Middle East Continent Briefs:

The Middle East includes the states of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel although its geographical definition is not really well defined.

The Middle East landscape is varied with vast deserts predominant throughout the area, notably the Sahara Desert that runs across North Africa and the desert of the Arabian Peninsula, which are amongst the largest. Vast mountain ranges also rise throughout the Middle East, with peaks rising as high as 20,000 feet with high plateaus sprawling between them.

Important water accesses are the Suez Canal, which links the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea; Bab el Mandeb, a strait that separates the Red Sea from the Indian Ocean; and the Strait of Hormuz, which links the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean.

The climate varies considerably depending on the areas, the coastal areas of the Mediterranean, the Caspian and Black Seas offering more moderate climates, while the desert areas be extremely hot during the day and cold at night.