The country covers an area of 438,317 km 2 and has a total population of 39 million. Iraq is almost entirely landlocked, except for a 36-mile long area located along the Persian Gulf. The economy and gross domestic product (GDP) of Iran rely on the services sector. The country is a member of both OPEC and the United Nations, as well as several other international organizations. Iran is home to the largest supply of natural gas in the world and the fourth-largest supply of oil reserves. It covers an area of 1,648,195 km 2 and has a population size of approximately 83 million.

Iran has coastlines along the Persian Gulf, the Caspian Sea, and the Gulf of Oman. The rest of the economy relies on agriculture, tourism, and natural gas. Crude petroleum oil makes up nearly 25% of its exports. Egypt covers a total area of 1,010,40 km 2 and has a population size of over 100 million. It is this peninsula that connects Egypt to the Middle East, making it a transcontinental country. Its territory also encompasses the Sinai Peninsula, which shares borders with Israel and Palestine. EgyptĮgypt located in the northeastern region of Africa, where it has borders along the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aqaba. The country's economy relies on tourism, shipping services, and banking and financial services. Cyprus is a hub for foreign businesses due to its tax rates, which are below the European Union average. In 1961, Cyprus became a member of the Commonwealth of Nations after gaining its independence from Great Britain, and in 2004 it was accepted as a member of the European Union. The country covers an area of 9,251 km 2 and has a population size of approximately 1.19 million. CyprusĬyprus is another island nation located in the Mediterranean Sea between Turkey and Egypt. Before that, Bahrain was recognized for its banking and financial services sector, which are the fastest-growing in the world. The 2011 Index of Economic Freedom designated the country as having the most independent economy in the Middle East. Nearly half of Bahrain's population is foreign nationals. It covers an area of 760 km 2 and has a population size of just over 1.64 million. Bahrainīahrain is an archipelago nation, located in the Persian Gulf between Saudi Arabia and the peninsula of Qatar. Other popular languages include Persian, Kurdish, Hebrew, and Turkish. As expected, Arabic is the most spoken language here. In fact, the region is the birthplace of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Islam is the largest religion in the region.

Iranian peoples and Turkic speaking peoples are the next two common ethnic groups. For example, the Middle East region has Arabs as the largest ethnic group. What Makes Middle East?Īs mentioned above, the countries of the region share several features in common. In this article, however, we will highlight the 18 countries that are unambiguously part of the Middle East. Even further, countries in Central Asia and Transcaucasia might be integrated into the group of Middle East countries. Sometimes, the definition of Middle East is extended to include the concept of the 'Greater Middle East' that includes Afghanistan, the Comoros, Djibouti, Maghreb, Pakistan, Sudan, and Somalia. These are Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. These countries are located primarily in Western Asia, Egypt is in North Africa, and a part of Turkey lies in Southeast Europe. Middle East includes countries that share common factors like ethnic groups, geographic features, religious beliefs, and political history.Ī transcontinental region including parts of Eurasia and Africa, the Middle East includes countries that share common factors like ethnic groups, geographic features, religious beliefs, and political history.Sometimes, the definition of Middle East is extended to include the concept of the 'Greater Middle East' that includes Afghanistan, the Comoros, Djibouti, Maghreb, Pakistan, Sudan, and Somalia.These are Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Middle east countries map test