Lebanon becomes first Middle East country to end death penalty

The Middle East, North Africa and South Africa present a region of stark contrasts: vast oil fields and gas reserves, top phosphate mines and platinum deposits, some of the driest regions in the world, and coastlines teeming with fish. When discussing natural resources in the Middle East, oil is typically the primary focus, accounting for roughly 30% of global production and nearly a fifth of natural gas reserves, with major producers like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar leading the way.

However, the region's resource landscape is far more complex, with some countries boasting world-class mineral deposits, others enjoying abundant coastlines, and many grappling with critical water and land scarcity issues.

This resource distribution shapes the economic fortunes of the nations involved. The six Gulf Cooperation Council states, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain, collectively possess some of the largest and most easily accessible oil and gas reserves. Saudi Arabia alone holds an estimated 267 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, with Kuwait and the UAE each holding over 100 billion barrels.

This abundance allows these nations to heavily fund their budgets through oil and gas revenues, supporting public sector salaries, infrastructure, schools and generous social benefits. However, when oil prices fluctuate, these economies can struggle, prompting calls for diversification.

While the Gulf states benefit from their oil wealth, other Middle Eastern nations have turned to different resources. Algeria, Libya and Egypt stand out as heavyweights in North African oil and gas, with Algeria leading African natural gas production and exporting to Europe, Libya boasting some of Africa's biggest oil reserves, and Egypt transforming newly discovered offshore gas fields into a growing export business.

In contrast to these hydrocarbon-rich nations, Israel stands out for its lack of significant oil production but has transformed itself from a gas importer to a regional supplier of natural gas, thanks to offshore gas discoveries like the Tamar and Leviathan fields. This shift reduces Israel's energy dependence and creates new export opportunities.

Water scarcity represents a growing challenge across the region. Covering just about 6% of the world's population, the Middle East and North Africa only account for less than 2% of its renewable water supply, making it the driest region in the world, with 12 of the world's most water-scarce countries including Algeria, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, the UAE and Yemen.

The region's average renewable water availability is about 1,100 cubic meters per person per year, significantly lower than the global average of 7,000 to 8,500 cubic meters. This scarcity directly impacts agriculture, which uses over 80% of available water resources, leading governments to invest heavily in dams, desalination plants and water-saving technologies to adapt to the situation.