New
New
Year 9

Natural resources and economy in the Middle East

I can explain how natural resources affect economies in the Middle East.

New
New
Year 9

Natural resources and economy in the Middle East

I can explain how natural resources affect economies in the Middle East.

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Oil and gas drive many economies in the Middle East region.
  2. Some countries are diversifying beyond oil.
  3. Natural resources shape trade and wealth.
  4. Unequal resource distribution causes tensions.

Keywords

  • Imports - goods or services that a country buys from other countries

  • Exports - goods or services that a country sells to other countries

  • Distribution - how something is spread out across a geographic area

  • Economy - the way a country produces, uses and manages money, jobs, goods and services

  • Diversify - to add variety or do something differently

Common misconception

All Middle Eastern countries are rich because they have oil.

While oil is a major resource, not every country has it. Countries like Yemen and Jordan have little or no oil, which affects their economies differently.


To help you plan your year 9 geography lesson on: Natural resources and economy in the Middle East, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Use current news stories and events — e.g. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan — to bring diversification to life. It helps students understand that these are real, unfolding challenges.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is a natural resource?

Something made by people
Correct answer: Something found in nature that people use
A city or town
A type of building

Q2.
Which natural resource has helped change the Middle East’s economy?

Coal
Wood
Correct answer: Oil
Gold

Q3.
How has oil affected the Middle East?

It made the region poorer
It caused the region to flood
It stopped people from living there
Correct answer: It helped grow cities and industries

Q4.
What is desalination?

Correct answer: Removing salt from seawater to make fresh water
Adding salt to water
A type of desert
A way to drill for oil

Q5.
What is a dam used for?

To create waterfalls
To drain lakes
Correct answer: To block and store water for farming and electricity
To build roads

Q6.
Is the Middle East only made up of desert with no rivers or fertile land?

Yes, it is all desert
Yes, no plants grow there
Correct answer: No, it has rivers and fertile areas too
No, it is all mountains

Assessment exit quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
Match the keywords to the meanings:

Correct Answer:Imports,Goods bought from other countries

Goods bought from other countries

Correct Answer:Exports,Goods sold to other countries

Goods sold to other countries

Correct Answer:Distribution,How something is spread across an area

How something is spread across an area

Correct Answer:Economy,How a country manages money and goods

How a country manages money and goods

Correct Answer:Diversify,To add variety or change how things are done

To add variety or change how things are done

Q2.
Which Middle Eastern countries are less wealthy because they have little or no oil?

Saudi Arabia and UAE
Correct answer: Yemen and Jordan
Qatar and Kuwait
Iran and Iraq

Q3.
Which factor most affects a country’s wealth in the Middle East?

Correct answer: Having oil resources
Large population size
Many mountains
Cold climate

Q4.
How does natural resource wealth affect the economy?

Correct answer: It can create jobs and money
It causes deserts to grow
It stops trade with other countries
It makes the population smaller