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| Middle East | |
|---|---|
.svg) Map of the Middle east (green). | |
| Countries | 18 |
| Languages | Arabic, Aramaic, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Balochi, French, Greek, Hebrew, Kurdish, Persian, Somali, Turkish |
| Time Zones | UTC +3:30 (Iran) to UTC +2:00 (Egypt) |
| Largest Cities | In rank order: Cairo, Tehran, Istanbul, Baghdad, Riyadh, Jeddah, Ankara |
The Middle East[note 1] (also called Mid East in US usage) is a region that roughly encompasses a majority of Western Asia (excluding the Caucasus) and Egypt. The term is used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East. The corresponding adjective is Middle Eastern and the derived noun is Middle Easterner. Arabs, Persians, and Turks constitute the largest ethnic groups in the region by population,[1] while Kurds, Azeris, Copts, Jews, Assyrians, Maronites, Circassians, Somalis, Armenians, Druze and other denominations form a significant minority.
The history of the Middle East dates back to ancient times, and the region has generally been a major center of world affairs. However, in the context of its ancient history, the term "Near East" is more commonly used. Several major religions have their origins in the Middle East, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; the Baha'i faith, Mandaeism, Unitarian Druze, and numerous other belief systems were also established within the region. The Middle East generally has a hot, arid climate, with several major rivers providing irrigation to support agriculture in limited areas such as the Nile Delta in Egypt, the Tigris and Euphrates watersheds of Mesopotamia, and most of what is known as the Fertile Crescent. Most of the countries that border the Persian Gulf have vast reserves of crude oil, with the sovereign nations of the Arabian Peninsula in particular benefiting from petroleum exports. In modern times the Middle East remains a strategically, economically, politically, culturally, and religiously sensitive region.
Terminology
editThe term "Middle East" may have originated in the 1850s in the British India Office.[2] However, it became more widely known when American naval strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan used the term in 1902[3] to "designate the area between Arabia and India".[4][5] During this time the British and Russian Empires were vying for influence in Central Asia, a rivalry which would become known as The Great Game. Mahan realized not only the strategic importance of the region, but also of its center, the Persian Gulf.[6][7] He labeled the area surrounding the Persian Gulf as the Middle East, and said that after the Suez Canal, it was the most important passage for Britain to control in order to keep the Russians from advancing towards British India.[8] Mahan first used the term in his article "The Persian Gulf and International Relations", published in September 1902 in the National Review, a British journal.
The Middle East, if I may adopt a term which I have not seen, will some day need its Malta, as well as its Gibraltar; it does not follow that either will be in the Persian Gulf. Naval force has the quality of mobility which carries with it the privilege of temporary absences; but it needs to find on every scene of operation established bases of refit, of supply, and in case of disaster, of security. The British Navy should have the facility to concentrate in force if occasion arise, about Aden, India, and the Persian Gulf.[9]
Defining the Middle East
editEcological stability and peace should organize human and nonhuman behaviors throughout the Middle East and the rest of the world.
Visitors and Immmigrants to the USA
edit- Students - Global view of schools with preponderance of international students from the Middle East
- Visiting Researchers and Visiting Faculty
- Immigrants
Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).
- ^ Ethnic Groups of Africa and the Middle East: An Encyclopedia. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
- ^ Beaumont, Blake & Wagstaff 1988, p. 16.
- ^ Koppes, CR (1976). "Captain Mahan, General Gordon and the origin of the term "Middle East"". Middle East Studies. 12: 95–98. doi:10.1080/00263207608700307.
- ^ Lewis, Bernard (1965). The Middle East and the West. p. 9.
- ^ Fromkin, David (1989). A Peace to end all Peace. p. 224. ISBN 0-8050-0857-8.
- ^ Melman, Billie, Companion to Travel Writing, Collections Online, vol. 6 The Middle East/Arabia, Cambridge, retrieved January 8, 2006.
- ^ Palmer, Michael A. Guardians of the Persian Gulf: A History of America's Expanding Role in the Persian Gulf, 1833–1992. New York: The Free Press, 1992. ISBN 0-02-923843-9 pp. 12–13.
- ^ Laciner, Dr. Sedat. "Is There a Place Called ‘the Middle East’?", The Journal of Turkish Weekly]", June 2, 2006. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
- ^ Adelson 1995, pp. 22–23.