Middle East Resource Map: Oil, Water, and Minerals Reveal Hidden Patterns

The Middle East and North Africa region is often associated with oil production, but its natural resources are more complex and varied than commonly thought. The six Gulf Cooperation Council states - Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain - collectively hold some of the largest and cheapest-to-produce oil and gas reserves on the planet.

Saudi Arabia alone has an estimated 267 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, while Kuwait has more than 100 billion. The abundance of these resources has significant economic effects, funding a large share of government budgets from oil and gas revenues.

However, not all countries in the region are blessed with such abundant resources. Bahrain, for example, has very modest oil reserves compared to its neighbors and produces only a small fraction of Saudi Arabia's barrels. Oman, on the other hand, has less oil than the big Gulf exporters but more gas and minerals.

The region is also characterized by water scarcity, with 12 of the world's most water-scarce countries located there. Morocco, for instance, has roughly 50 billion metric tons of phosphate rock beneath its soil, making it a key player in global fertilizer markets. South Africa, just beyond the traditional Middle East and North Africa boundary, is another mineral superpower.