Tears of Hope 

Info About The Middle East

The Middle East is geographically the crossroads where Asia, Europe, and Africa meet. Civilization is said to have started in the Middle East, which is also the birthplace of three of the world's largest religions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Because the term Middle East refers to a cultural area, it does not have precise borders. Many languages are spoken throughout the Middle East, although, Arabic is one of the most prevalent. Other major languages spoken in this region include Aramaic, Farsi (Persian), Hebrew, Kurdish, Turkish, and English.

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Most Middle Eastern countries are considered to be part of Asia. However, the Northern African countries along the Mediterranean Sea, like Egypt, where the Islamic faith is widely practiced and where Arabic is widely spoken, are often associated with this region.

There is considerable debate regarding which countries make up the modern definition of the Middle East. This definition is further muddled by changes in political boundaries caused by the often-publicized border disputes that have plagued some parts of this area.

Nevertheless, one common definition of the Middle East includes the following countries: Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Following is some brief information about these countries. Population estimates are given for the year 2005. Land area figures are provided in square kilometers, abbreviated as sq km, and square miles, abbreviated as sq m .

BAHRAIN
Bahrain is a tiny island nation consisting of 33 isles located off the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf. The country is about three-and-a-half times the size of Washington, D.C., at 665 sq km (257 sq m). The population was approximately 688,000 people , most of whom live in the country’s capital, Manama. Bahrain is governed by a constitutional hereditary monarchy.

EGYPT
Egypt, home of the Great Pyramids (one of the seven Ancient Wonders of the World), is located in Northeastern Africa and connects with the rest of the Middle East via the Sinai Peninsula. Egypt is the only African country that is almost invariably included in the definition of the Middle East, due to its large Arabic-speaking and Muslim population. The country is about three times the size of New Mexico at a little over a million sq km (386,662 sq m). Egypt’s population, the largest of any country in the Arab world, was around 77.5 million . Cairo is the capital and seat of the country’s government. The chief of state is an elected president.

IRAN
Iran’s principal language is Persian (or Farsi). The country is slightly larger than Alaska at a little over 1.6 million sq km (636,296 sq m). About 68 million people lived in the country, whose form of government is referred to as a theocratic republic. Tehran is the capital.

IRAQ
Iraq’s capital is Baghdad and the country is inhabited by about 26 million people . At 437,072 sq km (168,754 sq m), the country is a little more than twice the size of Idaho. Iraq’s government was undergoing a major transition at the time of this writing.

ISRAEL
Israel shares its northern border with Lebanon. Although Hebrew is the country’s official language, English and Arabic are widely spoken. The country is just a bit smaller than New Jersey at 20,770 sq km (8,019 sq m). Recent population figures were recorded at about 6.3 million people. The country is governed by a parliamentary democracy seated in the capital of Jerusalem.

JORDAN
Jordan is a little smaller than Indiana at 92,300 sq km (35,637 sq m) and had a recent population of around 5.7 million people . Its capital ’Amman is the seat of the country’s constitutional monarchy.

KUWAIT
Kuwait is also slightly smaller than New Jersey at 17,820 sq km (6,880 sq m). About 2.3 million people lived in the country in 2005. Kuwait’s capital is also called Kuwait, the seat of the country’s constitutional monarchy of record.

LEBANON
Tears of Hope begins in Lebanon, Aimmee's birthplace. Lebanon is about the three-fourths the size of Connecticut at 10,400 sq km (4,015 sq m). The country’s west coast borders the Mediterranean Sea and its eastern border is bound by the cedar-topped Lebanon Mountains. The country’s approximately 3.8 million people are governed by a republic with a president chief of state. As noted in the book, French and Armenian are widely spoken in Lebanon, along with English. Beirut, sometimes referred to as the Paris of the Middle East, is the country’s capital.

OMAN
Oman is a little smaller than Kansas at 212,460 sq km (82,031 sq m). About 3 million people make this monarchy their home. Muscat is the capital of Oman.

QATAR
Qatar is governed by a traditional monarchy with its capital in Doha. The country is 11,437 sq km (4,415 sq m), a bit smaller than Connecticut.

SAUDIA ARABIA
Saudia Arabia is physically the largest country in the Middle East at over 1.9 million sq km (about 756,985 sq m). It is about one-fifth the size of the United States. Governed by a constitutional monarchy seated in Riyadh, the capital, Saudi Arabia is home to approximately 26.4 million people . Aimmee and several of her family members have lived in Saudi Arabia, which is mentioned several times within the story.

SYRIA
Syria’s government is a republic on record. Aimmee’s family fled to its capital, Damascus, after the Lebanese Civil War began. Currently, around 18.4 million people live in the country, which is a bit larger than North Dakota at 185,180 sq km (71,498 sq m).

UNITED ARAB
United Arab Emirates is governed by a federation headed by a president chief of state. The country is a little smaller than Maine at 82,850 sq km (about 31,989 sq m). About 2.5 million people live in the country, whose capital is Abu Dhabi.

YEMEN
Yemen is a republic with a president as chief of state. About 20.7 million people live in the country, which is a little bigger than twice the size of Wyoming at 527,970 sq km (203,850 sq m). Its capital is Sanaa.

WEST BENK & GAZA STRIE
The West Bank and Gaza Strip are two highly disputed territories between Palestine and Israel. The West Bank lies west of Jordan and is the larger of the areas at 5,860 sq km (about 2,263 sq m); it is a bit smaller than Delaware. About 2.4 million people live in the area. The Gaza Strip is located between Egypt and Israel on the Mediterranean Sea. Its area encompasses 360 sq km (about 139 sq m) and home to about 1.4 million people .

Other countries that might appear in the many varying definitions of the Middle East include : Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Djibouti, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Pakistan, Sudan, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

For more information about the Middle East, visit your local library, consult a general print or online encyclopedia, (such as World Book, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Encyclopedia.com, or Wikipedia.com ), or visit the following Web sites:

World Factbook -www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ index.html

For more information specifically about Lebanon, please visit the following links:

Cedarland.org

Lebanese President

Links to other Lebanese governmental and public sites

World Factbook: Lebanon