User:MaynardClark/MiddleEast
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Middle East[note 1] (also called Mid East in US usage) is a region that roughly encompasses a majority of Western Asia (excluding the Caucasus) and Egypt. The term is used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East. The corresponding adjective is Middle Eastern and the derived noun is Middle Easterner. Arabs, Persians, and Turks constitute the largest ethnic groups in the region by population,[1] while Kurds, Azeris, Copts, Jews, Assyrians, Maronites, Circassians, Somalis, Armenians, Druze and other denominations form a significant minority.
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Middle East | |
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Countries | 18 |
Languages | Arabic, Aramaic, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Balochi, French, Greek, Hebrew, Kurdish, Persian, Somali, Turkish |
Time Zones | UTC +3:30 (Iran) to UTC +2:00 (Egypt) |
Largest Cities | In rank order: Cairo, Tehran, Istanbul, Baghdad, Riyadh, Jeddah, Ankara |
The history of the Middle East dates back to ancient times, and the region has generally been a major center of world affairs. However, in the context of its ancient history, the term "Near East" is more commonly used. Several major religions have their origins in the Middle East, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; the Baha'i faith, Mandaeism, Unitarian Druze, and numerous other belief systems were also established within the region. The Middle East generally has a hot, arid climate, with several major rivers providing irrigation to support agriculture in limited areas such as the Nile Delta in Egypt, the Tigris and Euphrates watersheds of Mesopotamia, and most of what is known as the Fertile Crescent. Most of the countries that border the Persian Gulf have vast reserves of crude oil, with the sovereign nations of the Arabian Peninsula in particular benefiting from petroleum exports. In modern times the Middle East remains a strategically, economically, politically, culturally, and religiously sensitive region.