The Middle East is made up of transcontinental countries stretching from Europe to Asia and Africa. The countries of this land all share a number of factors such as geographical features, ethnicity, religion or customs and political history. The countries here include 18 countries, all concentrated in Western Asia, Egypt in North Africa and part of Turkey in South Eastern Europe. Let’s go with Vietsense travel to find some information on the countries of the Middle East, before making a trip to this region.
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The countries in this region include 18 countries, which are: Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait and Lebanon. , the country of Oman, the country of Palestine, the country of Qatar, the country of Saudi Arabia, the Syrian Arab Republic, the country of Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the country of Yemen. On the other hand, the countries of Central Asia and the country of Transcaucasia could also merge into the countries of this place. The countries here all share certain characteristics such as: geographical location, ethnicity, religion, customs and political history. That is why, in this article, we are going to discover in detail 18 countries that are clearly part of this land.
Like some of the information mentioned above, the countries of the Middle East all share certain characteristics such as: The countries of this land have the highest number of Arabs. Next come the Iranian peoples and the Turkic speaking peoples are the two ethnic groups ranked next. About Islam is the predominant religion in the countries of the region. The fact that this region is the origin of Islam, Judaism and Christianity. In this area, the main language of communication is Arabic. In addition, the region also speaks several languages such as: Persian, Kurdish, Hebrew and Turkish.
Bahrain is an archipelago country located in the Persian Gulf region between Saudi Arabia and the Qatar Peninsula. The capital of Bahrain is Manama, with an area of over 760 square kilometers, with a population of around 1.6 million. ⅓ of the population of the country of Bahrain are foreigners. According to the 2011 Index of Economic Freedom statistics, Bahrain is an independent economy in the Middle East. On the other hand, the former country of Bahrain is also recognized for its banking and financial services sector and has the fastest growing index in the world.
Like Bahrain, Cyprus is also an island country located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Turkey and Egypt. The country of Cyprus whose capital is Nicosia, with an area of 9,251 km2, a population of approximately 1.2 million. In 1961, Cyprus joined the Commonwealth of Nations immediately after Britain’s victory. Through the negotiation process, in 2004 Cyprus was recognized and became a member of the European Union. On the territory of Cyprus, there is an area of concentration of foreign companies because the government has a tax policy mechanism below the average level of the European Union. This country is developing thanks to its strength in tourism, transport services and related financial and banking services.
Egypt is located in the northeastern region of Africa, whose borders extend to the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. Egypt has a capital city called Cairo, covering an area of 1,010.40 km2, with a population of over 100 million. The country of Egypt consists of the Sinai Peninsula, which shares a border with Israel and Palestine. Thanks to the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt can connect with the countries of the Middle East, this country becomes a transcontinental country. The country’s crude oil exports account for 25% of national exports. The rest of Egypt depends on agriculture, tourism and natural gas.
Iran is a country whose coastline stretches along the Persian Gulf, the Caspian Sea and the Gulf of Oman. The country has its capital, Tehran, with a territory of 1,648,195 square kilometers, a population of about 83 million people. Iran has abundant resources, including the world’s largest natural gas reserves and the world’s fourth largest oil reserves. Iran became a member of OPEC and a member of the United Nations. The country’s economy and GDP per capita both depend on the service sector.
Unlike other countries, Iraq is a landlocked country, with the only area being 36 miles long along the Persian Gulf. The country has a capital called Baghdad, with an area of 438,317 square kilometers and a population of around 39 million people. According to statistics, the Iraqi economy has a low rate of 18% to 30%, the ratio of GDP per capita drops to 4,000 USD. In this country, there is a shortage of civil servants and employees in the public sector, which accounts for 60% of job opportunities. One of the country’s strengths is the oil industry, which accounts for 95% of the country’s foreign exchange earnings.
Israel has a long coastline, stretching to the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea and shares borders with a number of countries such as Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. This country has a capital called Jerusalem, with an area of 20,770 square kilometers, with a population of over 9 million. The population of Israel is 74.7% Jewish. The nation was formed with people of Jewish ethnicity and religion, which is why it is called the Jewish state. The country’s economy depends on technology and industry, considered the most technologically advanced country in the Middle East.
The country of Jordan is located between the continents of Europe, Africa and Asia, with a long coastline bordering the Dead Sea and the Red Sea. The country has a capital named Amman, a territory of 92,300 square kilometers and has a population of around 10 million. The Jordanian population represents 92% of the Sunni Muslim population. The country is known as the safest haven for refugees from the region who have fled their homeland due to political instability or the threat of terrorism. Therefore, Jordan is considered one of the most politically stable countries in the Middle East.
Kuwait is located in the far north of the Persian Gulf, the capital is called Kuwait City, with a territory of 17,820 square kilometers and a population of over 4.2 million. Foreign nationals in Kuwait represent 70%. One of the reasons why foreign citizens in Kuwait make up a high percentage is Kuwait’s oil and gas industry, where foreign workers work. The oil exports of this country account for 87%, thanks to the large volume of exports, this industry accounts for 50% of Kuwait’s GDP.
Lebanon is one of the non-island countries in the Middle East. Lebanon has a capital city called Beirut, covers an area of over 10,000 square kilometers and has a population of nearly 7 million, and is renowned for its diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. In 2008, the economy of this country was affected by the global economic crisis, the economic growth index was 8.5% at that time. In 2009, economic growth rose to 9%. The service sector represents an important part of the economy, in which the population using the services represents 65%.
Oman lies on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. The country has a capital named Muscat, with an area of 309,500 square kilometers and a population of almost 5 million people. The country of Oman has an absolute monarchy and powers are subject to the sultan, a hereditary position to this day. The economy of this country is mainly based on oil and gas resources, which constitute the most important sector of the country. There is also a growing tourism service industry in this country.
Palestine has borders with Israel and Jordan. These countries all claim the Gaza Strip and the West Bank as their own. The country has a capital named Ramallah 1, covers an area of 6,020 square kilometers, with a population of nearly 5 million. Palestine is deeply embroiled in a decades-long conflict with Israel over Israeli-occupied lands, occupied by the Israeli military government from 1967 to 1982. The Palestinian economy is based on service industries, which account for 82% of GDP of the country of 10 billion dollars. .
Qatar is a country that stretches along the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. This country has a capital named Doha, with an area of 11,586 km2 and a population of nearly 3 million, of which foreign citizens account for more than 2 million people. One of the reasons for the large number of foreign nationals residing in the country is due to the oil and natural gas industry, which requires a large number of workers.
Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the Middle East by area, with an area of 2,149,690 km2, this country has a population of over 34 million, of which Arabs make up 90 of the population. capital of Saudi Arabia is called Riyadh. Since 1950, the population of this country has increased, sometimes reaching 3 million people, because people here have a faster than average birth rate. The main languages spoken in Saudi Arabia are Najdi, Hejazi and Gulf.
Syria is located near the western part of the Middle East, has Damascus as its capital, has an area of 187,437 km2 and has a population of over 17 million, this figure may not reflect correctly as it does not t hasn’t been possible to carry out a census campaign lately. Statistics show that the population decline in recent years is due to the large number of deaths or migration to other countries due to civil war, military violence and political instability. Of which, up to 5 million people have sought to move to other countries for hiding and up to 8 million people have had to move within the country when the country is in turmoil.
Turkey, geographically located between Europe and Asia, is considered a transcontinental country. Turkey has its capital, Ankara, with an area of 783,562 square kilometers and a population of nearly 84 million. This country has ethnic Turks who make up 80% of the country’s population. Turkey has an industrialized GDP of $2.199 billion, the country’s main industry is the service sector.
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated UAE, is located at the southeastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. The UAE has its capital, Abu Dhabi, with a territory of 83,600 square kilometers, with a population of almost 9 million. The United Arab Emirates is one of the most developed economies in the region with a GDP of $377 billion. Like other economies in the region, the UAE depends on the oil industry.
Yemen lies on the southwest coast of the Arabian Peninsula. The capital is Sanaa, with an area of 527,968 km2 and a population of nearly 30 million, of which ⅔ of the population is over the age of 15. Due to rapid population growth, Yemen’s population is expected to reach 60 million by 2050. Yemen’s economy is based on the oil industry, which accounts for 73% of the country’s exports.
Above is information about the countries in the Middle East that Al Kaabi would like to share with us. Hope the above information helps us understand the Middle East countries better, plan a trip to explore these countries in the near future!