Geography, culture, cuisine and history

The Middle EastThe Middle East

Israel lies on the Mediterranean coast of southwest Asia, with most people living along the coastal plain. The eastern interior is dry and includes the Dead Sea—the lowest point on the Earth's surface. North are the rugged hills of Galilee, and south lies the Negev, a desert plateau. Israel's population is about 81 percent Jewish; most of the rest is Arab. The Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories have some 3.5 million inhabitants—about 11 percent Jewish, 89 percent Palestinian.

ISRAEL Area22,145 sq km (8,550 sq mi)

Population6,707,000Capital

Jerusalem 692,300Religion

Jewish, Muslim, ChristianLanguages

Hebrew, Arabic, EnglishLiteracy

95%life Expectancy

79Currency

new Israeli shekel

JordanJordanLocated on desert plateaus in southwest Asia, Jordan is almost landlocked but for a short coast on the Gulf of Aqaba. In 1923, after the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, Transjordan was designated a British mandate. Independence came in 1946. Following the Arab-Israeli conflict in 1948-49, the country annexed the West Bank—but lost it to Israel in the 1967 war. The Arab-Israeli wars have brought this small, poor country some 1.5 million Palestinian refugees. Jordan has a constitutional monarchy, with an economy based on agriculture and phosphates.

Area89,342 sq km (34,495

sq mi) Population5,480,000Capital

Amman 1,237,000Religion

Sunni Muslim, ChristianLanguages

Arabic, EnglishLiteracy 91%

Life Expectancy69

CurrencyJordanian dinar

GDP Per CapitaU.S. $4,300Economy

Industry: phosphate mining,

pharmaceuticals, petroleum refining,

cement, potash

IranIranIran is a southwest Asian country of mountains and deserts. Eastern Iran is dominated by a high plateau, with large salt flats and vast sand deserts. The plateau is surrounded by even higher mountains, including the Zagros to the west and the Elburz to the north. Farming and settlement are largely concentrated in the narrow plains or valleys in the west or north, where there is more rainfall. Iran's huge oil reserves lie in the southwest, along the Persian Gulf.

Area1,648,000 sq km (636,296 sq

mi) Population66,582,000

CapitalTehran 7,352,000

ReligionShiite and Sunni Muslim

LanguagesPersian, Turkic, Kurdish, various

local dialectsLiteracy

79%Life Expectancy

69CurrencyIranian rial

GDP Per CapitaU.S. $6,800Economy

Industry: petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other construction materialsIn 1978 Ayatollah Khomeini imposed a

fundamentalist theocracy, under which an estimated 70,000 critics were executed. The official state religion is the Shiite branch of Islam, practiced by most Iranians.

IraqIraqIraq occupies the ancient region of Mesopotamia, "land amidst the rivers," a fertile lowland created by the Tigris and

Euphrates Rivers. Today these rivers sustain large areas of irrigated farmland and one of the highest populations in the

Middle East. Beneath the land, Iraq is second only to Saudi Arabia in rich oil

reserves. Temperatures range from below freezing in winter to higher than 49°C

(120°F) in the summer. Iraq's diverse population includes some 20 million Arabs consisting of Shiite Muslims

(60%), Sunni Muslims (35%), and Christians (3%). Most Shiites live in the

southeast, and most Sunnis live in central Iraq. About four million Kurds, a non-Arab Muslim people, live in the mountainous

northeast.

Area437,072 sq km

(168,754 sq mi) Population24,205,000

CapitalBaghdad 5,620,000

ReligionShiite and Sunni

MuslimLanguages

Arabic, Kurdish, Assyrian, Armenian

Literacy40%

Life Expectancy58

CurrencyIraqi dinar

GDP Per CapitaU.S. $2,400Economy

Industry: petroleum, chemicals, textiles,

construction

materials.

EgyptEgyptA Middle Eastern country in northeast Africa, Egypt is at the center of the Arab world. Egypt controls the Suez Canal, the shortest sea link between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The country is defined by desert and the Nile, the longest river on Earth. The Nile flows north out of central Africa, cascading over the cataracts (waterfalls) through Upper (southern) Egypt and Lower (northern) Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea—with a mountainous desert to the east, a rolling drier desert to the west, and the vast Sahara to the south.

Area1,002,000 sq km (386,874 sq mi)

Population72,062,000

CapitalCairo 11,146,000

ReligionSunni Muslim, Coptic

ChristianLanguages

Arabic, English, FrenchLiteracy

58%Life Expectancy

68Currency

Egyptian poundGDP Per Capita

U.S. $4,000Economy

Industry: textiles, food processing, tourism,

chemicals.

Saudi ArabiaSaudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia occupies most of the Arabian Peninsula and is the largest country in area in the Middle East—but 95 percent of the land is desert. Mountains running parallel to the Red Sea slope down to plains along the Persian Gulf (called the Arabian Gulf by Arab states). Below the arid landscape, oil has made this desert kingdom one of the wealthiest nations in the world.

Area1,960,582 sq km (756,985 sq

mi) Population24,070,000

CapitalRiyadh 5,126,000

ReligionMuslim

LanguagesArabic

Literacy79%

Life Expectancy72

CurrencySaudi riyal

GDP Per CapitaU.S. $11,400Economy

Industry: crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals, cement.

Relations with the U.S. were strained after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks—carried out mainly by Saudi

citizens. In this conservative society, underpinned

by Islamic law, women live in veiled segregation. Saudi Arabia is keeper of

Islam's most sacred cities: Mecca, where the Prophet Muhammad received the

word of Allah, and Medina, where Muhammad died in A.D. 632.

Other Middle East countriesOther Middle East countries

LebanonLebanon TurkeyTurkey SyriaSyria KuwaitKuwait DubaiDubai QuatarQuatar AfghanistanAfghanistan YemenYemen Armenia Armenia

Images of the Middle EastImages of the Middle East

Food Terms to Know – Middle Eastern CuisineBaba Ghannouj – Egg plant puree

Burghul – cracked wheat

Falafel – chick pea fried patties

Haleeb – Milk

Hummus – chick pea puree

Kafta – ground meat patties

Kibbeh – ground meat with wheat

Ma’amoul – easter cakesMa’mounia – semolina puddingMeza – appetizersTahini – sesame pasteTanzine – Moroccan cooking potTanzine – Moroccan cooking potTabbouleh – salad with bulgar, mint Tabbouleh – salad with bulgar, mint

and parsleyand parsley

Common foods: lamb, yogurt, lemons, Common foods: lamb, yogurt, lemons, dates, figs, mint, parsley, rice, dates, figs, mint, parsley, rice, cracked wheat, almonds, rose water, cracked wheat, almonds, rose water, filo dough, chick peas, fava beans,, filo dough, chick peas, fava beans,, cumin, cinnamon, paprika, olives, cumin, cinnamon, paprika, olives, coffee, tea (no alcohol)coffee, tea (no alcohol)