Trade became an important part of the economy of the arabian peninsula because:

Trade became an important part of the economy of the Arabian Peninsula, because without trade, many of the Arab nations would not be as rich as they are today. During the 1900s, there was a boom in the automobile industry, which resulted in a higher demand of gasoline (as automobiles used gas to help convert into energy to move). The middle east was thought to be just desert, until oil, or "black gold" was found. This helped build up the economies of many of the Arab countries in the Middle East, and unlike many other resources, oil is in constant demand, and would most likely continue to be in the future (making it one of the more successful one-resource economy ever).

Without trade, Middle East countries would not have the economy they have today, and may still be seen as 3rd world countries.

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equal area projections

equal-area projection. a projection in which regions on the earth's surface that are of equal area are represented as equal.