Middle East

Middle East, region, mostly in southwestern Asia but extending into southeastern Europe and northeastern Africa. Today the term usually includes Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Saudi Arabia and the other countries of the Arabian peninsula, and Sudan. Politically, other countries of predominantly Islamic culture, such as Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, are sometimes included. The site of early civilization (including that of Sumer and Egypt, 3500–3100 B.C.), the Middle East was also the birthplace of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It has been the seat of many great empires, including the Ottoman Empire, which began in the 14th century and survived until 1923. The Tigris-Euphrates and the Nile are the Middle East's 2 major river systems; agriculture has been its most important economic activity. Today, the Middle East has assumed geopolitical importance as the world's primary oil-producing region; it is also the focus of international tensions and strife.