Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
In sum, within the Arabian Peninsula, it remains in the highly populous southwest where
Saudi Arabia is really vulnerable: from where weapons, explosives, and the narcotic leaf
qat flow in from across the Yemeni border. The future of teeming, tribalized Yemen will go
a long way to determining the future of Saudi Arabia, and geography perhaps more than
ideas has much to do with it.
The Iranian plateau, on the other hand, is synonymous with only one country: Iran. Iran's
population of 74 million is two and a half times that of Saudi Arabia, and is along with Tur-
key's and Egypt's the largest in the Middle East. Moreover, Iran has impressively gotten its
population growth rate down to way below one percent, with only 22 percent of its popu-
lation below the age of fifteen. Thus, Iran's population is not a burden like Saudi Arabia's,
but an asset. One could argue that, for example, Turkey has an even bigger population, a
similarly low population growth rate, and a higher literacy rate. Moreover, Turkey has a
stable agricultural economy and is more industrialized than Iran. I will deal with Turkey
later. For the moment, note that Turkey is situated to the northwest of Iran, closer to Europe
and much further away from major Sunni Arab population centers. Turkey also is in the
bottom ranks of hydrocarbon producers. Iran is number three in the world in oil reserves,
