Front cover image for Atlas of the Gulf states

Atlas of the Gulf states

Map, English, 2013
Brill, Boston, 2013
atlases
1 atlas : color maps ; 120 pages 25 cm
9789004245600, 9789004245662, 900424560X, 9004245669
1001666103
Introduction 1
The gulf: a strategic space between the sea and the desert
A semi-enclosed sea 6 an area of continual movement 8 the crossroads of civilizations 10 a muslim world 12 characteristic states 14 water scarcity 16 oases and pastoral
Nomadism 18 marine resources 20
The gulf: the heart of the world's energy reserves
Petroleum, a complex sector 24 oil production and reserves 26 gas production and reserves 28 processing and transport of oil and gas 30 numerous tensions 32
A speedy and radical transformation
Influx of migrants 36 spectacular urban growth 38 quality infrastructure 40 developing an industrial sector 42 free zones and special economic zones 44 explosion of finance and
Real estate sectors 46 rise of tourism 48 toward a knowledge society 50 the gulf cooperation council 52
Dissimilar territories
The state of kuwait saudi arabia's eastern province the kingdom of bahrain the emirate of qatar the federation of the united arab emirates the emirates of abu dhabi and
Dubai the emirates of ajman and sharjah the northern emirates north oman the iranian coast of the gulf the iraqi governorate of basra
Urban societies
Basra city kuwait city greater dammam the oasis city of al-ahsa manama, an island capital greater doha the island and the city of abu dhabi the coastal conurbation of
Dubai-sharjah-ajman the al-ain-buraimi oases muscat's capital region sohar and sur: two cities on the gulf of oman the port city of bandar abbas abadan and khorramshahr:
Oil cities integration of metropolitan areas
Conclusion bibliographyindex 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72 74 76
82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 100 102 104 106
111 115
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Introduction
In the vast expanse of land dominated by muslim countries, it is customary
To distinguish between the arab world, which stretches from the persian
Gulf to the atlantic ocean and encompasses countries bordering the red
Sea and the mediterranean, and the turco-iranian world, which extends
From the dardanelle straits to the indus river and the western borders of
China. those who support this view, claim that despite the differences in
Geographical, linguistic, and political conditions, the turco-iranian world
Has a unity which stems from the interpenetration of the iranian and
Turkish civilizations in the course of history. as for the arab world, it is
Characterized by the principle of unity in diversity. the perennial or
Seasonal shortage of water, the use of the arabic language, and the
Presence of oil deposits constitute distinctive common denominators, and
Paradoxically also the reason for internal differences. the feeling of unity
Strengthened by memories of a glorious shared past, combined with a
Common religion and later exalted by the ideology of pan-arabism, is
Founded on a common written language. at the same time, the diversity
Asserted by groups and individuals, who believe that belonging to a
Particular nation, region or locality takes precedence over a transnational
Arab identity, is also visible in the landscape, social conditions, dress, food
Habits, dialect, etc. the sense of belonging to the umma, or community of
Believers, competes with the feeling, among christian minorities, of
Belonging to the arab world. colonization, followed by independence, led
To the emergence of a national patriotism so strong that in some countries
There are now demands that dialectal arabic, which only used to be spoken
But is now in the process of also being written, be recognized as national
Languages. ultimately, belonging to a particular tribe or community
Remains an important reality
Considering the dialectics between unity in diversity inherent to the
Geographical approach, arab geographers contrast maghreb (the west) to
Mashriq(the east), while western geographers divide the arab world into
Sub-regions with a variable geometry. beyond multiple variants from one
Author to the other, there is a tendency to distinguish between the
Maghreb, the countries of nile valley, the horn of africa, the countries of
The fertile crescent, and the arabian peninsula. like any division, it is not
A simple recording of facts but the result of an intellectual construction;
Therefore, it cannot be confined within normative limits because there are
Peripheral areas and transitional areas. further, it is not permanent
Because the world is continually changing and the geographer must be
Cognizant of these changes
With regard to the today's importance of the middle east in the field of
Energy, the traditional division of the arab world is no longer pertinent. it
Means dissociating iraq, one of the major countries of the fertile crescent
(a term first used at the end of the nineteenth century to describe an area
Known for archaeological riches and achievements in the history of irriga-
Tion) from its other oil-rich neighbours, particularly kuwait and saudi
Arabia situated in the arabian peninsula, which serves as a bridge between
Africa and asia. its physical demarcation is not difficult, but it presents an
Internal diversity not to be underestimated. in addition, however true it
May be, the cleavage between the arab and persian worlds must be
Discussed. iran is an oil-producing country like its neighbours on the
Opposite shore of the gulf. we have therefore decided to include in the
Same group iran and the arab countries bordering the arabo-persian gulf
I.e., iraq and the countries of the arabian peninsula, with the exception of
Yemen. including the sultanate of oman among the gulf countries may
Give rise to debate since it is situated mainly on the gulf of oman and the
Arabian sea, with some twenty-odd kilo-metres bordering the persian gulf
But the country's centrepiece, situated in its north, resembles the northern
Part of the united arab emirates
The decision to prepare this atlas of the gulf countries was not based on
The sole consideration that these countries are among the world's major oil
Exporters. it is also based on an understanding of civilization that does not
Always stress divisive factors at the cost of those that unite. when
Geography is considered from the orientalist viewpoint, which has few
Followers today, thepersian gulf appears as a dividing line between two
Distinct cultural areas, thesemitic and the indo-european. this
Interpretation is based on archaeological arguments that have been
Discredited by the excavations conducted over thepast thirty years and
Scales differ.