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The Middle East is a geopolitical region that is generally defined as encompassing most of West Asia except for the Caucasus region. It roughly corresponds with what was historically referred to in Western Europe as the Near East, which was juxtaposed with the Far East. Unlike West Asia's adherence to continental boundaries, the Middle East is demarcated by following political borders and consequently includes the North African part of Egypt and East Thrace in Southeast Europe because it is a part of Turkey. Since the early 20th century, the term "Middle East" has grown increasingly prominent in international discourse, although it is often prone to causing confusion or disagreement on account of vague and changing definitions of what countries and regions it spans. The related terms "Middle East and North Africa" and "Greater Middle East" denote other existing concepts of the region that involve extending the "Middle East" to incorporate most Muslim-majority countries.
Today, the bulk of Middle Eastern countries (13 out of 18) are part of the Arab world. The three most populous Middle Eastern countries are Egypt, Iran, and Turkey, while Saudi Arabia is the largest Middle Eastern country by area. Arabs are the most widespread ethnic group in the region, followed by Turks, Persians, Kurds, Jews, and Assyrians. Significant geographical features or regions that constitute the Middle East are the Arabian Peninsula, Anatolia, the Levant and Mesopotamia (together comprising the Fertile Crescent), and the Iranian plateau.
The history of the Middle East is among the richest ever recorded, as it was the first region to be settled by modern humans outside of Africa and the first region in which writing systems were developed. Situated at the intersection of Africa, Europe, and Asia, the Middle East was home to several cradles of civilization and has been recognized by both local and foreign populations as a region of great strategic importance for millennia. All of the core Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) originated and have their holiest sites in the Middle East.
Most parts of the Middle East exhibit a hot and arid climate, especially in the Arabian and Egyptian regions. However, a number of major rivers provide irrigation to support agriculture in certain areas, such as the Nile in Egypt, the Tigris and the Euphrates in Mesopotamia, and the Jordan River in the Levant. Conversely, the Levantine coast and most of Turkey collectively boast a relatively temperate Mediterranean climate, which yields dry summers with cool and wet winters. A group of Middle Eastern countries that are located along the Persian Gulf—commonly called the Gulf Arab states—have vast reserves of petroleum, which has served as a critical economic resource and accordingly influenced regional politics. Owing to the Middle East's aridity and pervasive dependence on the fossil fuel industry, it is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change and water scarcity.
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