What is the primary resource found in Southwest Asia near the Persian Gulf?

Since 1908, the Persian Gulf has been a very important and strategic area of the world. Wars have been fought and blood spilled. Powerful nations have attempted to enforce their political will on the states of the region. Extremist groups with radical theological leanings have formed and declared war on the West. Powerful cartels have been formed and wield powerful geopolitical force. What makes 1908 such an important year? Well, that is the year that...

Since 1908, the Persian Gulf has been a very important and strategic area of the world. Wars have been fought and blood spilled. Powerful nations have attempted to enforce their political will on the states of the region. Extremist groups with radical theological leanings have formed and declared war on the West. Powerful cartels have been formed and wield powerful geopolitical force. What makes 1908 such an important year? Well, that is the year that a British company discovered oil in the Middle East.

With over two-thirds of the world's oil reserves around the Persian Gulf, the region has become an important economic and political region of the world. This sector of the world is responsible for roughly a quarter of crude oil exports per year. The Middle East also has almost half of the world's reserves of natural gas, which has become more important in the last quarter century.