![]() ![]() At the same time, parts of the country were occupied by Syria from 1976-2005 and by Israel from 1985-2000. Lebanon endured a civil war from 1975-1990. Lebanon was part of the Roman Empire in the time of Christ and was later ruled first by the Ottoman Empire (until the end of World War I) and then by France until the end of World War II. Lebanon was the home of the Phoenicians, a group of seagoing traders famous at the time for trading in Tyrean purple dye and known today for creating the earliest confirmed alphabet, which evolved into/inspired the alphabets of many European alphabets still in use today (Italian, Spanish, English, French). A mountainous country, the region that would come to be known as Lebanon has been inhabited for more than 7000 years, and its recorded history goes back to 3,000 BC. Lebanon lies on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean sea, just north of Israel, south of the Syrian Desert, and west of Syria. Easily the smallest nation in the Middle East, Bahrain squeezes 1.7 million people onto a scant 294 square miles of land, which results in a population density of about 4,690 people per square mile. In fact, Bahrain is connected to Saudi Arabia by the King Fahd Causeway, a massive series of bridges and highway that stretches 25 km (15.5 mi) across the sea, from one shore to the other. Profiles of Middle Eastern Countries BahrainĪlso known as the Kingdom of Bahrain, this diminutive country is actually a chain of small islands, 50 natural and 33 man-made, in the Persian Gulf, just off the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia. For a statistical look at the Middle East as a whole, see the table further down this page. In the next section, we will take a closer look at a few specific Middle Eastern countries. Moreover, every country in the Middle East (at least, of the 16 most often-included countries) touches a large body of water, be it the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, or Persian Gulf, which is helpful for commerce. Fortunately for the agricultural industry in the Middle East, numerous rivers flow, twist, and wind through the region, including the Nile, the Tigris, and the Euphrates. This is arguably unsurprising given the region's proximity to the equator. In general, the Middle Eastern climate leans towards being hot and relatively dry, especially once one moves inland from the coast. The most prominent religions practiced in the Middle East are Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Mandaeism, Baha'i, and Unitarian Druidism, along with many other smaller belief systems and practices. Arabs, Kurds, Turks, Azeris, and Persians make up the majority, and minority ethnic groups include Zazas, Assyrians, Jews, Lurs, Shabaks, Balochs, Druze, Berbers, Samaritans, Copts, and Mandeans. The countries that make up the Middle East vary greatly in size, culture, and language. In contrast, Bahrain is the Middle Eastern country with the smallest total area. The largest Middle Eastern country in terms of physical size is Saudi Arabia. List of Countries in the Middle East Always included At least one source also lists Akrotiri and Dhekelia, two tiny British territories on Cyprus, as a single separate entry. A few sources expand the area westward to include Sudan and Libya in Africa, or eastward to include central Asia ( Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan). Many lists of Middle Eastern countries also include the mercurial Cyprus, which is frequently considered European politically but Asian geographically. ![]()
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