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Middle East
An area comprising the countries of southwest Asia and northeast Africa. In the 20th century, the region has been the continuing scene of political and economic turmoil.
2,574 Questions
Is Ramallah the capital of Palestine?
Palestinians claim East Jerusalem to be their capital, however, as Jerusalem is entirely in Israeli jurisdiction, this does not function as a de facto Palestinian capital. Historically, before 1967, Palestine did not have a capital.
Currently Palestine is split between two separate factions. The Palestinian Authority, which controls sporadic areas in the West Bank has its administrative offices and facilities in the city of Ramallah, to the north of Jerusalem. However, in support of their claim that Jerusalem is their future capital, they have designated Abu Dis (the closest area under their control to Jerusalem) as their official current capital. Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, similarly claims Jerusalem as its capital, but has its administrative facilities in Gaza City and its organizational offices in Damascus, Syria.
Why is irrigation in the middle east so important?
There is a lot of desert or semi-arid land in the middle east. In those locations where there is not enough rain, you need to irrigate in order to grow crops. Of course, these countries also have the option of importing food, but it is useful to be able to grow something locally as well.
What was the relationship between America and the Middle East?
America has influenced the clothes they wear, the shows they watch, the music they listen to and the food they eat.
Who was involved in the middle east conflict?
The question is unclear as to what Egypt conflict it is referring to.
If it is referring to the current (as of 2013-2014) violence in Egypt, it is the Egyptian military rounding up and suppressing the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist organizations.
What is a person from the Middle East called?
The Middle East is today home to numerous long established ethnic groups, including; Arabs, Turks, Persians, Jews/Israelis, Kurds, Assyrians (Chaldo-Assyrians), Arameans-Syriacs, Egyptian Copts, Armenians, Azeris, Maltese, Circassians, Greeks, Turcomans, Shabaks, Yazidis, Mandeans, Georgians, Roma, Gagauz, Berbers, Mhallami and Samaritans.
What are the two major vegetation zones in both Egypt and the middle east?
Desert and the desert tot? I believe
How did nationalism contribute to the rise of independent movements in the Middle East?
It convinced both Arab Muslims and Jews that they had a right to an independent state in Palestine.
Which city is located on two continents?
There are actually a total of 4 transcontinental cities. The largest and most known would of course be Istanbul, Turkey located in Europe and Asia. The others include Atyrau, Kazakhstan (Europe/Asia), Orenburg, Russia (Europe/Asia), and Suez, Egypt (Africa/Asia).
What term is often used to refer to Southwest Asia?
Southwest Asia is a subregion of the Asian continent that includes Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Bahrain, Cyprus, Georgia, among other countries. Much of Southwest Asia has been referred to as the Middle East, although in global organizations the term is seen as European-centric (since this area is east of Europe) and has fallen out of use.
This area is where Judaism, Christianity and Islam all started, as well as being host to many ancient cultures that contributed greatly to the foundation of modern countries, cultures and languages.
Is there a difference between Arabs Kurds and Persians?
Answer 1
The difference between Persians and Turks are that Turks are of Mongol descent. Persians are Aryan.
Answer 2
Persians are an Indo-European people who developed a civilization in what is now Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The Persian Empire is known for a vast expansion, characterized by a tolerant attitude towards minorities and gifts of autonomy to local regions, governed by an absolutist king. Their historic religion is Zoroastrianism, but after the conquest of Persia by the Islamic Caliphate, the majority religion of the Persians (as well as the ethnic minorities of Iran) has become Shiite Islam.
The Turks are composed of two historical groups that intermarried and created a unified culture. Oghuz Türk nomads, an Altaic people from Central Asia, conquered Anatolia and brought it under their rule. During that period, those former Byzantine citizens who converted to Islam began to take on the same mannerisms as the foreign Türks who had conquered them. They began to speak the same language, dress in the same clothes, and believe in the same general ideologies. This process is well-documented by Turks and is called Turkification or Türkleşme. Turks primarily exist in Turkey and Cyprus with a significant diaspora in the USA and Germany. The historic Turkish State was the absolute monarchy of the Ottomans and the modern Turkish State is the Secular Turkish Republic. Sunni Islam has always been a central part of Turkish identification and culture and was one of the earliest markers of "Turkishness". With the advent of the Secular Turkish Republic, there has been a push to determine Turkishness based on forms of identity other than religion, to make Jewish, Christian, and Alevi citizens of Turkey into Turks as well.
Why do most people of southwest Asia live close to water supplies?
because they need to due it so they can have netruel exopression caring value....which means have good living
What Asian country is located furthest south on the Arabian peninsula?
Yemen is the furthest south on the Arabian peninsula.
Which middle east country has a theocratic republic?
There are some countries in the Middle East which are theocracies, like Iran and Saudi Arabia, but there are other countries which are less religiously-oriented. However, there is no Middle East country where the government is as non-religious or anti-religious as most Western European countries are today.
To read about the different kinds of governments that operate in the Middle East please see this Related Question: What different kinds of governments are found in the Middle East?
How much light is there in a desert?
Daylight hours depend on the specific latitude and time of the year. The amount of daylight in the desert is the same as received by non-desert areas in the same region. Being a desert does not affect the amount of daylight.
What are the origins of the middle east terrorist groups?
There are a number of different reasons for this.
Insufficiency of Arab Militaries: Following the sound trouncing that the Israeli army gave to the Arabs in 1948-1949, 1956, and 1967, many Arabs felt that their national armies were not effective means of promoting Arab-interested policies. As a result, these disaffected Arabs wanted to take matters in their own hands..
Lack of Sovereign Control: Many Middle Eastern governments cannot effectively control all areas within their borders. Sometimes it has to do with tribalism, sometimes it has to do with people's loyalty, and other times the police just cannot penetrate. Additionally, in places that the government controls, services are sparse and many people are hungry, uneducated, overworked, unemployed, and lack basic medical care. Many paramilitary and terrorist organizations have stepped into the void to create micro-states that take care of both security and as purveyors of services.
Inability to Accomodate Minorities: Almost all Middle Eastern governments specifically center on one ethnic group and its needs and desires while purposely excluding or minimizing all others. As a result, many minorities, from Saudi Shiites to Turkish Kurds to Lebanese Palestinians do not feel that they have any way to make their voices heard without violence.
Islamism: Many of the Middle Eastern governments are secular and resist any changes in that regard. As a result, many Islamists have taken to violence as a method of bringing Islamic Law into active governance structure.
Palestinian Issues: The Palestinians find themselves between a rock (Israel) and a hard place (unhelpful and intransigent Arab regimes) and have no national army to advocate for their interests. This has resulted in several Palestinian military, paramilitary, and terrorist organizations.
Terminology: Africa has many more violent organizations which are classified as "rebel armies" or "paramilitaries" as does Southeast Asia, as opposed to "terrorist organizations", but the difference between such organizations is nebulous. The only real difference is that, ostensibly, a rebel army wears consistent uniforms and fights in general formation while a terrorist group just attacks civilians. However, this distinction looks better on paper then in reality. Hezbollah, a terrorist organization, has a political wing, uniformed soldiers, military regiments, provides social benefits, and is well-recognized in the community. The Janjaweed, a rebel army, has no distinguishing uniform, periodically rape civilian women and burn down villages, and is known for mowing down groups of civilians.
What has the Middle East been called?
The Middle East has had a number of nicknames and renames such as:
- The Near East
- Crossroads of Civilization
- The Arab World
- The Cradle of Civilization
- The World's Powder Keg
- The Orient (although this term is more often used to refer to East Asia)
- Center of the World
How many sq miles are in the middle east?
Which countries are included in the "Middle East" is often open to interpretation. It is more a general than a specific region. It is just a general term used for that part of the world, and what "that part of the world" is depends on who you are talking to and the context. For that reason it is difficult to specifically answer your question.
What are the ethnic groups in southwest Asia?
Southwest Asia is one of the most diverse regions of the world with an incredible number of minorities and ethnic subdivisions within what are usually established as monolithic ethnic groups. The largest ethnic groups in Southwest Asia are the Arabs, Persians, Turks, Kurds, Jews, and the Copts.
Which two countries form the eastern border of Iran?
Actually three countries are on the eastern border of Iran. They consist of:
1. Afghanistan 2. Turkmenistan and 3. Pakistan
