HowStuffWorks "Geography of the Middle East"

WHAT'S INSIDE: MIDDLE EAST

The Middle East encompasses nearly 20 countries. A geopolitical hotspot for several decades, the region sees much military activity in its deserts and lowland plains.

Afghanistan
Bahrain
Cyprus
Egypt
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
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Afghanistan
Afghanistan is the size of Texas and is extremely rugged, with the Hindu Kush mountains running from the northeast to southwest corner of the country.
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- Geography of Kandahar
- Afghanistan
- Geography of Herat
- Geography of Kabul
Bahrain
Bahrain is an archipelago of three islands situated off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Gulf of Bahrain. Bahrain is a strategic transit point for oil tankers to reach the open ocean.
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- Geography of Bahrain
- Geography of Manama
Cyprus
Cyprus is an island in the Mediterranean Sea, just south of Turkey. The geography of Cyprus is dominated by the Troodos Mountains which include the famed Mount Olympus.
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- Geography of Nicosia
- Geography of Cyprus
Egypt
Egypt's features like the Nile River, the Suez Canal, the Red Sea and its capital city of Cairo are steeped in history. Egypt has the largest population of all the Arab countries.
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Iran
Iran is flanked by Iraq and Afghanistan on the west and east, respectively. The center of the country is largely desert with rugged mountain ranges on its borders.
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Iraq
Iraq borders Iran to the east and Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan and Turkey on the west. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers both run through the center of the country.
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Israel
Israel is a small country with a complex geopolitical history. Situated on the Mediterranean Sea, its deserts border Egypt and Jordan.
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Jordan
Mostly desert plateaus, Jordan varies only slightly across the country. Along with Israel, Jordan shares one of the lowest points in the Dead Sea (more than 1,200 ft below sea level).
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- Jordan
- Geography of Amman
Kuwait
Kuwait is a small country wedged in between Iraq to the north and Saudi Arabia to the south. Kuwait's rich oil reserves rest underneath a massive desert plain.
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- Geography of Kuwait
Lebanon
Lebanon's terrain varies from coastal plains alongside the Mediterranean Sea to 12,000 foot mountain peaks that receive heavy winter snowfalls.
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- Geography of the Levant Region
- Geography of Lebanon
Oman
Oman is a small country in the Middle East that is about the size of Kansas. It juts out into the Arabian Sea and has a desert plain in the center of the country with mountain ranges in the north and south.
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- Geography of Oman
- Geography of Muscat
Pakistan
Pakistan shares borders with Iran and China. Pakistan's terrain is largely plateaus and plains in the east and west, but it's also home to the second-highest peak on Earth, called K2.
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Palestine
Palestine sits on the Mediterranean Sea, west of Jordan and to the south of Lebanon. The territory of Palestine covers nearly 10,500 square miles.
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- Hebron
- Geography of Palestine
- West Bank
Qatar
Qatar is a true peninsula that borders Saudi Arabia and juts out into the Persian Gulf. This desert terrain has vast oil reserves and is home to one of the highest per capita incomes in the world.
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- Doha
- Geography of Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia borders the Persian Gulf to the east and Iraq to the north. It is mostly uninhabited desert but contains about 25% of the world's proven oil reserves.
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- Geography of Riyadh
- Geography of Medina
- Geography of Jidda
- Geography of Saudi Arabia
Syria
Syria is south of Turkey and west of Iraq. The mountains in the west descend into plateaus and the Euphrates River valley that runs through the northeastern section of Syria.
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- Geography of Damascus
- Geography of Hamah
Turkey
Turkey is about the size of Texas, and has both coastal plains along the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Mount Ararat, the legendary landing place of Noah's Ark, is located in eastern Turkey.
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United Arab Emirates
Although the United Arab Emirates has several mountain ranges in the east, rolling sand dunes cover the landscape until you get to the coastal plains alongside the Persian Gulf.
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- Geography of the United Arab Emirates
Yemen
Yemen sits on the southeastern tip of the Asian continent and borders the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. The country is home to one of the world's most popular shipping lanes.
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- Geography of Sana
- Yemen
- Geography of Aden
Physical Features
The diverse physical features in the Middle East contain the lowest point on Earth (the Dead Sea) and the second-highest mountain peak (K2).
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