Middle East interactive map + quiz

Middle East region and country summaries:

The Middle East is the region where the Asian continent meets North Africa. The region includes the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Turkey and Egypt. By some definitions the Middle East can include other countries in North Africa, particularly Libya and Sudan, and other Western Asian countries, such as Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. Much of the land area is arid and is uninhabited, although the land adjacent to rivers such as the Nile, the Euphrates and the Tigris have supported human populations for millennia.

The region is of enormous historical importance, and includes the areas of former great empires such as Egypt, Persia, Babylonia, Assyria, and Ottoman Turkey. The Middle East is also the birthplace of the major world religions of Islam, Judaism and Christianity.

Bahrain

Bahrain is a small country of 33 islands in the Persian Gulf. The largest island is called Bahrain Island, and accounts for more than two thirds of the country's land territory. Bahrain Island is mostly low-lying and desert.

Egypt

Population: 101.5 million
Largest city and capital: Cairo
Highest mountain: Mount Catherine 2,629 meters 8,625 ft
Land area: 1,002,450 km2, 387,050 sq mi
Climate: hot desert climate

Egypt is situated in the extreme northeast of Africa. Culturally and geographically, Egypt is at the center of the Arab world. Apart from the thin strip of land on either side of the Nile and the Nile Delta, Egypt is almost entirely desert. The Nile Valley and the Nile Delta region provides food for the World's fourteenth most populous country. Most of the country is relatively flat and low-lying, but there are rugged mountainous areas in the Sinai Peninsula, along the Red Sea coast and in the southwest.

Iraq

The great Tigris and Euphrates rivers run through the heart of Iraq, and these rivers have irrigated the crops of great civilizations for millennia. Between the two rivers is a fertile region called Mesopotamia. To the west and south lie deserts, which cover around 40% of Iraq. In the northeast of the country there are high mountains, and this area is the home of Iraq's Kurdish population.

Iran

Population: 83 million
Largest city and capital: Tehran
Highest mountain: Mount Damavand 5,610 meters 18,406 ft
Land area: 1,648,195 km2, 636,372 sq mi

Iran is a large country in the Middle East and in West Asia. Most of Iran lies on a high desert plateau surrounded by mountain ranges. The greatest mountain range is the Zargos Mountains to the west, which has many peaks over 3,000 metres. Two largely uninhabied deserts dominate the east of the plateau. To the north of Iran lies the Caspian Sea and to the south, the Persian Gulf. The Caspian sea region and the southwest of Iran feature the country's only significant lowland regions. No great rivers run through this large country.

Israel

Israel has a very diverse landscape for a small country. The north of Israel is rugged and mountainous, while the country is flat along the Mediterranean coast. More than half of Israel lies in the Negrev Desert in the south of the country. Israel has annexed the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem, although this annexation has not received international recognition.

Jordan

Most of Jordan lies in the Syrian Desert and the Arabian Desert. The western part of the country lies in the Jordan Valley, which is a depression (below sea level). The Jordan River ends at the Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth at 431 meters or 1,413 feet below sea level. Jordan has only 26 km (16 miles) coastline in the south of the country, and one seaport.

Kuwait

Kuwait is a small country on the northwestern shores of the Persian Gulf. Most of the country is low-lying and desert. The coastline is indented by Kuwait Bay, a large deep harbour. The bay was the site of a trading post in historic times which has since grown into the modern capital, Kuwait City.

Lebanon

Lebanon is a small mountainous country in the eastern Mediterranean. The Lebanon Mountains run from north to south paralleling the coast. Other major geographical regions include the narrow coastal plain, the Anti-Lebanon mountain range, and the fertile Beqaa valley, center of much of the country's agricultural production.

Oman

Oman occupies a strategic location on the eastern Arabian Peninsula, where the Persian Gulf meets the Arabian Sea. Much of Oman is arid or desert. Oman's Al Hajar mountains are the highest range in the Arabian Peninsula.

Palestinian Territories

The Palestinian Territories are divided into two parts, the Gaza Strip on the Mediterranean Sea coast, and the larger West Bank on the west bank of the Jordan River. The small Gaza Strip is flat terrain, and has a high population density as well as high population growth. The West Bank is quite mountainous and rugged. The western part of the West Bank is more fertile than the barren eastern part.

Qatar

Qatar is situated on peninsula in the Persian Gulf, and on a few small surrounding islands. Most of the country is flat and desert. Coral reefs feature off some of the islands. Sand dunes and salt flats predominate in the south and southeastern parts of Qatar.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is the largest Arab country by land area, and the country occupies most of the Arabian Peninsula. Saudi Arabia is an arid desert country, and less than 1% of the land is under cultivation. Mecca and Medina, Islam's two holiest cities are in Saudi Arabia. The country's borders with Oman, Yemen and the UAE are undefined, so the exact size of the country cannot be determined.

Syria

To the west of Syria paralleling the coast are mountains, with a steep region to the east of these ranges before the land turns to desert plains. The Anti-Lebanon Mountains follow the border with Lebanon. In the east of Syria lies in the Syrian Desert

Turkey
Population: 83 million
Largest city: Istanbul
Capital: Ankara
Highest mountain: Mount Ararat 5,137 meters 16,854 ft
Land area: 783,562 km2, 302,535 sq mi

Most of Turkey lies in Western Asia, with a small part of the country in the southeast of the Balkan Peninsula. Istanbul, the largest city, is located where Asia and Europe meet. Asian Turkey is located on a peninsular that borders the Black Sea to the north, the Aegean Sea to the west and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. This peninsula is commonly called Anatolia or Asia Minor. Most of Turkey is quite high up on the Anotolian Plateau, with some lowlands regions around the coast.

United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven emirates. Abu Dhabi is the largest emirate, accounting for more than three quarters of the land area of the United Arab Emirates. The important economic city of Dubai is the capital of the emirate of Dubai. Most of the UAE is desert.

Yemen

Yemen sits at the southern extreme of the Arabian Peninsula. The country is mostly desert and has no permanent rivers. The interior of the country is mountainous, with narrow coastal plains. Less than 3% of Yemen is suitable for agriculture, with crops grown in some highland regions where the rainfall is sufficient.

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