Spanning from Saharan Africa to the western edge of Asia, the Middle East's nations share four general characteristics: shared water resource interests, shared religion (with the exception of Israel, which only has a 15% Muslim population), the birth rate is exceeding the death rate, and the vast wealth from minerals and oil. The dominance of fossil fuel and mineral deposits on the area's economy constitutes 88 percent of the region's Gross Domestic Product, where two-thirds of the world's oil resides. These are all contributing factors to a growing population expected to double within 5…
