Middle East is the name for the lands where Asia, Africa, and Europe meet. Most of these lands lie in Western Asia, but Egypt in North Africa is usually included too. The region commonly lists Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and the Palestinian territories. Some maps also add Turkey and parts of Libya and Sudan. Arabic is the main language, though people also speak Persian, Turkish, Hebrew, and Kurdish. Islam is the largest faith, and the area is the birthplace of Judaism and Christianity. The Middle East holds wide deserts, big rivers like the Tigris, Euphrates, and Nile, and some of the world’s largest oil and gas fields.
You’ve landed here—see the path you followed
Visit “Our World” to see every country on the globe, or—if you’re curious—check out my personal ideas.
...or head straight for the next reading