The Middle East is not a country. It’s not a continent. It has no set borders. What is it then? What is it in the middle of?
WHERE IS THE MIDDLE EAST?
The
heart of the Middle East stretches from Egypt in northeastern Africa to
the countries of southwestern Asia. People disagree over exactly which
countries make up the Middle East. Some scholars use a broader cultural
definition. They believe the Middle East also includes all of the Muslim
countries of northern Africa, as well as Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The
term Middle East was coined in 1902 by a traveler from America. He
meant the lands east of Europe but west of India and China. In truth,
the heart of the Middle East is easier to locate than its edges.
WHO LIVES THERE?
Most
of the people in the Middle East are Arabs. Other groups include the
Persians of Iran, the Turks of Turkey, the Jews of Israel, and the
Kurds. Most Kurds live in Turkey, Iran, and Iraq. The main language is
Arabic. The languages of Farsi, Turkish, Hebrew, and Kurdish are also
spoken.
More
than 90 percent of the people in the Middle East are Muslims, who
follow the religion of Islam. Yet the Jewish state of Israel is located
at the heart of the Middle East. Small communities of Christians live
there, too.
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