Stay Informed
Visit Us On FacebookVisit Us On TwitterVisit Us On YoutubeVisit Us On Instagram

Geography

Bahrain

Area: 760 km2 (0% water)
Coastline: 161 km
Terrain: mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment
Highest point: Jabal ad Dukhan 134 m
Climate: arid; mild winters; very hot and humid summers
Geographical population distribution: Over 80% of the population is concentrated in the northern half of the island
Natural resources: oil, natural gas, fish, pearls

Cyprus


Area: 9,251 sq km
Coastline: 648 km
Terrain: Central plain with mountains to north and south; scattered, but significant plains along the southern coast
Highest point: Mount Olympus 1,951 m
Climate: Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters
Geographical population distribution: population concentrated in central Nicosia and in the major cities of the south: Paphos, Limassol, and Larnaca
Natural resources: copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble, clay earth pigment

Egypt

Area: 1,001,450 km2 (0,6% water)
Coastline: 2,450 km
Terrain: Desert with the exception of the fertile Nile region
Highest point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m (in the Sinai peninsula)
Climate: Hot and dry summers, mild winters
Geographical population distribution: The population is concentrated in the Nile region. Almost all inhabited areas of the country are located in the Nile’s Delta and alongside the river
Natural resources: petroleum, gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, tin, rare earth elements

Greece

Area: 130,800 sq km
Coastline: 13,676 km
Terrain:mostly mountains with ranges extending into the sea as peninsulas or chains of islands
Highest point: Mount Olympus 2,917
Climate: temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers
Geographical population distribution: one-third of the population lives in and around metropolitan Athens; the remainder of the country has moderate population density mixed with sizeable urban clusters
Natural resources: lignite, petroleum, iron ore, bauxite, lead, zinc, nickel, magnesite, marble, salt, hydropower potential

Iran

Area: 1,648,195 km2 (7,07% water)
Coastline: 2,400 km
Terrain: high rugged mountains across most of the country; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts
Highest point: Kuh-e Damavand 5,671 m (to the south of the Caspian Sea)
Climate: mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast
Geographical population distribution: More than 75% of the population is concentrated in northern, northwestern and western Iran in an area stretching south of the Caspian Sea and west of the country's central basin to the borders with Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, Iraq and ends on the northern coasts of the Persian Gulf.
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulphur

Iraq

Area: 438,317 km2 (0.2% water)
Coastline: 58 km
Terrain: mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in south with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey
Highest point: Cheekha Dar 3,611 m (northern Iraq, on the Iranian border)
Climate: mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows
Geographical population distribution: The vast majority of the population resides east of the Euphrates
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulphur

Israel

Area: 20,770 km2 (2,12% water)
Coastline: 273 km
Terrain: Desert to the south, coastal plain, mountains to the north and center of the country, the Jordan Valley covers part of the eastern border
Highest point: Mount Meron 1,208 m (in northern Israel)
Climate: Generally mild, hot and dry in the desert
Geographical population distribution: About 60% of the population is concentrated in metropolitan Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem. The majority of the rest of the population resides in the country’s northern district and the Haifa district.
Natural resources: natural gas, potash, copper ore, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand

Jordan

Area: 89,342 km2 (0,60% water)
Coastline: 26 km
Terrain: Highlands and valley to the west, desert plateau to the east
Highest point: Jabal Umm ad Dami 1,854 m (on the border with Saudi Arabia)
Climate: Mainly desert, rainy season in west Jordan between November – April
Geographical population distribution: Over 95% of the population lives in the western half of the country, mainly in the northwest
Natural resources: phosphate, potassium carbonate, shale oil

Kuwait

Area: 17,818 km2 (0% water)
Coastline: 499 km
Terrain: mostly flat and barren desert
Highest point: Mutla Ridge 306 m (along the coast; west of Kuwait Bay)
Climate: dry desert; hot summers; short, cool winters
Geographical population distribution: About 65% of the population is concentrated in four small governorates south of Kuwait Bay
Natural resources: petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas

Lebanon

Area: 10,400 km2 (1,63% water)
Terrain: Narrow coastal plain, the Bekaa Valley divides the mountains of Lebanon (in the centre of the country, parallel to the coast) and Anti-Lebanon (on the Syrian border)
Highest point: Qurnat as Sawda’ 3,088 m (in northern Lebanon)
Climate: Mild Mediterranean climate, wet winters and hot dry summers. Heavy winter snow in the mountains
Geographical population distribution: About 60% of the population lives in coastal cities, including the Beirut area where over 30% of the population is concentrated
Natural resources: limestone, iron ore, salt, arable land, water surplus

Libya

Area: 1,760,000 km2 (0% water)
Coastline: 1,770 km
Terrain: Mainly barren soil, consisting of plains, plateaus and depressions. The biggest part of the country is a desert. Mountains are located in the southeast, northeast, northwest and west part of Libya
Highest point: Bikku Bitti 2,267 m (in southeast Libya, on the Chad border)
Climaste: Mediterranean climate on the coast, desert climate in the interior
Geographical population distribution: The population is concentrated in norther Libya, mainly in cities to the west and east of the Gulf of Sidra. About 30% of the population resides in Tripoli and Benghazi
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, gypsum

Oman

Area: 309,500 km2 (0% water)
Coastline: 2,092 km
Terrain: Central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south
Highest point: Jabal Shams 3,004 m (northeast Oman)
Climate: dry desert; hot, humid along the coast; hot, dry interior
Geographical population distribution: Most of the population is concentrated in northern Oman; about 40% of the population is concentrated in coastal cities along the Gulf of Oman.
Natural resources: petroleum, copper, asbestos, marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum, natural gas

Palestinian Authority

Area: 6,220 km2 (3,54% water)
Coastline: 40 km
Terrain: Mainly dry and rugged soil, consisting of barren land to the east and some vegetation to the west (West Bank); flat coastal plain covered with sand and dunes (Gaza)
Highest point: Mount Nabi Yunis 1,030 m (south West Bank)
Climate: Warm summers and cool to mild winters (West Bank); mild winters and hot and dry summers (Gaza)
Geographical population distribution: In Gaza the population is distributed across all its area. In the West Bank, Arabs are concentrated mainly in the central and west part of the area while Jews are concentrated mainly in the north and around Jerusalem
Natural resources: arable land, natural gas (Gaza)

Qatar

Area: 11,586 km2 (0% water)
Coastline: 563 km
Terrain: mostly flat and barren desert
Highest point: Qurayn Abu al Bawl 103 m (south of the Qatar Peninsula)
Climate: arid; mild winters; very hot and humid summers
Geographical population distribution: More than 75% of the population is concentrated in the south and east parts of the Qatar Peninsula
Natural resources: More than 75% of the population is concentrated in the south and east parts of the Qatar Peninsula

Saudi Arabia

Area : 2,150,000 km2 (0% water)
Coastline: 2,640 km
Coastline: sandy desert mainly, mountains to the southwest
Highest point: Jabal Sawda’ 3,133 m (southwest Saudi Arabia)
Climate: Dry desert with extremely high temperatures
Geographical population distribution: About 25% of the population is concentrated in Riyadh, Jeddah and Mecca. The southeastern part of the country borders Yemen, Oman and the UAE and is virtually uninhabited (except for the area on the western part of the Yemen border)
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper

Syria

Area: 185,180 km2 (0,84% water)
Coastline: 193 km
Terrain: Narrow coastal plain, semi-arid and desert plateau, mountains mainly to the west and in the central part of the country
Highest point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m (on the Lebanon border)
Climate: Desert climate in most of the country. In the coastal areas the summers are hot and dry while winters are mild and wet. In Damascus the climate is cooler, periodic snowfalls
Geographical population distribution: Most of the population is concentrated in the western half of the country, especially in the northwest. About 20% of the population lives in Aleppo and Damascus. The east and southeast parts of country are sparsely populated
Natural resources: petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower

Turkey

Area: 783,562 km2 (1,78% water)
Coastline: 7,200 km
Terrain: Narrow coastal plain, high plateau in central Turkey and several mountain ranges
Highest point: Mount Ararat 5,166 m (close to the Armenian and Iranian borders)
Climate: Hot and dry summers, mild and wet winters. Heavier winters in the interior
Geographical population distribution: About 20% of the population lives in Constantinople. The rest of the population is distributed across the whole country
Natural resources: coal, iron ore, copper, chromium, mercury, antimony, gold, barite, borate, celestite, emery, feldspar, limestone, magnesite, marble, perlite, pumice, pyrites, clay, hydropower

United Arab Emirates

Area: 83,600 km2 (0% water)
Coastline: 1,318 km
Terrain: Barren coastal plain, vast desert, mountains in the east
Highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 m (northeast, close to the border with Oman’s exclave on the Musandam Peninsula)
Climate: desert, cooler in the east
Geographical population distribution: more than 80% of the population is concentrated in the coastal cities of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas

Yemen

Area: 527,968 km2 (0% water)
Coastline: 1,906 km
Terrain: narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged mountains; dissected upland desert plains in center slope into the desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula
Highest point: Jabal an Nabi Shuayb 3,760 m (west Yemen; close to the capital Sanaa)
Climate: mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east
Geographical population distribution: Over 90% of the population is concentrated in western half of Yemen
Natural resources: petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble; small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper; fertile soil in west

EN