Quote: "The Middle East is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq."
Referring to people from countries and regions in the Middle East, often including Arab, Persian, Turkish, Kurdish, and Jewish populations. Some common countries include Saudi Arabia, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, and Iraq.
Geography: Understanding the geography of the Middle East is important for understanding the region’s cultural, political, and economic aspects. It includes location, terrain, climate, and natural resources.
History: The history of the Middle East goes back several thousand years and covers many empires and dynasties, including the Persian, Ottoman, and Arab empires. Understanding the history of the region is crucial to understand current events.
Religion: The Middle East is home to several major religions, including Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and various smaller religions. Understanding the role of religion in the region is crucial to understanding the culture and society.
Society and Culture: The Middle East has a rich cultural heritage, from art and literature to music and food. Social norms, family relations, gender roles, and traditions vary across the region.
Politics: The Middle East is a complex region with various regimes and political systems. Understanding the region’s current and historical political events is essential to understanding its current state.
Economics: The Middle East is rich in natural resources, including oil and gas, and it plays an important role in the global economy. Understanding the region’s economic landscape is crucial to understanding its role in the world.
Language: The Middle East is home to various languages, including Arabic, Farsi, Turkish, and Hebrew. Understanding the basics of these languages can provide essential tools for better communication and understanding of the culture.
Migration and Diaspora: The Middle East has a long history of migration, both within the region and to other parts of the world. Understanding the migration patterns, their causes, and their effects are important to understand how these affect the region and the world.
Conflict and Instability: The Middle East has a complex web of conflicts and instability involving issues such as territorial disputes, terrorism, and civil wars. Understanding the causes and impacts of these conflicts is essential to understanding the overall state of the region.
International Relations: The Middle East has had significant relations with various countries across the world, including the United States, Russia, China, and Europe, among others. Understanding the region’s international relations is critical to understanding the region’s place in the world.
Arab: An ethnicity native to the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding areas, with Arabic as their primary language. Arabs make up a significant portion of the Middle East population and are predominantly Muslim, but also include Christian and Jewish individuals.
Persian/Iranian: An ethnicity native to Iran and surrounding areas, with Persian (Farsi) as their primary language. Iranians are predominantly Muslim (Shiite), but also include Zoroastrian, Baha'i, Jewish, and Christian individuals.
Kurdish: An ethnic group native to the mountainous regions of Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey, with their own language and culture. Kurds are predominantly Sunni Muslim, but also include Shia, Christian, and Yazidi individuals.
Turkish: An ethnicity native to Turkey, with Turkish as their primary language. Turks make up a significant portion of the Middle East population and are predominantly Sunni Muslim, but also include Alevi, Christian, and Jewish individuals.
Assyrian: An ethnic group native to Iraq, Syria, Iran, and Turkey, with their own language and culture. Assyrians are predominantly Christian (Assyrian Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church), but also include Muslim individuals.
Armenian: An ethnic group native to Armenia, with Armenian as their primary language. Armenians make up a significant portion of the Middle East population and are predominantly Christian (Armenian Apostolic Church), but also include Muslim individuals.
Azeri: An ethnic group native to Azerbaijan, with Azeri as their primary language. Azeris are predominantly Muslim (Shiite), but also include Sunni and Christian individuals.
Circassian: An ethnic group native to the Caucasus region, with their own language and culture. Circassians are predominantly Muslim (Sunni), but also include Christian individuals.
Druze: An ethnic and religious group native to Lebanon, Syria, and Israel, with their own monotheistic religion. Druze are predominantly located in the Levant region and are known for their secretive practices.
Coptic: An ethnic and religious group native to Egypt, with Coptic as their primary language. Copts are predominantly Christian (Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria), but also include Muslim individuals.
Bedouin: A nomadic ethnic group native to the desert regions of the Middle East, with their own language and culture. Bedouins are predominantly Muslim, but also include Christian and Jewish individuals.
Jewish: An ethnic and religious group native to Israel and surrounding areas, with Hebrew as their primary language. Jews are predominantly located in Israel and are known for their unique customs and traditions.
Samaritan: An ethnic and religious group native to Israel and Palestine, with their own Samaritan language. Samaritans are predominantly located in Israel and are known for their unique religious practices.
Yazidi: An ethnic and religious group native to northern Iraq and surrounding areas, with their own religion. Yazidis are predominantly located in Iraq and are known for their unique religious practices and beliefs.
Maronite: An ethnic and religious group native to Lebanon, with Arabic as their primary language. Maronites are predominantly Christian (Maronite Church), but also include Muslim individuals.
Phoenician: An ancient ethnic group native to the Levant region, with their own language and culture. The Phoenicians were known for their seafaring and trade practices and are considered the ancestors of modern-day Lebanese people.
Quote: "The term came into widespread usage as a replacement of the term Near East (as opposed to the Far East) beginning in the early 20th century."
Quote: "The term 'Middle East' has led to some confusion over its changing definitions, and being seen as too Eurocentric."
Quote: "Most Middle Eastern countries (13 out of 18) are part of the Arab world."
Quote: "The most populous countries in the region are Egypt, Turkey, and Iran."
Quote: "Saudi Arabia is the largest Middle Eastern country by area."
Quote: "Several major religions have their origins in the Middle East, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam."
Quote: "Arabs constitute the main ethnic group in the region, followed by Turks, Persians, Kurds, Azeris, Copts, Jews, Assyrians, Iraqi Turkmen, Yazidis, and Greek Cypriots."
Quote: "The Middle East generally has a hot, arid climate, especially in the Arabian and Egyptian regions."
Quote: "The Levantine coast and most of Turkey have relatively temperate climates typical of the Mediterranean, with dry summers and cool, wet winters."
Quote: "Several major rivers provide irrigation to support agriculture in limited areas here, such as the Nile Delta in Egypt, the Tigris and Euphrates watersheds of Mesopotamia, and the basin of the Jordan River that spans most of the Levant."
Quote: "These regions are collectively known as the Fertile Crescent, and comprise the core of what historians had long referred to as the cradle of civilization."
Quote: "Because of the arid climate and heavy reliance on the fossil fuel industry, the Middle East is both a heavy contributor to climate change."
Quote: "The Middle East is a region expected to be severely negatively impacted by climate change."
Quote: "Other concepts of the region exist including the broader Middle East and North Africa (MENA), which includes states of the Maghreb and the Sudan..."
Quote: "...or the 'Greater Middle East' which additionally also includes parts of East Africa, Mauritania, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and sometimes the South Caucasus and Central Asia."