountains, facilitate settlement, orographic rainfall helps sustain life in the valleys, good soils support productive farming, southwest-northeast alignment of atlas ranges. In between are foothills and intermontane basins: rain shadow effect: of drier downwind areas. Colonial impact: european settlement, commercial and urban life, dominated trade and commerce and integrated north africa and europe, european agriculture. 1: established prosperous farms in favoured lands of the tell (lower atlas slopes and narrow coastal plain, mediterranean-style farming, vineyards and wine, citrus groves, olives and olive oil.
