Wikipedia

West Asia

Not to be confused withMiddle East.

West Asia,also calledWestern AsiaorSouthwest Asia,is the westernmost region ofAsia.As defined by most academics,UNbodies and other institutions, the subregion consists ofAnatolia,theArabian Peninsula,Iran,Mesopotamia,theArmenian highlands,theLevant,theisland of Cyprus,theSinai Peninsulaand theSouth Caucasus.[4][5][6]The region is separated fromAfricaby theIsthmus of SuezinEgypt,and separated fromEuropeby the waterways of theTurkish Straitsand the watershed of theGreater Caucasus.Central Asialies to its northeast, whileSouth Asialies to its east. Twelve seas surround the region (clockwise): theAegean Sea,theSea of Marmara,theBlack Sea,theCaspian Sea,thePersian Gulf,theGulf of Oman,theArabian Sea,theGulf of Aden,theRed Sea,theGulf of Aqaba,theGulf of Suez,and theMediterranean Sea.West Asia contains the majority of the similarly definedMiddle East.The Middle East is a political term that has changed many times depending on political and historical context while West Asia is a geographical term with more consistency. It excludes most of Egypt and the northwestern part ofTurkey,and includes thesouthern part of the Caucasus.

West Asia
Area5,994,935 km2(2,314,657 sq mi)a
Population313,450,000 (2018) (9th)[1][2]
Population density50.1/km2(130/sq mi)
GDP(PPP)$9.063 trillion (2019)[3]
GDP (nominal)$3.383 trillion (2019)[3]
GDP per capita$10,793 (2019; nominal)[3]
$28,918 (2019; PPP)[3]
HDIIncrease0.699 (medium)
Ethnic groupsArabs,Persians,Turks,Kurds,Azerbaijanis,Armenians,Jews,Assyrians,Baloch,etc.
ReligionsIslam,Christianity,Judaism,Baháʼí,Druzism,Yarsanism,Yazidism,Zoroastrianism,Mandaeism,Hinduism,Buddhism,etc.
DemonymWest Asian
Western Asian
Countries
3 unrecognized
DependenciesAkrotiri and Dhekelia
Languages
Official languages
Other languages
  • Afroasiatic:
  • Austronesian:
  • Indo-European:
  • NE Caucasian:
  • NW Caucasian:
  • Turkic:
Time zones
5 time zones
InternetTLD.ae,.am,.az,.bh,.cy,.eg,.ge,.il,.iq,.ir,.jo,.kw,.lb,.om,.ps,.qa,.sa,.sy,.tr,.ye
Calling codeZone 9 except Armenia, Cyprus (Zone 3) & Sinai (Zone 2)
Largest cities
Listb
UN M49code145– West Asia
142–Asia
001– World
aArea and population figures include theSinai

West Asia covers an area of 5,994,935 km2(2,314,657 sq mi), with a population of about 313 million.[1][2]Of the 20 UN member countries fully or partly within the region, 13 are part of theArab world.The most populous countries in West Asia areIran,Turkey,Iraq,Saudi ArabiaandYemen.

In theWorld Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions(WGSRPD), West Asia excludes the Arabian Peninsula and includesAfghanistan.[7]TheFood and Agriculture Organization(FAO) excludes Egypt and includes Afghanistan.[8]TheUnited Nations Environment ProgrammeexcludesCyprus,Israel,Turkey,andIranfrom West Asia.[9]

Definition

The termWest Asiais used pragmatically and has no "correct" or generally accepted definition. Its typical definitions overlap substantially, but not entirely, with definitions of the termsMiddle East,Eastern Mediterranean,andNear East(which is historically familiar but widely deprecated today). TheNational GeographicStyle Manualas well asMaddison'sThe World Economy: Historical Statistics(2003) by theOrganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD) include only Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Palestine (called West Bank and Gaza in the latter), Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, UAE, and Yemen as West Asian countries.[10][11]By contrast, theUnited Nations Industrial Development Organization(UNIDO) in its 2015 yearbook includes Armenia and Azerbaijan, and excludes Israel (as Other) and Turkey (as Europe).[12]

Unlike the UNIDO, theUnited Nations Statistics Division(UNSD) excludes Iran from West Asia and includes Turkey, Georgia, and Cyprus in the region.[13]In the United Nations geopoliticalEastern European Group,Armenia and Georgia are included in Eastern Europe, whereas Cyprus and East Thracian Turkey are in Southern Europe. These three nations are listed in the European category of theUnited Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation(UNESCO).

National members of West Asian sports governing bodies are limited to Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.[14][15][16]TheOlympic Council of Asia's multi-sport eventWest Asian Gamesare contested by athletes representing these 13 countries. Among the region's sports organisations are theWest Asia Basketball Association,West Asian Billiards and Snooker Federation,West Asian Football Federation,and theWest Asian Tennis Federation.

History

See also:History of the Middle East,Ancient Near East,History of the Ottoman Empire,Treaty of Gulistan,Treaty of Turkmenchay,andPartitioning of the Ottoman Empire

"Western Asia" was in use as a geographical term in the early 19th century, before "Near East"became current as a geopolitical concept.[17]In the context of the history ofclassical antiquity,"Western Asia" could mean the part of Asia known in classical antiquity, as opposed to the reaches of "interior Asia", i.e.Scythia,and "Eastern Asia" the easternmost reaches of geographical knowledge in classical authors, i.e.TransoxaniaandIndia.[18][19][20]In the 20th century, "Western Asia" was used to denote a rough geographical era in the fields ofarchaeologyandancient history,especially as a shorthand for "theFertile CrescentexcludingAncient Egypt"for the purposes of comparing the early civilizations of Egypt and the former.[21]

Use of the term in the context of contemporarygeopoliticsorworld economyappears to date from at least the mid-1960s.[22]

Geography

See also:Geography of Asia

The region is surrounded by eight major seas; theAegean Sea,theBlack Sea,theCaspian Sea,thePersian Gulf,theArabian Sea,theGulf of Aden,theRed Sea,and theMediterranean Sea.

To the northwest and north, the region is delimited fromEuropeby theTurkish Straitsand drainage divide of theGreater Caucasus,to the southwest, it is delimited fromAfricaby theIsthmus of Suez,while to the northeast and east, the region adjoinsCentral AsiaandSouth Asia.The region is located east ofSouthern Europeand south ofEastern Europe.

TheDasht-e KavirandDasht-e Lutdeserts in easternIrannaturally delimit the region fromBalochistanand South Asia.

Geology

Plate tectonics

Three majortectonic platesconverge on West Asia, including theAfrican,Eurasian,andArabianplates. The boundaries between the tectonic plates make up theAzores-Gibraltar Ridge,extending acrossNorth Africa,theRed Sea,and into Iran.[23][better source needed]The Arabian Plate is moving northward into theAnatolian plate(Turkey) at theEast Anatolian Fault,[24]and the boundary between theAegeanand Anatolian plate in easternTurkeyis alsoseismicallyactive.[23]

Water resources

Several majoraquifersprovidewaterto large portions of West Asia. In Saudi Arabia, two large aquifers ofPalaeozoicandTriassicorigins are located beneath theJabal Tuwayqmountains and areas west to the Red Sea.[25][better source needed]CretaceousandEocene-origin aquifers are located beneath large portions of central and eastern Saudi Arabia, including Wasia and Biyadh which contain amounts of bothfresh waterandsaline water.[25]Flood or furrow irrigation, as well as sprinkler methods, are extensively used forirrigation,covering nearly 90,000 km2(35,000 sq mi) across West Asia for agriculture.[26]Also, theTigrisandEuphratesrivers contribute very well.

Climate

ALebaneseCedar Forestin winter
Köppen climate classificationmap of West Asia
See also:Climate of Asia

West Asia is primarilyaridandsemi-arid,and can be subject todrought,but it also contains vast expanses of forest and fertile valleys. The region consists ofgrasslands,rangelands,deserts,andmountains.Water shortagesare a problem in many parts of West Asia, with rapidly growingpopulationsincreasing demands for water, whilesalinizationandpollutionthreaten water supplies.[27]Major rivers, including theTigrisandEuphrates,provide sources forirrigationwater to supportagriculture.

There are two wind phenomena in West Asia: thesharqiand theshamal.Thesharqi(orsharki) is awindthat comes from the south and southeast. It is seasonal, lasting from April to early June, and comes again between late September and November. The winds are dry and dusty, with occasional gusts up to 80 kilometres per hour (50 miles per hour) and often kick up violent sand and dust storms that can carry sand a few thousand meters high, and can close down airports for short periods of time. These winds can last for a full day at the beginning and end of the season, and for several days during the middle of the season. Theshamalis a summer northwesterly wind blowing over Iraq and the Persian Gulf states (including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait), often strong during the day, but decreasing at night. This weather effect occurs anywhere from once to several times a year.[28]

Topography

West Asia contains large areas of mountainous terrain. TheAnatolian Plateauis sandwiched between thePontus MountainsandTaurus MountainsinTurkey.Mount Araratin Turkey rises to 5,137 m (16,854 ft). TheZagros Mountainsare located in Iran, in areas along its border with Iraq. The Central Plateau of Iran is divided into twodrainage basins.The northern basin isDasht-e Kavir(Great Salt Desert), andDasht-e-Lutis the southern basin.

InYemen,elevations exceed 3,700 m (12,100 ft) in many areas, andhighlandareas extend north along theRed Seacoast and north intoLebanon.Afaultzone also exists along the Red Sea, with continentalriftingcreatingtrough-liketopographywith areas located well belowsea level.[29]TheDead Sea,located on the border between theWest Bank,Israel,andJordan,is situated at 418 m (1,371 ft) below sea level, making it thelowest pointon the surface of theEarth.[30]

Rub' al Khali,one of the world's largest sand deserts, spans the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula in Saudi Arabia, parts of Oman, theUnited Arab Emiratesand Yemen.Jebel al Akhdaris a small range of mountains located in northeastern Oman, bordering theGulf of Oman.

Demographics

Further information:Demographics of the Middle East
See also:Ethnic groups in the Middle East

The population of West Asia was estimated at 272 million as of 2008, projected to reach 370 million by 2030 by Maddison (2007; the estimate excludes the Caucasus and Cyprus). This corresponds to an annual growth rate of 1.4% (or adoubling timeof 50 years), well above theworld averageof 0.9% (doubling time 75 years). The population of West Asia is estimated at 4% ofworld population,up from about 39 million at the beginning of the 20th century, or about 2% of world population at the time.[31]

The most populous countries in the region areTurkeyandIran,each with around 79 million people, followed byIraqandSaudi Arabiawith around 33 million people each, andYemenwith around 29 million people.

Numerically, West Asia is predominantlyArab,Persian,Turkish,and the dominating languages are correspondinglyArabic,PersianandTurkish,each with of the order of 70 million speakers, followed by smaller communities ofKurdish,Azerbaijani,Hebrew,ArmenianandNeo-Aramaic.The dominance of Arabic and Turkish is the result of the medievalArabandTurkicinvasions beginning with the Islamic conquests of the 7th century AD, which displaced the formerly dominantAramaicin theregion of Syria,andGreekin Anatolia, althoughHebrewbecame the dominant language inIsraelin the second half of the 20th century, andNeo-Aramaic(spoken by modernArameans,Assyrians,andChaldeans) andGreekboth remain present in their respective territories as minority languages.

Significant native minorities include, in alphabetical order:Arameans,Assyrians,[32]Chaldeans,[33]Druze,[34]Jews,Lurs,Mandeans,Maronites,ShabaksandYezidis.

Religion

Religion in West Asia (2020)[35]

Islam(92.59%)
Christianity(3.87%)
Judaism(2.02%)
No religion(1.16%)
Hinduism(0.32%)
Other religions (0.25%)
Buddhism(0.15%)
Folk religions(0.06%)

Fourmajor religious groups(i.e. the two largest religions in the world:Christianity and Islam,plusJudaismandDruze faith) originated in West Asia.[36][37][38]Islamis the largest religion in West Asia, but other faiths that originated there, such asJudaismandChristianity,[39]are also well represented.

InArmeniaandGeorgia,Oriental OrthodoxyandEastern Orthodoxyrespectively are the predominant religions,[40]and there are still different ancient communities ofEastern ChristiansinAzerbaijan.[40]There are still large ancient communities ofEastern Christians(such asAssyrians,Middle Eastern ChristiansandArab Christians) inLebanon,[40]Iraq,[40]Iran,[41]Turkey,[42][40]Syria,[40]Jordan,[40]IsraelandPalestinenumbering more than 3 million in West Asia.[40]There are also large populations of expatriate workers which include sizeable Christian communities living in theArabian Peninsulanumbering more than 3 million.[43]Christian communitieshaveplayed a vital rolein West Asia.[44]

Judaismis the predominant religion inIsrael,and there are small ancient Jewish communities in West Asia such as inTurkey(14,300),[45]Azerbaijan(9,100),[46]andIran(8,756).[47]

TheDruzeFaith or Druzism originated in West Asia. It is a monotheistic religion based on the teachings of figures likeHamza ibn-'Ali ibn-AhmadandAl-Hakim bi-Amr Allahand Greekphilosopherssuch asPlatoandAristotle.The number ofDruzepeople worldwide is around one million, with about 45% to 50% living inSyria,35% to 40% living inLebanon,and less than 10% living inIsrael;recently there has been a growing Druze diaspora.[48]

There are also important minority religions like theBaháʼí Faith,Yarsanism,Yazidism,[49]Zoroastrianism,Mandaeism,andShabakism.

Economy

See also:Economy of the Middle East

Theeconomyof West Asia is diverse and the region experiences high economic growth. Turkey has the largest economy in the region, followed bySaudi Arabiaand Iran.Petroleumis the majorindustryin the regional economy, as more than half of the world'soil reservesand around 40 percent of the world'snatural gasreservesare located in the region.

Statistical data

Country,withflag Area
(km2) 		Population[50][51]
(2021) 		Density
(per km2) 		Capital Nominal GDP[52]
(2012) 		Per capita[53]
(2012) 		Currency Government Official languages
Anatolia:
Turkey[note 1] 783,562 84,775,404 94.1 Ankara $788.042 billion $10,523 Turkish lira Presidential republic Turkish
Arabian Peninsula:
Bahrain 780 1,463,265 1,646.1 Manama $30.355 billion $26,368 Bahraini dinar Constitutional monarchy Arabic
Kuwait 17,820 4,250,114 167.5 Kuwait City $184.540 billion $48,761 Kuwaiti dinar Constitutional monarchy Arabic
Oman 212,460 4,520,471 9.2 Muscat $78.290 billion $25,356 Omani rial Absolute monarchy Arabic
Qatar 11,437 2,688,235 123.2 Doha $192.402 billion $104,756 Qatari riyal Absolute monarchy Arabic
Saudi Arabia 2,149,690 35,950,396 12 Riyadh $733.956 billion $25,139 Saudi riyal Absolute monarchy Arabic
United Arab Emirates 82,880 9,365,145 97 Abu Dhabi $383.799 billion $43,774 UAE dirham Federalconstitutional monarchy Arabic
Yemen 527,970 32,981,641 44.7 Sana'a(Houthi-ledgovernment)
Aden(Seat of government) 		$35.05 billion $1,354 Yemeni rial Provisionalpresidential republic Arabic
South Caucasus:
Abkhazia(unrecognized) 8,660 242,862 28 Sukhumi $500 million N/A Georgian lari Semi-presidentialrepublic Abkhaz
Russian
Armenia 29,800 2,790,974 108.4 Yerevan $9.950 billion $3,033 Armenian dram Semi-presidentialrepublic Armenian
Azerbaijan 86,600 10,312,992 105.8 Baku $68.700 billion $7,439 Azerbaijani manat Presidential republic Azerbaijani
Georgia 69,700 3,757,980 68.1 Tbilisi $15.847 billion $3,523 Georgian lari Semi-presidentialrepublic Georgian
South Ossetia(unrecognized) 3,900 53,532 13 Tskhinvali $500 million N/A Georgian lari Semi-presidentialrepublic Ossetian
Russian
Fertile Crescent:
Iraq 438,317 43,533,592 73.5 Baghdad $216.044 billion $6,410 Iraqi dinar Parliamentary republic Arabic
Kurdish
Israel 20,770 8,900,059 365.3 Jerusalem1 $353.65 billion $39,106 Israeli new shekel Parliamentary republic Hebrew
Jordan 92,300 11,148,278 68.4 Amman $30.98 billion $4,843 Jordanian dinar Constitutional monarchy Arabic
Lebanon 10,452 5,592,631 404 Beirut $42.519 billion $10,425 Lebanese pound Parliamentary republic Arabic
Palestine[note 2] 6,220 5,133,392 667 Ramallah2 $6.6 billion $1,600 Egyptian pound,Jordanian dinar,Israeli new shekel Semi-presidentialrepublic Arabic
Syria 185,180 21,324,367 118.3 Damascus N/A N/A Syrian pound Presidential republic Arabic
Iranian Plateau:
Iran 1,648,195 87,923,432 45 Tehran $548.590 billion $7,207 Iranian rial Islamic republic Persian
Mediterranean Sea:
Akrotiri and Dhekelia3 254 15,700 N/A Episkopi N/A N/A Euro Stratocraticdependencyunder aconstitutional monarchy English
Cyprus 9,250 1,244,188 117 Nicosia $22.995 billion $26,377 Euro Presidential republic Greek
Turkish
Northern Cyprus(unrecognized) 3,355 313,626 93 North Nicosia $4.032 billion $15,109 Turkish lira Semi-presidential republic Turkish
Sinai Peninsula:
Egypt[note 3] 60,000 109,262,178 82 Cairo $262.26 billion $3,179 Egyptian pound Presidential republic Arabic

Notes:
1Ramallah is the actual location of the government, whereas the proclaimed capital of Palestine isJerusalem,which isdisputed.[note 4]
2Jerusalemis theproclaimed capital of Israeland the actual location of theKnesset,Israeli Supreme Court,etc. Due to itsdisputedstatus, most embassies are inTel Aviv.[note 4]
3British Overseas Territory

Sports

Map

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^The figures for Turkey includesEast Thrace,which is not a part of Anatolia.
  2. ^UN observer state.
  3. ^The area and population figures for Egypt only include theSinai Peninsula.
  4. ^abJerusalem is Israel'sde jurecapital underIsraeli law,as well as itsde factocapital by the location of the presidential residence, government offices, supreme court and parliament (Knesset). Jerusalem is the State of Palestine'sde jurecapital under its"2003 Amended Basic Law".17 February 2008,but not itsde factocapital as its government branches are based inRamallah.The UN and mostsovereign statesdo not recognize Jerusalem as either state'sde jurecapital under the position that Jerusalem's status is pending future negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. In practice, therefore, most maintain their embassies inTel Avivand its suburbs, or else in suburbs such asMevaseret Zionoutside Jerusalem proper. SeeCIA Factbook,"Map of Israel"(PDF)andStatus of Jerusalemfor more information.

Citations

  1. ^ab"World Population prospects – Population division".United Nations.Archivedfrom the original on 5 February 2019.Retrieved16 July2019.
  2. ^ab"Overall total population"(xlsx).United Nations.Retrieved16 July2019.
  3. ^abcd"World Economic Outlook Database".imf.org.IMF.Outlook Database, October 2020
  4. ^"Land Use Dynamics and Institutional Changes in West Asia"(PDF).
  5. ^"Western Asia".Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA.Retrieved2024-04-14.
  6. ^"World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2016-01-25.
  7. ^Brummitt, R. K. (2001).World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions(PDF)(2nd ed.). International Working Group on Taxonomic Databases For Plant Sciences (TDWG). Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2016-01-25.Retrieved2021-07-27.
  8. ^"Chapter 21. West Asia".www.fao.org.Retrieved2023-07-17.
  9. ^Environment, U. N. (2023-04-12)."West Asia".Ozonaction.Retrieved2023-12-12.
  10. ^Miller, David."West Asia".National Geographic Style Manual.National Geographic Society.Retrieved2021-02-16.
  11. ^Maddison, Angus(2004).The World Economy: Historical Statistics.Development Centre Studies. Paris, France:Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD) (published 2003).ISBN978-92-64-10412-9.LCCN2004371607.OCLC53465560.
  12. ^United Nations Industrial Development Organization Vienna (UNIDO)(2005).International Yearbook of Industrial Statistics 2015.Cheltenham, UK:Edward Elgar Publishing.p. 14.ISBN9781784715502.
  13. ^"Standard Country or Area Codes for Statistical Use".Millenniumindicators.un.org.Retrieved2012-08-25.The UNSD notes that the "assignment of countries or areas to specific groupings is merely for statistical convenience and does not imply any assumption regarding political or other affiliation of countries or territories."
  14. ^"WABSF Member Countries".Archived fromthe originalon 2017-12-01.Retrieved2017-03-31.
  15. ^"The West Asian Games".Topend Sports.
  16. ^"WAFF Member Associations".The-Waff.com.Archived fromthe originalon 2018-08-01.Retrieved2017-03-31.
  17. ^e.g. James Rennell,A treatise on the comparative geography of western Asia,1831.
  18. ^James Rennell,The Geographical System of Herodotus Examined and Explained,1800,p. 210.
  19. ^Hugh Murray,Historical Account of Discoveries and Travels in Asia(1820).
  20. ^Samuel Whelpley,A compend of history, from the earliest times,1808,p. 9Archived2022-11-20 at theWayback Machine.
  21. ^e.g. Petrus Van Der Meer,The Chronology of Ancient Western Asia and Egypt,1955. Karl W. Butzer,Physical Conditions in Eastern Europe, Western Asia and Egypt Before the Period of Agricultural and Urban Settlement,1965.
  22. ^The Tobacco Industry of Western Asia,U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service, 1964.
  23. ^abBeaumont (1988), p. 22
  24. ^Muehlberger, Bill."The Arabian Plate".NASA, Johnson Space Center. Archived fromthe originalon 2007-07-06.
  25. ^abBeaumont (1988), p. 86
  26. ^"Land & Water".Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
  27. ^"Chapter 7: Middle East and Arid Asia".IPCC Special Report on The Regional Impacts of Climate Change: An Assessment of Vulnerability.United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). 2001. Archived fromthe originalon 2016-03-03.Retrieved2016-02-09.
  28. ^Bahl, Taru; M H Syed, eds. (2003).Encyclopaedia of the Muslim World.New Delhi: Anmol Publications. p. 20.ISBN978-81-261-1419-1.Retrieved1 February2009.
  29. ^Sweeney, Jerry J.; Walter, William R. (December 1, 1998)."Region #4 — Red Sea Continental Rift Zone"(PDF).Preliminary Definition of Geophysical Regions for the Middle East and North Africa.Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. p. 8. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on November 27, 2007.RetrievedMarch 1,2009.
  30. ^"ASTER Image Gallery: The Dead Sea".NASA. Archived fromthe originalon 2006-08-30.
  31. ^Data for "15 West Asian countries", from Maddison (2003, 2007).Angus Maddison, 2003,The World Economy: Historical Statistics,Vol. 2, OECD, Paris,ISBN92-64-10412-7.Statistical Appendix(2007, ggdc.net) "The historical data were originally developed in three books: Monitoring the World Economy 1820–1992, OECD, Paris 1995; The World Economy: A Millennial Perspective, OECD Development Centre, Paris 2001; The World Economy: Historical Statistics, OECD Development Centre, Paris 2003. All these contain detailed source notes." Estimates for 2008 by country (in millions): Turkey (71.9), Iran (70.2), Iraq (28.2), Saudi Arabia (28.1), Yemen (23.0), Syria (19.7), Israel (6.5), Jordan (6.2), Palestine (4.1), Lebanon (4.0), Oman (3.3), United Arab Emirates (2.7), Kuwait (2.6), Qatar (0.9), Bahrain (0.7).
  32. ^Laing-Marshall 2005,p. 149–150.
  33. ^"Who are the Chaldean Christians?".BBC News.March 13, 2008.RetrievedMarch 26,2010.
  34. ^C. Held, Colbert (2008).Middle East Patterns: Places, People, and Politics.Routledge. p. 109.ISBN9780429962004.Worldwide, they number 1 million or so, with about 45 to 50 percent in Syria, 35 to 40 percent in Lebanon, and less than 10 percent in Israel. Recently there has been a growing Druze diaspora.
  35. ^"Religious Composition by Country, 2010–2050".www.pewforum.org.2 April 2015. Archived fromthe originalon 2019-12-21.Retrieved2020-10-18.
  36. ^"Middle East (region, Asia)".Britannica.Retrieved9 April2012.
  37. ^MacQueen, Benjamin (2013).An Introduction to Middle East Politics: Continuity, Change, Conflict and Co-operation.SAGE. p. 5.ISBN9781446289761.The Middle East is the cradle of the three monotheistic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
  38. ^Takacs, Sarolta (2015).The Modern World: Civilizations of Africa, Civilizations of Europe, Civilizations of the Americas, Civilizations of the Middle East and Southwest Asia, Civilizations of Asia and the Pacific.Routledge. p. 552.ISBN9781317455721.
  39. ^Jenkins, Philip (2020).The Rowman & Littlefield Handbook of Christianity in the Middle East.Rowman & Littlefield. p. XLVIII.ISBN9781538124185.The Middle East still stands at the heart of the Christian world. After all, it is the birthplace, and the death place, of Christ, and the cradle of the Christian tradition.
  40. ^abcdefgh"Global Christianity – A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Christian Population"(PDF).Pew Research Center.
  41. ^Price, Massoume (December 2002)."History of Christians and Christianity in Iran".Christianity in Iran.FarsiNet Inc.Retrieved1 December2009.
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  44. ^Curtis, Michael (2017).Jews, Antisemitism, and the Middle East.Routledge. p. 173.ISBN9781351510721.
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  47. ^"Jewish woman brutally murdered in Iran over property dispute".The Times of Israel.28 November 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 19 August 2014.Retrieved16 August2014.A government census published earlier this year indicated there were a mere 8,756 Jews left in IranSee
  48. ^C. Held, Colbert (2008).Middle East Patterns: Places, People, and Politics.Routledge. p. 109.ISBN9780429962004.Worldwide, they number 1 million or so, with about 45 to 50 percent in Syria, 35 to 40 percent in Lebanon, and less than 10 percent in Israel. Recently there has been a growing Druze diaspora.
  49. ^Fuccaro, Nelida (1999).The Other Kurds: Yazidis in Colonial Iraq.London & New York: I. B. Tauris. p. 9.ISBN1860641709.
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  52. ^"GDP".IMF.Retrieved2014-04-16.
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Sources

Further reading

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