Wilbur Lippert, age 13, of Champaign, I11., for his question:
WHAT COUNTRIES MAKE UP THE MIDDLE EAST?
The Middle East is a large area of land that covers the northeastern part of Africa, the southwestern part of Asia and the southeastern part of Europe. Scholars do not all agree on which countries are included in the region we call the middle East.
Certainly included are the countries at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea: Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Cyprus and Turkey. And also definitely included are Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen (Aden), Yamen (Sana) and Sudan.
Almost all of the people in the Middle East are Arabs, but there are also a number of African Negroes, Armenians, Copts, Greeks, Iranians, Jews and Turks.
Except for differences in language and religion, almost all of the people in the Middle East have the same culture. A family living in Iran, for example, has a lifestyle that is much like that of a family in Egypt. The one major exception to this, however, is Israel.
The Middle East gave birth to Christianity, Islam and Judaism. It also was the location for two of the world's first great civilizations: those of ancient Egypt and Babylonia.
The population of the Middle East is close to 200 million. The area covered is about 3.7 million square miles. Much of the land is desert, and most of the people live crowded along the seacoasts, in river valleys and in mountain valleys that have enough water to grow crops.
Most of the people in the Middle East are Muslims. Their religion, Islam, has many sects or branches. Christians make up the second largest religious group, while most of the people in Israel practice Judaism.
More than half of the world's proved oil reserves can be found in the Middle East. Most of the people, however, are poor farmers who do not share in the rich rewards that the oil provides.
People lived in many parts of the region we call the Middle East as early as 25,000 B.C. Then the great ancient civilizations of Egypt and Babylonia developed about 4000 B.C. The Egyptian civilization bloomed in the lush Nile Valley while the Babylonian culture developed in the fertile plain between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers of what is now Iraq.
About 1900 B.C., a people called the Hittites came to power in Turkey.
The important Suez Canal is located in the Middle East. It provides a water route between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.
Most of the land in the Middle East sizzles with intensely hot temperatures during the long summer. During the day, it often reaches 115 degrees Fahrenheit. The winters, however, are pleasant and mild.