geography, culture, cuisine and history. the middle east
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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)