The Middle East is a subcontinent which includes Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, and the Palestinian territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. The Middle East is arid to semi-arid, and prone to drought. There are also forests and fertile valleys in the Middle East as also grasslands, rangelands, deserts, and mountains. Due to fast growing population there is a shortage of water. Nile and the Euphrates are sources of water for agriculture. Middle East is spread over 2.8 million square miles with a population of about 292 million.
The early origins of civilization are said to be in the Middle East. Around 8000 BC, agriculture began which resulted into the first settled communities. World’s major religions, Christianity, Islam and Judaism have origins in the Middle East. Middle East is today a strategically, economically, politically, culturally, and religiously sensitive region.
The population of the Middle East increased substantially in the last half century due to modern medicine and advanced agricultural techniques. The economic growth rate was high through the mid-1990s with an average annual rate of 2.4 percent.
Different nations of Middle East have different economic structures. Some like Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait are in the export of only oil and oil-related products. Others like Egypt have a broader economic base. Other industries in the Middle East are agriculture, cotton, cattle, dairy, textiles, leather products, surgical instruments and defense equipment. Tourism has a potential but is under developed due to political sensitivity of the region.
