How many countries are in Middle East?

YearMaps maps 17 countries and territories in Middle East: Egypt, Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Lebanon, Oman, and others. Definitions of Middle East vary; this list follows a common convention.

What is the largest country in Middle East?

Saudi Arabia is the largest by area at 2.25M km². Egypt has the largest population, about 118.37 million.

What is the largest city in Middle East?

Cairo is the largest city recorded for Middle East, with a metropolitan population of about 11.89 million.

What is the highest mountain in Middle East?

Mount Damavand is the highest summit recorded for Middle East in YearMaps, at 5,610 m.

What is the largest lake in Middle East?

Caspian Sea is the largest lake recorded in Middle East, at about 425,231 km².

What is the tallest dam in Middle East?

Atatürk Dam is the tallest dam recorded in Middle East, at 169 m.

Map of Middle East — Countries, Cities & Geography

Interactive Map of Middle East

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About Middle East

The Middle East is a geo-political region that is generally defined as encompassing all of Egypt and all of West Asia except for the Caucasus. It roughly corresponds with what was historically referred to in Western Europe as the Near East, which was juxtaposed with the Far East. Unlike West Asia's adherence to continental boundaries, the Middle East is demarcated by following political borders and consequently includes East Thrace in Southeast Europe because it is a part of Turkey. Since the early 20th century, the term "Middle East" has grown increasingly prominent in international discourse, although it is often prone to causing confusion or disagreement on account of vague and changing definitions of what countries and regions it spans. The related terms "Middle East and North Africa" and "Greater Middle East" denote other existing concepts of the region that involve extending the "Middle East" to incorporate most Muslim-majority countries.

Today, the bulk of Middle Eastern countries (13 out of 18) are part of the Arab world. The three most populous Middle Eastern countries are Egypt, Iran, and Turkey, while Saudi Arabia is the largest Middle Eastern country by area. Arabs are the most widespread ethnic group in the region, followed by Turks, Persians, Kurds, Jews, and Assyrians. Significant geographical features or regions that constitute the Middle East are the Arabian Peninsula, Anatolia, the Levant and Mesopotamia (together comprising the Fertile Crescent), and the Iranian plateau.

The history of the Middle East is among the richest ever recorded, as it was the first region to be settled by modern humans outside of Africa and the first region in which writing systems were developed. Situated at the intersection of Africa, Europe, and Asia, the Middle East was home to several cradles of civilization and has been recognized by both local and foreign populations as a region of great strategic importance for millennia. All of the core Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) originated and have their holiest sites in the Middle East.

Most parts of the Middle East exhibit a hot and arid climate, especially in the Arabian and Egyptian regions.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Middle East (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Visiting Middle East

The Middle East is a region mainly in Western Asia, between the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean.

While the region is known for its arid climate, not all of the land consists of deserts, and contrary to common misconceptions, glaciers and deserts do indeed exist in close proximity in parts of the region. The mountains in Turkey, Iran, Lebanon, Israel and Northern Iraq even support ski resorts.

The region has archeological sites going back to prehistoric times and was one of the centers of the Neolithic Revolution, when agriculture was first developed and people settled near their crops. It was the cradle of the world's first urban civilizations (especially in Ancient Mesopotamia), and the birthplace of the Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam and the Baha'i Faith.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Middle East (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Countries in Middle East

Ranked by population. Each links to that country's own map.

Countries in Middle East
#	Country	Population	Area	Capital
1	Egypt	118.37 million	1.01M km²	Cairo
2	Iran	92.42 million	1.65M km²	Tehran
3	Turkey	85.88 million	783,562 km²	Ankara
4	Iraq	47.02 million	437,072 km²	Baghdad
5	Yemen	41.77 million	455,503 km²	Aden
6	Saudi Arabia	36.97 million	2.25M km²	Riyadh
7	Syria	25.62 million	185,180 km²	Damascus
8	Jordan	11.52 million	89,341 km²	Amman
9	United Arab Emirates	11.51 million	83,600 km²	Abu Dhabi
10	Israel	10.12 million	20,770 km²	Jerusalem
11	Lebanon	5.85 million	10,452 km²	Beirut
12	Oman	5.49 million	309,500 km²	Muscat
13	Palestine	5.41 million	6,020 km²	East Jerusalem
14	Kuwait	4.87 million	17,818 km²	Kuwait City
15	Qatar	2.97 million	11,437 km²	Doha
16	Bahrain	1.60 million	787 km²	Manama
17	Cyprus	1.37 million	9,242 km²	Nicosia

Largest Cities in Middle East

Top 15 of 341 recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.

Largest Cities in Middle East
#	Name	Population	Region	Role
1	Cairo	11.89 million	Al Qahirah	National capital
2	Istanbul	10.06 million	Istanbul	Admin-1 capital
3	Tehran	7.87 million	Tehran	National capital
4	Baghdad	5.05 million	Baghdad	National capital
5	Riyadh	4.46 million	Ar Riyad	National capital
6	Alexandria	4.17 million	Al Iskandariyah	Populated place
7	Ankara	3.72 million	Ankara	National capital
8	Tel Aviv-Yafo	3.11 million	Tel Aviv	Admin-0 capital alt
9	Jeddah	3.01 million	Makkah	Populated place
10	Aleppo	2.74 million	Aleppo (Halab)	Populated place
11	El Giza	2.68 million	Al Jizah	Populated place
12	İzmir	2.59 million	Izmir	Admin-1 capital
13	Mashhad	2.47 million	Razavi Khorasan	Admin-1 capital
14	Damascus	2.47 million	Damascus	National capital
15	Kuwait	2.06 million	Al Kuwayt	National capital

Highest Mountains in Middle East

Top 15 of 36 recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.

Highest Mountains in Middle East
#	Name	Elevation	Feet	Region
1	Mount Damavand	5,610 m	18,406 ft	Asia
2	Mount Ararat	5,137 m	16,854 ft	Asia
3	Sabalon Kuh	4,814 m	15,794 ft	Asia
4	Zard Kuh	4,548 m	14,921 ft	Asia
5	Kuh-e Hezar	4,465 m	14,649 ft	Asia
6	Kuh-e Dinar	4,409 m	14,465 ft	Asia
7	Kuh-e Taftan	3,941 m	12,930 ft	Asia
8	Kackar Dagi	3,931 m	12,897 ft	Asia
9	Erciyes Dagi	3,917 m	12,851 ft	Asia
10	Kizilkaya	3,767 m	12,359 ft	Asia
11	Demirkazik	3,756 m	12,323 ft	Asia
12	Jabal an-Nabi Shu’aib	3,666 m	12,028 ft	Asia
13	Kuh-e Garin	3,630 m	11,909 ft	Asia
14	Cheekha Dar	3,611 m	11,847 ft	Asia
15	Kuh-e Haji Ebrahim	3,587 m	11,768 ft	Asia

Major Dams in Middle East

Top 5 of 5 recorded. Ranked by structural height.

Major Dams in Middle East
#	Name	Height	River	Capacity	Completed
1	Atatürk Dam	169 m	Euphrates	2,400 MW	1992
2	Ilısu Dam	135 m	Tigris	1,200 MW	2020
3	Mosul Dam (Saddam Dam)	113 m	Tigris	1,052 MW	1986
4	Aswan High Dam	111 m	Nile	2,100 MW	1970
5	Tabqa Dam (al-Thawra)	60 m	Euphrates	824 MW	1973

Largest Lakes in Middle East

Top 15 of 18 recorded. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake.

Largest Lakes in Middle East
#	Name	Surface Area	Type
1	Caspian Sea	425,231 km²	Inland Sea / Endorheic Lake
2	Lake Urmia	4,382 km²	Alkaline Lake
3	Lake Nasser	3,575 km²	Reservoir
4	Lake Van	3,503 km²	Alkaline Lake
5	Lake Tuz	1,564 km²	Alkaline Lake
6	Buhayrat ath Tharthar	1,548 km²	Reservoir
7	Lake Razazah	1,426 km²	Alkaline Lake
8	Lake Hammar	929 km²	Alkaline Lake
9	Keban Baraji	733 km²	Reservoir
10	Buhayrat al-Assad	675 km²	Reservoir
11	Dead Sea	656 km²	Alkaline Lake
12	Beysehir	652 km²	Lake
13	Ataturk Barajt	652 km²	Reservoir
14	Egridir	458 km²	Lake
15	Lake Habbaniyah	388 km²	Reservoir

Ports in Middle East

Top 15 of 171 recorded. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on.

Ports in Middle East
#	Name	Channel Depth	Class	Sea	Max Vessel
1	Khawr al Zubair	53 m	Very Small	Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman	medium vessels
2	Zeit Bay Terminal	53 m	Small	Red Sea & Gulf of Aden	medium vessels
3	Zeit Bay Lpg Terminal	53 m	Very Small	Red Sea & Gulf of Aden	medium vessels
4	East Zeit Terminal	53 m	Very Small	Red Sea & Gulf of Aden	medium vessels
5	Doha Harbor	53 m	Very Small	Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman	point_of_interest
6	Khawr al Zubair Lng Terminal	53 m	Very Small	Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman	medium vessels
7	al Manamah	53 m	Small	Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman	large vessels
8	Sinop	53 m	Very Small	Black Sea & Sea of Azov	medium vessels
9	Derince Burnu	49.4 m	Small	Aegean Sea & Sea of Marmara	large vessels
10	Golcuk Burnu	49.4 m	Very Small	Aegean Sea & Sea of Marmara	medium vessels
11	Inebolu	49.4 m	Very Small	Black Sea & Sea of Azov	medium vessels
12	Karabiga	49.4 m	Very Small	Aegean Sea & Sea of Marmara	medium vessels
13	Ayvalik	49.4 m	Very Small	Aegean Sea & Sea of Marmara	medium vessels
14	Izmit	49.4 m	Small	Aegean Sea & Sea of Marmara	medium vessels
15	Zonguldak	49.4 m	Very Small	Black Sea & Sea of Azov	medium vessels

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Middle East

Top 15 of 119 recorded. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Middle East
#	Name	Inscribed	Type	Criteria
1	Abu Mena	1979	Cultural	(iv)
2	Ancient City of Damascus	1979	Cultural	(i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (vi)
3	Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis	1979	Cultural	(i) (iii) (vi)
4	Chogha Zanbil	1979	Cultural	(iii) (iv)
5	Islamic Cairo	1979	Cultural	(i) (v) (vi)
6	Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur	1979	Cultural	(i) (iii) (vi)
7	Naqsh-e Jahan Square	1979	Cultural	(i) (v) (vi)
8	Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae	1979	Cultural	(i) (iii) (vi)
9	Persepolis	1979	Cultural	(i) (iii) (vi)
10	Ancient City of Bosra	1980	Cultural	(i) (iii) (vi)
11	Palmyra	1980	Cultural	(i) (ii) (iv)
12	Paphos	1980	Cultural	(iii) (vi)
13	Shibam	1982	Cultural	(iii) (iv) (v)
14	Anjar	1984	Cultural	(iii) (iv)
15	Baalbek	1984	Cultural	(i) (iv)

Largest Islands of Middle East

Top 2 of 2 recorded. Ranked by mapped area. An island divided between countries is listed under each, with the area of the whole island.

Largest Islands of Middle East
#	Name	Area	Type
1	Cyprus	9,234 km²	Island
2	Socotra	3,621 km²	Island

Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of Middle East

Top 15 of 38 recorded. Ranked by mapped area. Covers mountain ranges, deserts, plateaus, named glaciers, plains, basins, peninsulas and capes. One that crosses a border is listed under every country it lies in, with the area of the whole feature.

Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of Middle East
#	Name	Area	Type	Region
1	Asia	46.28M km²	Continent	Asia
2	Africa	29.41M km²	Continent	Africa
3	Europe	11.24M km²	Continent	Europe
4	Sahara	4.73M km²	Desert	Africa
5	Sahel	1.02M km²	Plain	Africa
6	Rub’ al Khali	596,502 km²	Desert	Asia
7	Baluchistan	394,613 km²	Geoarea	Asia
8	Arabian Peninsula	297,867 km²	Pen/cape	Asia
9	Zagros Mountains	243,578 km²	Range/mtn	Asia
10	Syrian Desert	181,173 km²	Desert	Asia
11	Mesopotamia	154,288 km²	Geoarea	Asia
12	HEJAZ Mountains	105,066 km²	Range/mtn	Asia
13	Anatolia	97,961 km²	Geoarea	Europe
14	Lut Desert	79,247 km²	Desert	Asia
15	Kuh Rud Mountains	66,110 km²	Range/mtn	Asia

Middle East: Quick Answers

How many countries are in Middle East?: YearMaps maps 17 countries and territories in Middle East: Egypt, Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Lebanon, Oman, and others. Definitions of Middle East vary; this list follows a common convention.
What is the largest country in Middle East?: Saudi Arabia is the largest by area at 2.25M km². Egypt has the largest population, about 118.37 million.
What is the largest city in Middle East?: Cairo is the largest city recorded for Middle East, with a metropolitan population of about 11.89 million.
What is the highest mountain in Middle East?: Mount Damavand is the highest summit recorded for Middle East in YearMaps, at 5,610 m.
What is the largest lake in Middle East?: Caspian Sea is the largest lake recorded in Middle East, at about 425,231 km².
What is the tallest dam in Middle East?: Atatürk Dam is the tallest dam recorded in Middle East, at 169 m.