We explain everything about the Middle East, where it is located and how is its geography. In addition, what are its characteristics, economy and more.
What is the Middle East?
It is known as the Middle East or East to the geographical region that is located in the Northeast of Africa and the Southwest of Asia. It is an extremely used term, although there is no strict agreement regarding which countries this region includes.
The Middle East delimitation parameters are geographical, cultural, ethnic and religiousthat’s why there are differences in their delimitation and there is no unique definition in which all authors coincide. However, there is usually a majority agreement that the countries that make up this region are Egypt, Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Syria, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Palestine, Kuwait, Israel, Qatar and Baréin.
The denomination Middle East It began to be used in America and Europe at the end of the 19th and early twentieth centuries. Before, it was used Far East to refer to the most remote territories of Europe (Japan, China, Korea) and Near East to name the closest Asian and African countries. Currently, many of these countries are considered part of the Middle East, which shows that Delimitation criteria are not clearly established.
See also: Asia
Middle East characteristics
Some characteristics of the Middle East region are:
- They are between the northeast of Africa and Southwest of Asia.
- Its delimitation criteria are variable.
- It occupies almost 7 million square kilometers.
- The population of the countries that compose it amounts to more than 430 million inhabitants.
- The predominant climate is the warm arid.
- Its rainfall does not exceed 300 mm per year.
- Its main economic activities are the production of natural oil and gas, agriculture, mining and tourism.
- The predominant language is Arabic.
- The majority religion is Islam.
- Political, military and territorial conflicts are very frequent.
Population and territory of Middle East
If countries that are usually recognized within the Middle East are taken into account, The territorial extension of this region is almost 7 million square kilometers and the population exceeds 430 million inhabitants. The most populated countries are Egypt, Iran and Türkiye, which concentrate almost 40 % of the total population.
Territorial issues have triggered numerous political and military conflicts in this region for decadesamong them, the conflict between Palestine and Israel, which they have faced for more than seventy years.
Tensions between Iran and Iraq are also frequent, and wars in Iraq (2003), Syria (2011) and Yemen (2015) were very significant. The United Nations Organization has tried to intervene to solve the disputes in a diplomatic way, but, despite that, Armed conflicts continue to be frequent in the Middle East.
Middle East climate and relief
Most of the territory of the countries that make up Middle East has a warm arid climate. It is characterized by having high temperatures, with averages above 18 ° C, and few rainfall, which do not exceed 300 millimeters per year.
The relief is varied: There are mountainous areas, such as the Zagros mountain range in Iran; extensive plateaus, such as the anatolia plateau in Türkiye and the Arabian plateau; Plains and valleys, such as the Nile River in Egypt and those of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Iraq; and depressions, such as the Dead Sea on the border between Israel and Jordan.
The warm deserts extend in much of the Middle East. One of the greatest is the Rub al-iri desert, which occupies sectors of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman and United Arab Emirates. It is one of the most extensive sand deserts in the world, with more than 650,000 square kilometers. Despite its large surface, it is a completely uninhabited region. In summer, their temperatures can exceed 55 ° C, and rainfall rarely reaches 50 millimeters per year.
The subsoil is rich in minerals and oil. The latter constitutes the main activity of the majority of the countries in the Middle East, and some of them, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and United Arab Emirates, are part of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Other abundant minerals in the region are natural gas, iron, phosphate, copper, zinc and gold.
Middle East Fauna and Flora
The Animal and Plant Life of the Middle East is determined by extreme climatic conditions. Both animals and plants found there have adaptations that allow them to survive heat and lack of water.
Cactus, acacias and palm trees are plants that can be found in the Middle East. These species develop deep roots that allow them to obtain water from the subsoil, or types of leaves and stems in which they store water. The datile palm is a characteristic plant of the area, from which the typical dates of the region are obtained.
As for fauna, Camells are characteristic animals of the Middle East, since their ability to store water and resist high temperatures allows them to adapt to the extreme climatic conditions of the region. They have also been domesticated and used as a means of transport and load.
In a bit more humid areas, the practice of agriculture and grazing is possiblevery important economic activities for millions of people in the region.
Culture and religion in the Middle East
Middle East is considered one of the cribs of human civilizationso there are living or archaeological footprints of their millenary cultures of capital importance in the history of humanity.
The Mesopotamian region, for example, was key in the origin of the ancient cultures that invented the foundations of civilizationlike writing. Likewise, Persian civilization, present in Iran, is an ancient culture that was played with Hellenic Greece the supremacy of the world in its time.
In the Middle East also come the three great monotheistic religions of the world: the Judaismhe Christianity and the Islam. In the city of Jerusalem, in Israel, there are iconic sites of each of these religions, separated by very short distance: the Omar mosque, sacred place for Islam; The tomb of Jesus Christ, fundamental for Catholic belief, and the wax wall, sacred site for Jewish religion.
Islam is the predominant religion in the Middle Eastwith the exception of the state of Israel, in which the majority profess the Jewish religion, and Arabic is the majority language In almost all countries, although Persian, Turkish and Hebrew are also spoken.
Middle East Economy
The Middle East region is typically mining and oil, since around 60 % of the deposits of Hydrocarbons of the worldespecially oil. This has allowed the emergence of extremely rich countries such as Qatar, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
Mining is also important in the region. In some countries, the exploitation and export of minerals provides much of their income. Phosphate, iron, copper and gold are some of the minerals that are most.
In the wettest areas, agriculture is a fundamental economic activity. This is the case, for example, of Egypt, where intensive agriculture is practiced in the Nile River Valley, which is very important for the country’s economy.
Tourism is another outstanding economic activity for some of the Middle East countries. Among the most visited tourist sites are the city of Petra in Jordan, the city of Jerusalem in Israel, the pyramids of Egypt and the city of Dubai in United Arab Emirates.
Middle East Policy
Many Middle East nations practice monarchy forms for their political organization. Some are absolutist monarchies, such as the case of Saudi Arabia, and others are constitutional monarchies, such as Jordan, Kuwait and Baréin. In addition, other countries use democracy as a form of political organization, such as Israel and Kuwait.
International policy in the region is complexsince it has been the scene of abundant conflicts, wars and foreign interventions. An example of this is the so-called Palestinian-Israelí conflictwhich has its origin after World War I, after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, when France and Great Britain colonized the region and favored Jewish immigration in Palestinian territory.
Other examples were the Persian Gulf War (1990-1991)a series of armed conflicts between Iraq and Kuwait, the latter supported by a coalition of countries led by the United States; and the Iraq War (2003-2011), in which a new coalition of countries led by the United States invaded the territory with the purpose of deposing the then President Saddam Hussein.
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References
- Briceño V., G. (2020). Middle East. Euston96. https://www.euston96.com/
- Martínez de la Garma, A. (2021). Conceptual and geographical constructions of the Middle East and Africa and the influence of Europe. Global Córdoba. International Studies Center. https://cbaglobal.com.ar/
- United Nations Organization. (SF). Middle East and North Africa Region. High Commissioner of the United Nations for Human Rights. https://www.ohchr.org/es/
- United Nations Organization. (2023). Yemen’s war. High Commissioner of the United Nations for Human Rights. https://eacnur.org/es/
