Subregion of the Asian continent
West Asia
|
Area
| 5,994,935 km
2
(2,314,657 sq mi)
a
|
---|
Population
| 313,450,000 (2018) (
9th
)
[1]
[2]
|
---|
Population density
| 50.1/km
2
(130/sq mi)
|
---|
GDP
(
PPP
)
| $9.063 trillion (2019)
[3]
|
---|
GDP (nominal)
| $3.383 trillion (2019)
[3]
|
---|
GDP per capita
| $10,793 (2019; nominal)
[3]
$28,918 (2019; PPP)
[3]
|
---|
HDI
| 0.699 (
medium
)
|
---|
Ethnic groups
| Semitic
,
Turkic
,
Iranic
,
Armenian
,
North Caucasian
,
Georgians
,
Hellenic
,
Indo-Aryan
, etc.
|
---|
Religions
| Islam
,
Christianity
,
Judaism
,
Baha?i
,
Druzism
,
Yarsanism
,
Yazidism
,
Zoroastrianism
,
Mandaeism
,
Hinduism
,
Buddhism
, etc.
|
---|
Demonym
| West Asian
Western Asian
|
---|
Countries
| |
---|
Dependencies
|
Akrotiri and Dhekelia
|
---|
Languages
|
|
---|
Time zones
|
- UTC+02:00
:
- UTC+03:00
:
- Daylight
: Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria
- Standard:
Bahrain
,
Iraq
,
Kuwait
,
Qatar
,
Saudi Arabia
,
Turkey
,
Yemen
- UTC+03:30
:
- UTC+04:00
:
- UTC+04:30
:
|
---|
Internet
TLD
| .ae
,
.am
,
.az
,
.bh
,
.cy
,
.eg
,
.ge
,
.il
,
.iq
,
.ir
,
.jo
,
.kw
,
.lb
,
.om
,
.ps
,
.qa
,
.sa
,
.sy
,
.tr
,
.ye
|
---|
Calling code
| Zone 9 except Armenia, Cyprus (Zone 3) & Sinai (Zone 2)
|
---|
Largest cities
| |
---|
UN M49
code
| 145
? West Asia
142
?
Asia
001
? World
|
---|
a
Area and population figures include the
Sinai
|
West Asia
, also called
Western Asia
or
Southwest Asia
, is the westernmost region of
Asia
. As defined by most academics,
UN
bodies and other institutions, the subregion consists of
Anatolia
, the
Arabian Peninsula
,
Iran
,
Mesopotamia
, the
Armenian highlands
, the
Levant
, the
island of Cyprus
, the
Sinai Peninsula
and the
South Caucasus
.
[4]
[5]
[6]
The region is separated from
Africa
by the
Isthmus of Suez
in
Egypt
, and separated from
Europe
by the waterways of the
Turkish Straits
and the watershed of the
Greater Caucasus
.
Central Asia
lies to its northeast, while
South Asia
lies to its east. Twelve seas surround the region (clockwise): the
Aegean Sea
, the
Sea of Marmara
, the
Black Sea
, the
Caspian Sea
, the
Persian Gulf
, the
Gulf of Oman
, the
Arabian Sea
, the
Gulf of Aden
, the
Red Sea
, the
Gulf of Aqaba
, the
Gulf of Suez
, and the
Mediterranean Sea
. West Asia contains the majority of the similarly defined
Middle East
. The Middle East is a political term that has changed many times depending on political and historical context while West Asia is a geographical term with more consistency. It excludes most of Egypt and the northwestern part of
Turkey
, and includes the
southern part of the Caucasus
.
West Asia covers an area of 5,994,935 km
2
(2,314,657 sq mi), with a population of about 313 million.
[1]
[2]
Of the 20 UN member countries fully or partly within the region, 13 are part of the
Arab world
. The most populous countries in West Asia are
Iran
,
Turkey
,
Iraq
,
Saudi Arabia
and
Yemen
.
In the
World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions
(WGSRPD), West Asia excludes the Arabian Peninsula and includes
Afghanistan
.
[7]
The
Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) excludes Egypt and includes Afghanistan.
[8]
The
United Nations Environment Programme
excludes
Cyprus
,
Israel
,
Turkey
, and
Iran
from West Asia.
[9]
Definition
The term
West Asia
is used pragmatically and has no "correct" or generally accepted definition. Its typical definitions overlap substantially, but not entirely, with definitions of the terms
Middle East
,
Eastern Mediterranean
, and
Near East
(which is historically familiar but widely deprecated today). The
National Geographic
Style Manual
as well as
Maddison
's
The World Economy: Historical Statistics
(2003) by the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD) include only Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Palestine (called West Bank and Gaza in the latter), Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, UAE, and Yemen as West Asian countries.
[10]
[11]
By contrast, the
United Nations Industrial Development Organization
(UNIDO) in its 2015 yearbook includes Armenia and Azerbaijan, and excludes Israel (as Other) and Turkey (as Europe).
[12]
Unlike the UNIDO, the
United Nations Statistics Division
(UNSD) excludes Iran from West Asia and includes Turkey, Georgia, and Cyprus in the region.
[13]
In the United Nations geopolitical
Eastern European Group
, Armenia and Georgia are included in Eastern Europe, whereas Cyprus and East Thracian Turkey are in Southern Europe. These three nations are listed in the European category of the
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation
(UNESCO).
National members of West Asian sports governing bodies are limited to Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
[14]
[15]
[16]
The
Olympic Council of Asia
's multi-sport event
West Asian Games
are contested by athletes representing these 13 countries. Among the region's sports organisations are the
West Asia Basketball Association
,
West Asian Billiards and Snooker Federation
,
West Asian Football Federation
, and the
West Asian Tennis Federation
.
History
"Western Asia" was in use as a geographical term in the early 19th century, before "
Near East
" became current as a geopolitical concept.
[17]
In the context of the history of
classical antiquity
, "Western Asia" could mean the part of Asia known in classical antiquity, as opposed to the reaches of "interior Asia", i.e.
Scythia
, and "Eastern Asia" the easternmost reaches of geographical knowledge in classical authors, i.e.
Transoxania
and
India
.
[18]
[19]
[20]
In the 20th century, "Western Asia" was used to denote a rough geographical era in the fields of
archaeology
and
ancient history
, especially as a shorthand for "the
Fertile Crescent
excluding
Ancient Egypt
" for the purposes of comparing the early civilizations of Egypt and the former.
[21]
Use of the term in the context of contemporary
geopolitics
or
world economy
appears to date from at least the mid-1960s.
[22]
Geography
The region is surrounded by eight major seas; the
Aegean Sea
, the
Black Sea
, the
Caspian Sea
, the
Persian Gulf
, the
Arabian Sea
, the
Gulf of Aden
, the
Red Sea
, and the
Mediterranean Sea
.
To the northwest and north, the region is delimited from
Europe
by the
Turkish Straits
and drainage divide of the
Greater Caucasus
, to the southwest, it is delimited from
Africa
by the
Isthmus of Suez
, while to the northeast and east, the region adjoins
Central Asia
and
South Asia
. The region is located east of
Southern Europe
and south of
Eastern Europe
.
The
Dasht-e Kavir
and
Dasht-e Lut
deserts in eastern
Iran
naturally delimit the region from
Balochistan
and South Asia.
Geology
Plate tectonics
Three major
tectonic plates
converge on West Asia, including the
African
,
Eurasian
, and
Arabian
plates. The boundaries between the tectonic plates make up the
Azores-Gibraltar Ridge
, extending across
North Africa
, the
Red Sea
, and into Iran.
[23]
[
better source needed
]
The Arabian Plate is moving northward into the
Anatolian plate
(Turkey) at the
East Anatolian Fault
,
[24]
and the boundary between the
Aegean
and Anatolian plate in eastern
Turkey
is also
seismically
active.
[23]
Water resources
Several major
aquifers
provide
water
to large portions of West Asia. In Saudi Arabia, two large aquifers of
Palaeozoic
and
Triassic
origins are located beneath the
Jabal Tuwayq
mountains and areas west to the Red Sea.
[25]
[
better source needed
]
Cretaceous
and
Eocene
-origin aquifers are located beneath large portions of central and eastern Saudi Arabia, including Wasia and Biyadh which contain amounts of both
fresh water
and
saline water
.
[25]
Flood or furrow irrigation, as well as sprinkler methods, are extensively used for
irrigation
, covering nearly 90,000 km
2
(35,000 sq mi) across West Asia for agriculture.
[26]
Also, the
Tigris
and
Euphrates
rivers contribute very well.
Climate
West Asia is primarily
arid
and
semi-arid
, and can be subject to
drought
, but it also contains vast expanses of forest and fertile valleys. The region consists of
grasslands
,
rangelands
,
deserts
, and
mountains
.
Water shortages
are a problem in many parts of West Asia, with rapidly growing
populations
increasing demands for water, while
salinization
and
pollution
threaten water supplies.
[27]
Major rivers, including the
Tigris
and
Euphrates
, provide sources for
irrigation
water to support
agriculture
.
There are two wind phenomena in West Asia: the
sharqi
and the
shamal
. The
sharqi
(or
sharki
) is a
wind
that comes from the south and southeast. It is seasonal, lasting from April to early June, and comes again between late September and November. The winds are dry and dusty, with occasional gusts up to 80 kilometres per hour (50 miles per hour) and often kick up violent sand and dust storms that can carry sand a few thousand meters high, and can close down airports for short periods of time. These winds can last for a full day at the beginning and end of the season, and for several days during the middle of the season. The
shamal
is a summer northwesterly wind blowing over Iraq and the Persian Gulf states (including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait), often strong during the day, but decreasing at night. This weather effect occurs anywhere from once to several times a year.
[28]
Topography
West Asia contains large areas of mountainous terrain. The
Anatolian Plateau
is sandwiched between the
Pontus Mountains
and
Taurus Mountains
in
Turkey
.
Mount Ararat
in Turkey rises to 5,137 m (16,854 ft). The
Zagros Mountains
are located in Iran, in areas along its border with Iraq. The Central Plateau of Iran is divided into two
drainage basins
. The northern basin is
Dasht-e Kavir
(Great Salt Desert), and
Dasht-e-Lut
is the southern basin.
In
Yemen
, elevations exceed 3,700 m (12,100 ft) in many areas, and
highland
areas extend north along the
Red Sea
coast and north into
Lebanon
. A
fault
zone also exists along the Red Sea, with continental
rifting
creating
trough
-like
topography
with areas located well below
sea level
.
[29]
The
Dead Sea
, located on the border between the
West Bank
,
Israel
, and
Jordan
, is situated at 418 m (1,371 ft) below sea level, making it the
lowest point
on the surface of the
Earth
.
[30]
Rub' al Khali
, one of the world's largest sand deserts, spans the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula in Saudi Arabia, parts of Oman, the
United Arab Emirates
and Yemen.
Jebel al Akhdar
is a small range of mountains located in northeastern Oman, bordering the
Gulf of Oman
.
Demographics
The population of West Asia was estimated at 272 million as of 2008, projected to reach 370 million by 2030 by Maddison (2007; the estimate excludes the Caucasus and Cyprus).
This corresponds to an annual growth rate of 1.4% (or a
doubling time
of 50 years), well above the
world average
of 0.9% (doubling time 75 years).
The population of West Asia is estimated at 4% of
world population
, up from about 39 million at the beginning of the 20th century, or about 2% of world population at the time.
[31]
The most populous countries in the region are
Turkey
and
Iran
, each with around 79 million people, followed by
Iraq
and
Saudi Arabia
with around 33 million people each, and
Yemen
with around 29 million people.
Numerically, West Asia is predominantly
Arab
,
Persian
,
Turkish
, and the dominating languages are correspondingly
Arabic
,
Persian
and
Turkish
, each with of the order of 70 million speakers, followed by smaller communities of
Kurdish
,
Azerbaijani
,
Hebrew
,
Armenian
and
Neo-Aramaic
. The dominance of Arabic and Turkish is the result of the medieval
Arab
and
Turkic
invasions beginning with the Islamic conquests of the 7th century AD, which displaced the formerly dominant
Aramaic
in the
region of Syria
, and
Greek
in Anatolia, although
Hebrew
became the dominant language in
Israel
in the second half of the 20th century, and
Neo-Aramaic
(spoken by modern
Arameans
,
Assyrians
, and
Chaldeans
) and
Greek
both remain present in their respective territories as minority languages.
Significant native minorities include, in alphabetical order:
Arameans
,
Assyrians
,
Chaldeans
,
[33]
Druze
,
[34]
Jews
,
Lurs
,
Mandeans
,
Maronites
,
Shabaks
and
Yezidis
.
Religion
Religion in West Asia (2020)
[35]
Other religions (0.25%)
Four
major religious groups
(i.e. the two largest religions in the world:
Christianity and Islam
, plus
Judaism
and
Druze faith
) originated in West Asia.
[36]
[37]
[38]
Islam
is the largest religion in West Asia, but other faiths that originated there, such as
Judaism
and
Christianity
,
[39]
are also well represented.
In
Armenia
and
Georgia
,
Oriental Orthodoxy
and
Eastern Orthodoxy
respectively are the predominant religions,
[40]
and there are still different ancient communities of
Eastern Christians
in
Azerbaijan
.
[40]
There are still large ancient communities of
Eastern Christians
(such as
Assyrians
,
Middle Eastern Christians
and
Arab Christians
) in
Lebanon
,
[40]
Iraq
,
[40]
Iran
,
[41]
Turkey
,
[42]
[40]
Syria
,
[40]
Jordan
,
[40]
Israel
and
Palestine
numbering more than 3 million in West Asia.
[40]
There are also large populations of expatriate workers which include sizeable Christian communities living in the
Arabian Peninsula
numbering more than 3 million.
[43]
Christian communities
have
played a vital role
in West Asia.
[44]
Judaism
is the predominant religion in
Israel
, and there are small ancient Jewish communities in West Asia such as in
Turkey
(14,300),
[45]
Azerbaijan
(9,100),
[46]
and
Iran
(8,756).
[47]
The
Druze
Faith or Druzism originated in West Asia. It is a monotheistic religion based on the teachings of figures like
Hamza ibn-'Ali ibn-Ahmad
and
Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah
and Greek
philosophers
such as
Plato
and
Aristotle
. The number of
Druze
people worldwide is around one million, with about 45% to 50% living in
Syria
, 35% to 40% living in
Lebanon
, and less than 10% living in
Israel
; recently there has been a growing Druze diaspora.
[48]
There are also important minority religions like the
Baha?i Faith
,
Yarsanism
,
Yazidism
,
[49]
Zoroastrianism
,
Mandaeism
, and
Shabakism
.
Economy
The
economy
of West Asia is diverse and the region experiences high economic growth. Turkey has the largest economy in the region, followed by
Saudi Arabia
and Iran.
Petroleum
is the major
industry
in the regional economy, as more than half of the world's
oil reserves
and around 40 percent of the world's
natural gas
reserves
are located in the region.
Statistical data
Country
, with
flag
|
Area
(km
2
)
|
Population
[50]
[51]
(2021)
|
Density
(per km
2
)
|
Capital
|
Nominal GDP
[52]
(2012)
|
Per capita
[53]
(2012)
|
Currency
|
Government
|
Official languages
|
Anatolia
:
|
Turkey
[note 1]
|
783,562
|
84,775,404
|
94.1
|
Ankara
|
$788.042 billion
|
$10,523
|
Turkish lira
|
Presidential republic
|
Turkish
|
Arabian Peninsula
:
|
Bahrain
|
780
|
1,463,265
|
1,646.1
|
Manama
|
$30.355 billion
|
$26,368
|
Bahraini dinar
|
Constitutional monarchy
|
Arabic
|
Kuwait
|
17,820
|
4,250,114
|
167.5
|
Kuwait City
|
$184.540 billion
|
$48,761
|
Kuwaiti dinar
|
Constitutional monarchy
|
Arabic
|
Oman
|
212,460
|
4,520,471
|
9.2
|
Muscat
|
$78.290 billion
|
$25,356
|
Omani rial
|
Absolute monarchy
|
Arabic
|
Qatar
|
11,437
|
2,688,235
|
123.2
|
Doha
|
$192.402 billion
|
$104,756
|
Qatari riyal
|
Absolute monarchy
|
Arabic
|
Saudi Arabia
|
2,149,690
|
35,950,396
|
12
|
Riyadh
|
$733.956 billion
|
$25,139
|
Saudi riyal
|
Absolute monarchy
|
Arabic
|
United Arab Emirates
|
82,880
|
9,365,145
|
97
|
Abu Dhabi
|
$383.799 billion
|
$43,774
|
UAE dirham
|
Federal
constitutional monarchy
|
Arabic
|
Yemen
|
527,970
|
32,981,641
|
44.7
|
Sana'a
(
Houthi
-led
government
)
Aden
(
Seat of government
)
|
$35.05 billion
|
$1,354
|
Yemeni rial
|
Provisional
presidential republic
|
Arabic
|
South Caucasus
:
|
Abkhazia
(unrecognized)
|
8,660
|
242,862
|
28
|
Sukhumi
|
$500 million
|
N/A
|
Georgian lari
|
Semi-presidential
republic
|
Abkhaz
Russian
|
Armenia
|
29,800
|
2,790,974
|
108.4
|
Yerevan
|
$9.950 billion
|
$3,033
|
Armenian dram
|
Semi-presidential
republic
|
Armenian
|
Azerbaijan
|
86,600
|
10,312,992
|
105.8
|
Baku
|
$68.700 billion
|
$7,439
|
Azerbaijani manat
|
Presidential republic
|
Azerbaijani
|
Georgia
|
69,700
|
3,757,980
|
68.1
|
Tbilisi
|
$15.847 billion
|
$3,523
|
Georgian lari
|
Semi-presidential
republic
|
Georgian
|
South Ossetia
(unrecognized)
|
3,900
|
53,532
|
13
|
Tskhinvali
|
$500 million
|
N/A
|
Georgian lari
|
Semi-presidential
republic
|
Ossetian
Russian
|
Fertile Crescent
:
|
Iraq
|
438,317
|
43,533,592
|
73.5
|
Baghdad
|
$216.044 billion
|
$6,410
|
Iraqi dinar
|
Parliamentary republic
|
Arabic
Kurdish
|
Israel
|
20,770
|
8,900,059
|
365.3
|
Jerusalem
1
|
$353.65 billion
|
$39,106
|
Israeli new shekel
|
Parliamentary republic
|
Hebrew
|
Jordan
|
92,300
|
11,148,278
|
68.4
|
Amman
|
$30.98 billion
|
$4,843
|
Jordanian dinar
|
Constitutional monarchy
|
Arabic
|
Lebanon
|
10,452
|
5,592,631
|
404
|
Beirut
|
$42.519 billion
|
$10,425
|
Lebanese pound
|
Parliamentary republic
|
Arabic
|
Palestine
[note 2]
|
6,220
|
5,133,392
|
667
|
Ramallah
2
|
$6.6 billion
|
$1,600
|
Egyptian pound
,
Jordanian dinar
,
Israeli new shekel
|
Semi-presidential
republic
|
Arabic
|
Syria
|
185,180
|
21,324,367
|
118.3
|
Damascus
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Syrian pound
|
Presidential republic
|
Arabic
|
Iranian Plateau
:
|
Iran
|
1,648,195
|
87,923,432
|
45
|
Tehran
|
$548.590 billion
|
$7,207
|
Iranian rial
|
Islamic republic
|
Persian
|
Mediterranean Sea
:
|
Akrotiri and Dhekelia
3
|
254
|
15,700
|
N/A
|
Episkopi
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Euro
|
Stratocratic
dependency
under a
constitutional monarchy
|
English
|
Cyprus
|
9,250
|
1,244,188
|
117
|
Nicosia
|
$22.995 billion
|
$26,377
|
Euro
|
Presidential republic
|
Greek
Turkish
|
Northern Cyprus
(unrecognized)
|
3,355
|
313,626
|
93
|
North Nicosia
|
$4.032 billion
|
$15,109
|
Turkish lira
|
Semi-presidential republic
|
Turkish
|
Sinai Peninsula
:
|
Egypt
[note 3]
|
60,000
|
109,262,178
|
82
|
Cairo
|
$262.26 billion
|
$3,179
|
Egyptian pound
|
Presidential republic
|
Arabic
|
Notes:
1
Ramallah is the actual location of the government, whereas the proclaimed capital of Palestine is
Jerusalem
, which is
disputed
.
[note 4]
2
Jerusalem
is the
proclaimed capital of Israel
and the actual location of the
Knesset
,
Israeli Supreme Court
, etc. Due to its
disputed
status, most embassies are in
Tel Aviv
.
[note 4]
3
British Overseas Territory
Sports
Map
AFRICA
ASIA
EUROPE
See also
References
Notes
- ^
The figures for Turkey includes
East Thrace
, which is not a part of Anatolia.
- ^
UN observer state.
- ^
The area and population figures for Egypt only include the
Sinai Peninsula
.
- ^
a
b
Jerusalem is Israel's
de jure
capital under
Israeli law
, as well as its
de facto
capital by the location of the presidential residence, government offices, supreme court and parliament (
Knesset
). Jerusalem is the State of Palestine's
de jure
capital under its
"2003 Amended Basic Law"
. 17 February 2008
, but not its
de facto
capital as its government branches are based in
Ramallah
. The UN and most
sovereign states
do not recognize Jerusalem as either state's
de jure
capital under the position that Jerusalem's status is pending future negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. In practice, therefore, most maintain their embassies in
Tel Aviv
and its suburbs, or else in suburbs such as
Mevaseret Zion
outside Jerusalem proper. See
CIA Factbook
,
"Map of Israel"
(PDF)
and
Status of Jerusalem
for more information.
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Estimates for 2008 by country (in millions):
Turkey (71.9),
Iran (70.2),
Iraq (28.2),
Saudi Arabia (28.1),
Yemen (23.0),
Syria (19.7),
Israel (6.5),
Jordan (6.2),
Palestine (4.1),
Lebanon (4.0),
Oman (3.3),
United Arab Emirates (2.7),
Kuwait (2.6),
Qatar (0.9),
Bahrain (0.7).
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ISBN
9780429962004
.
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Further reading