Dark Roasted Blend: Lebanon: Switzerland of the Middle East Article by Rachel and Avi Abrams, link Outside of wars and politics: Lebanon's natural beauty is second to none "Switzerland" comparison does not exactly come to mind when you consider how war-torn and miserable this nation has been in the recent years. But cast a longer look around you while visiting this incredible spot in the Middle East - and the ancient, spectacular beauty of the place will start to haunt you, bless you, and lift you above political agendas and human strife. Bsharre and the Kadisha valley, photo by lux-lucis-pictor Bsharre village, photo by Pierre Yaacoub Those who still remember times of peace before the Civil War (1975-1990) would say that comparison with Switzerland is not so far fetched. Many banks made home there and the cultural diversity and color was simply astounding. Combine it with natural grandeur, and there you have it - something to be treasured in the heart of anyone who experienced it. In this article we only going to show the nature side, but trust us - the cuisine and intense culture of the region is still vibrant and unforgettable today.

Landscapes of Biblical Proportions Pascal Beaudenon shows the epic qualities of Lebanon's landscape. With his exclusive permission here are the highlights: Denniye and Aqqar valleys, Aamiq region, Mount Lebanon's range, Junipers of Mount Aammar, The Pigeons Grotto, Batrun area beach: (photos by Pascal Beaudenon ) Pure, White, Ancient - it's all in a name The fascination and beauty of Lebanon has historically lured many visitors to its mountain slopes and coasts. The name "Lebanon" is a very ancient name, which comes from an Aramaic root which means "white", probably referring to the snow-capped peaks of Mount Lebanon. The mountains of Lebanon have been split into two ranges, separated by the Great Rift Valley (which stretches into Africa) with the valley of Beqaa in between. (image via Bassem B.) Solomon considered these trees worthy of the Temple The famous Cedar of Lebanon grows high on the mountain slopes; forests at lower altitudes consist more of oak and pine.

The cedar groves are mentioned in the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Bible, the Talmud and other ancient writings; the resin has been found in ancient Egyptian tombs. The wood was prized for building & used in such structures as the Temple of Solomon and the palaces of David and Solomon. (photo by Pascal Beaudenon ) "The most famous cedars, known as Arz el Rab or Cedars of the Lord, are those of Bsharre. Only this grove, the oldest in Lebanon, gives an accurate idea of the stature and magnificence these trees attained in antiquity. About 375 cedars of great age stand in a sheltered glacial pocket of Mount Makmel." ( source ) (photo by Pascal Beaudenon ) Another preserve is found on the northwest hills of Mount Lebanon, called Horsh Ehden. This forest is home to a great number of unique plants, 10 of which are endemic to this nature reserve alone. Another one is found in the Chouf District of Lebanon, on the slopes of Barouk mountain, called the Al Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve. It covers over 5% of Lebanon's total territory.

Barouk Cedars in the Chouf region, photo by habeeb.com Al Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve, photos by Ashraf Khunduqji Even though such cedars can be found in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, and Cyprus, overall forest volume has been greatly depleted, and active restoration and conservation of the remaining cedar forests is of utmost priority. An interesting pine forest in Jezzine, South Lebanon: (image credit: Resmi ) The mountains in Lebanon are made up chiefly of limestone, which makes them riddled with caves and underground rivers. Some 9 km of passages can be found in the Jeita Grotto; boat tours of the underground lake begin at a waterfall and take you into a wonderland of cave formations: (image credit: Ala' Dababneh ) Some of these aquifers spring up in the Bekaa Valley, which is near the border with Syria. They feed the Aammiq wetland, which is the largest remaining freshwater wetland in Lebanon. Bekaa Valley is also home to many wineries: (images credit: Hani London and Piax ) Streams in the desert... human kindness vs.

cold strife So much of the land has seen the suffering; so much of this land still blooms and brings joy, faithfully providing reast for the weary traveller... Baakleen river falls - with its Zarka pool (gorgeous color): (image credit: M. Abbas ) From a neat photo collection "A Window on Lebanon" by Natasha Tynes : No wonder this land abounds in castles: so many armies passed and fought here throughout the ages... See for example the site of this Beaufort Castle - "Crusaders, Saladin, Arabs, Mamelukes, Ottomans, Palestinians, Israelis, Hezbollah have fought over this piece of rock" (image credit: Julien Harneis ) Even the churches retain a distinct feel of a castle: St.

Paul's church in Harisa, facing Jounieh Bay: (image credit: habeeb.com ) Sometimes the terrain itself protects: little town cradled in the gorge - check out the narrow winding road leading to it: Lebanon – “The Switzerland of the Middle East” - Your Middle East 10.01 (GMT): Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani: Iran's evolving revolutionary Skiing in Mzaar Each resort in Lebanon has a different flavor, but Faraya Mzaar (Kfardebian) – the biggest ski area in the Middle East – is a favorite among many, offering good infrastructure and facilities for both tourists and locals, no matter the age. © ICH From the lift you can even see the Mediterranean “I love skiing in Lebanon,” 18-year-old Lily Farhat responded. "I have skied in Switzerland before moving to Lebanon, which is very different. But like everyone says, it is the environment and atmosphere of the people around you that changes your experience.

The view is amazing and there is a slope for every type of skier, from beginner to professional.” © Reem Ramzi Hachache < Last updated: April 29, 2013 Lebanon – “The Switzerland of the Middle East” Sport Skiing is a popular sport and holiday activity in Lebanon. During the winter season, the mountain resorts are not just attracting Lebanese residents, but also visitors from other parts of the Middle East. Each resort in Lebanon has a different flavor, but Faraya Mzaar (Kfardebian) – the biggest ski area in the Middle East – is a favorite among many, offering good infrastructure and facilities for both tourists and locals, no matter the age. Other popular resorts – the country has six in total – are Laqlouq and Zaarour. The slopes at all resorts are serviced with qualified instructors who teach everyone from first timers to advanced skiers and boarders. ALSO READ – Young Lebanese wine becomes supermarket staple Then there is the Cedars resort, which is ideal for nature getaway seekers, offering a greater challenge for intermediate cross-country skiers at the north end of the Mount Lebanon Range. The resort is no more than a two-hour drive from Beirut, and only an hour from Tripoli.

If you are looking for a spectacularly beautiful view on the way up, the Cedars offers one of the most beautiful sceneries of Lebanon. "Suddenly, all the passengers started moving to one side of the plane and pointing out the windows," said Mrs. Raida Idriss. "I got curious and somewhat concerned, so I looked, only to find the Lebanese mountains covered with snow. It was a breath taking view!" the 55-year old added, recollecting her first experience admiring the view from a plane as a child. It is little surprise that Lebanon, which is a mountainous country with summits reaching over 10,000 feet, is now being referred to as “The Switzerland of the Middle East.” Don't miss out on great stories! Follow @YourMiddleEast After a long day of hitting the slopes, it is highly recommended to stop at a restaurant on the way down to refuel and avoid the returning traffic. Many stop for sandwiches and some warm hot drinks and discuss the day’s skiing experiences with their family and friends over a hookah, a water pipe also referred to as an arguileh, which brings people together no matter the time, place, or weather.

"Skiing in Lebanon is popular," says the 21-year-old former Lebanese resident Kamal Takieddine, now living in Canada. "But nothing is as popular as the smoking arguileh ritual." Most people have heard that Lebanon is one of the few countries in the world in which it is possible to go skiing in the morning and go to the beach in the afternoon. The ski season typically runs from mid-December to April, depending on the length and depth of the snowfall. In spring, you sometimes hear of people going skiing in the morning and driving to the coast in the afternoon to water ski. However, the skiing-to-beach concept strictly depends on the time of the year and the weather across the coast. But yes, it is common and there are those that enjoy the rest of the evening relaxing on a boat in the Mediterranean after a long day in the snow. Everyone in a group of Lebanese skiers that Your Middle East met on the slopes agree that although you can ski for days in other countries, you cannot find the cozy, comfortable, and friendly environment that exists in the Lebanese resorts.

Skiing and snowboarding has especially gained popularity with the younger generations here in Lebanon as a sport and hobby, and a way to socialize. POPULAR STORY – How the Lebanese’s dark humor will keep them “sleeping with the fishes” “I love skiing in Lebanon,” 18-year-old Lily Farhat responded. "I have skied in Switzerland before moving to Lebanon, which is very different. But like everyone says, it is the environment and atmosphere of the people around you that changes your experience. The view is amazing and there is a slope for every type of skier, from beginner to professional.” 30 countries with awesome nicknames 30 countries with awesome nicknames Image credit: Flickr Nature Pictures by ForestWander A nickname is a replacement of the original name. There may be different reason behind that specific nickname like Napoleon named China as “The Sleeping Giant” just because he expected China as one of the greatest nations in future and he was right. This post is dedicated to 30 countries that have awesome nicknames.

Afghanistan: Graveyard of Empires Albania: Land of the eagles Australia: The lucky country Bhutan: Land of the thunder dragon Cameroon: The Armpit of Africa Canada: A few acres of snow Chad: The dead heart of Africa Chile: Land of poets Egypt: The gift of the Nile England: Land of hope and glory Ethiopia: The Mother Land Finland: Land of a thousand lakes France: The Church’s old daughter Indonesia: The lungs of the world Ireland: The emerald Isle Lebanon: Switzerland of the Middle East Lesotho: The Kingdom in the sky Malaysia: Bolehland Mongolia: Land of the blue sky Paraguay: An island surrounded by land Philippines: The pearl of the Orient Seas Rwanda: Land of a thousand hills South Africa: Rainbow Nation South Korea: Land of the morning calm Slovenia: Sunny side of the Alps Srilanka: Pearl of the Indian Ocean Ukraine: The bread basket of Europe Venezuela: Land of grace 39 Responses to 30 countries with awesome nicknames Ean Fort August 15, 2012 | 2:17 am Ireland is also know as “The Land of Saints and Scholars” Anthony Lenci August 16, 2012 | 

12:33 am The United States of America: The Land of the Free, and the Home of the Brave.

Tanchoppa August 16, 2012 | 5:18 pm Nepal is missing it is also known as the land of the brave . ajfis2 August 17, 2012 | 6:23 am New Zealand = Land of the Long White Cloud, The Shaky Isles Tana August 31, 2012 | 5:37 pm Spain is the “Bull skin” Vijay September 4, 2012 | 12:03 am Typo: Finland = “Land” of thousand lakes… not “Lake” of thousand lakes. Quendorsof September 10, 2012 | 6:31 pm Isn’t White rus just the literal translation of belarus? September 11, 2012 | 12:31 am Actually “Italia” (Italy) derives from “vitalia”, “land of grape vine”. “The boot” is the nickname given in modern epoch about its geographical shape.

Sicilia (Sicily, Italy) region old name was “Trinacria” (“triangle-shaped land”), and is the only geographical-shape name given to a Mediterranean area. sbuddy September 11, 2012 | 9:48 am Nigeria >>>”The Giant of Africa” cosy September 11, 2012 | 4:40 pm Switzerland:The land where milk and honey are flowing down the hills. cosy @switzerland September 27, 2012 | 10:04 pm Nigeria Giant of Africa September 28, 2012 | 10:12 pm Mauritius -Star and Key of the Indian Ocean lai October 12, 2012 | 10:24 am Japan – Land of the Rising Sun 🙂 TARIQ October 16, 2012 | 1:15 am Pakistan means the Land of the Pure. Re October 17, 2012 | 11:56 am Lithuania – St.

Mary’s land 🙂 Juanma October 17, 2012 | 1:51 pm Yes, that’s right. Also, “armpit of Africa” is so uncool. Rather awful as a nickname. Brennon October 20, 2012 | 7:41 pm Trinidad and Tobago- Land of teh Hummingbird, Land of the Steelpan In the old days Trinidad was referred to as the Land of the Hummingbird. Nowadays our country is called The Land of the Steelpan. Trinidad is one of two main islands comprising of the country Trinidad & Tobago. We no longer have an abundance of hummingbirds but some people have aided in the hummingbirds comeback. The steelpan is claimed to be the only new acoustic musical instrument invented in the 20th century. October 24, 2012 | 12:19 am Bharat or INDIA – “Sone Ki Chiriya” in Hindf which translates as “Bird of Gold” November 1, 2012 | 8:44 pm papua new guinea is called LAND OF THE UNEXPECTED..

JAMAL.R November 3, 2012 | 11:47 am AFGHANISTAN deserves to be defined as the Graveyard of Empires, cause many native empires had been here & and no others have ever ruled this earth. Herbert Mawodyo November 11, 2012 | 9:42 pm Zimbabwe is House of Stones Herbert Mawodyo November 11, 2012 | 9:54 pm Cool safi November 16, 2012 | 10:42 pm its 30 years that iam living in afghanistan , i can say that its really the gravland of empires & Politics , its because of that the people in this country dont like to handover his mother land to ….any one . Ali G November 17, 2012 | 3:37 pm Bahrain: The Land of a Million Palm Trees Milito November 24, 2012 | 2:09 am Brazil = land of soccer November 26, 2012 | 5:53 pm Pakistan is called Land of Pure !

Panu Honka December 6, 2012 | 1:51 am Actually Finland is the land of thousands of lakes. Alex December 6, 2012 | 11:18 am Actually the literal translation of Belarus is White Ruthenia Peter Måhlin December 8, 2012 | 10:19 pm Solemn: Moder Svea > Mother Svea or Mother Swea is the female personification of Sweden and a patriotic emblem of the Swedish nation. Mother Svea is normally depicted as a powerful female warrior, valkyrie or shieldmaiden, frequently holding a shield and standing beside a lion. Svea is a Swedish female personal name which derives from svea, an old plural genitive form meaning “of the Swedes” or the Swea. Solemn: Svea rike > “The Realm of Svea” an older form of Sverige, the Swedish name for Sweden”. Not seriously: (gamla) Svedala. > (Old) Svedala –In relality a small community in southernmost Sweden. Implicates that Sweden is a country of small towns and rural districts.

Not seriously: Vårt avlånga land > Our oblong country (Look at the map!) Satire: Den svenska ankdammen > The Swedish Duck Pond. Derogative satire from the right wing, from libertarians and people who is telling everybody that they are meant for greater things, for living in a big metropolis, implicating that other countries are better and more “real”. Places there the speaker is not held back, where his superior qualities and talents are recognized, and where he could make a career, which he can not do now,because he is held back. Humour, fiction: Grönköping > ‘Greentown’ a fictional town in satirical stories in the now defunct humour magazine “Grönköpings Veckoblad” ‘High brow’ humour: Ultima Thule: > “Thule, Thoule, also spelled Thula, Thila, or Thyïlea, is, in classical European literature and maps, a region in the far north. Though often considered to be an island in antiquity, modern interpretations of what was meant by Thule often identify it as Norway, an identification supported by modern calculations. Other interpretations include Orkney, Shetland, and Scandinavia.

The term ultima Thule in medieval geographies denotes any distant place located beyond the “borders of the known world”. Sometimes it is used as a proper noun (Ultima Thule) as the Latin name for Greenland when Thule is used for Iceland.” Jamal December 26, 2012 | 4:56 pm Azerbaijan=Land of Fire! Thailand: The Land of Smiles Baacha Khan January 4, 2013 | 9:06 pm Dear Adi, “The Golden Sparrow” was the title for “The United India” known before the creation of Pakistan as “The Hindustan”. No one calls the present India, “A Golden Sparrow” Baacha Khan January 4, 2013 | 9:10 pm PAKISTAN – THE LAND OF PURE Lens Etienne January 19, 2013 | 8:24 am Haïti- The Pearl of the Caraibbean.

Steve January 26, 2013 | 1:07 am Great Britian – Land of the free – free housing, free money, free healthcare, especially if you are an immigrant Derryk April 24, 2013 | 12:06 am Canada – The Graet White North Diah Puspita May 12, 2013 | 10:37 am Indonesia- The Lungs of the worlds 🙂 marie Middle East Map / Map of the Middle East - Facts, Geography, History of the Middle East - Worldatlas.com Middle East Information What Is The Middle East And What Countries Are Part Of It? The Middle East is a geographical and cultural region located primarily in western Asia, but also in parts of northern Africa and southeastern Europe. The western border of the Middle East is defined by the Mediterranean Sea, where Israel , Lebanon , and Syria rest opposite from Greece and Italy in Europe. Egypt in Africa also borders the Mediterranean and is sometimes considered as part of the Middle East, while Turkey and Cyprus literally connect Europe to Asia and oscillate between being called European and Middle Eastern.

Armenia , Azerbaijan , and Georgia , all located just northeast of Turkey, are at times associated with the Middle East, Europe, Asia, or as their own separate region. South of the Mediterranean Sea, the Red and Arabian Seas surround the southern part of the Middle East. Saudi Arabia , Yemen , and Oman border these waters, with Iraq and Jordan connecting them to the western part of the region. At the center of the Middle East rests the Persian Gulf, cutting into the region and giving it its hook-like shape. Countries along the Persian Gulf include the United Arab Emirates , Qatar , Bahrain , Kuwait , and Iran . The eastern and northern borders of the Middle East are somewhat difficult to define. Both Afghanistan and Pakistan border Iran to the east, but Pakistan’s shared history with India causes it to sometimes be seen as part of South Asia instead of the Middle East. Some of the countries bordering Iran and Afghanistan’s north, such as Turkmenistan , Tajikistan , and Uzbekistan , are sometimes included within the northern borders of the Middle East, but are other times seen as their own Central Asian region alongside Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan . There are also several unrecognized or partially recognized states within the Middle East.

Palestine, which is made up of the Gaza Strip and West Bank regions in and around Israel, declared its independence in 1988 and is currently recognized as independent by 134 countries, though it is not an official member of the United Nations and is not considered to be its own countries by every G-8 nation except Russia . Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia are all located within the Caucasus region around Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Russia and all declared their independence during the 1990s, with limited recognition internationally. Northern Cyprus declared its independence in 1983 but is only recognized as a sovereign state within the UN by Turkey, with every other member considering it as simply part of Cyprus. Some borders within the Middle East are similarly difficult to define as a result of territorial disputes between countries within the region.

Some examples include the island of Abu Musa in the Persian Gulf, which is administered by Iran by claimed by the United Arab Emirates, the Golan Heights plateau, which was part of Syria until it was occupied and annexed by Israel during the Six-Day War, and the region of Kurdistan, which is officially a part of northern Iraq but also has an autonomous status. Geography Of The Middle East The majority of the Middle East region is characterized by a warm desert climate. Weather in this climate is very high during the summer and can reach dangerous levels, with parts of Iraq and Iran having recorded feel-like temperatures of over 160 degrees Fahrenheit (71 degrees Celsius). Average temperatures during the summer usually rest at around 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius), while the winters are somewhat milder. This climate also has very little rainfall, resulting in large desert regions. Areas of the Middle East surrounding the Mediterranean, such as Israel and Lebanon , instead boast a warm Mediterranean climate similar to parts of Greece and Italy , while Turkey ’s territory stretches over a variety of arid and continental climate. The northern regions of the Middle East in Iran, Afghanistan , and Central Asia are closer to a steppe climate, with colder winters but still very little precipitation.

As a result of its arid climate, the Middle East is home to several of the world’s largest deserts. The Syrian Desert, which also stretches into Jordan , Iraq, and Saudi Arabia , combines both traditional desert and steppe geography, while the Arabian Desert around Yemen , Oman , Jordan, Iraq, and the Persian Gulf contains more of the rolling sand dunes which often characterize desert imagery. Indeed, the Rub ‘al-Khali, or Empty Quarter, at the center of the Arabian Desert is the largest sand-only desert on the planet and receives as little as 1.2 inches (30 millimeters) of rainfall per year. The Sahara Desert, which stretches across northern Africa and which is perhaps the best-known desert in the world, reaches into the Middle East by way of Egypt . Despite the proliferation of deserts within the region, the Middle East also has several seas, gulfs, and rivers. It shares the Mediterranean Sea with Africa and Europe and the Black and Caspian Seas with Eastern Europe. The famous Suez Canal and Gulf of Suez run between Egypt’s African territory and its Sinai region bordering Israel in Asia, while the equally renowned Nile River flows from the Mediterranean Sea through Egypt and well into the African continent.

The Dead Sea borders Israel to the West and Jordan to the East and is among the saltiest lakes in the world and is also lowest point on the Earth’s land surface, while the Red Sea is shared by both the Western Middle East and parts of Eastern Africa. The massive Tigris and Euphrates rivers begin in the mountains of eastern Turkey, flowing through Syria and Iraq out into the Persian Gulf. The Persian Gulf, along with the Gulfs of Arden and Oman, connect the central and southern regions of the Middle East to the Arabian Sea and ultimately the India n Ocean. Using the most inclusive possible definition of the region as per the outlines listed previously, the total landmass of the Middle East is roughly 3.82 million square miles (9.9 million square kilometers). The largest countries in the region are Saudi Arabia (800 thousand square miles or 2.1 million square kilometers), Iran (580 thousand square miles or 1.5 million square kilometers), Egypt (384 thousand square miles or 995 thousand square kilometers), and Pakistan (340 thousand square miles or 881 thousand square kilometers).

The smallest countries in the Middle East are Bahrain (295 square miles or 765 square kilometers), Cyprus (3,568 square miles or 9,241 square kilometers), Lebanon (3,950 square miles or 10.2 thousand square kilometers), and Qatar (4,473 square miles or 11.6 thousand square kilometers). History of the Middle East The Middle East is often referred to as the “Cradle of Civilization,” and a brief look at the region’s history clearly explains why this is true. This part of the world, and particularly the Mesopotamia region around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, is home to many of humanity’s earliest accomplishments. Neolithic humans here made their first transitions from nomadic to agricultural lifestyles by inventing the wheel, basic agriculture, and the beginnings of the written word roughly 12,000 years ago. Ancient Sumer was the first civilization on Earth, and produced the oldest known piece of literature, the Epic of Gilgamesh, which is now over 4000 years old.

This region was also home to the ancient Akkadian, Babylonian, and Assyrian empires, while farther West the Middle East region saw the unification and rise of Ancient Egypt . Several Persian empires originating in modern Iran also rose to dominance in the Middle East, while the Romans and their successor state in the East, the Byzantine Empire, eventually controlled the region from the Mediterranean coasts up to the Euphrates River. The Middle East is also the origin point for many of the religions and belief systems which help define modern civilizations today. The region was home to the ancient Kingdom of Israel and thus fostered the Jewish religion. Jesus is believed to have been born in Nazareth, which is located in what is now the northern region of Israel, and indeed early Christianity traces its origins back to the Middle East. The region is also the birthplace of Islam, as the Prophet Muhammad was born in Mecca (now the capital of Saudi Arabia ) in around AD 570. Several other belief systems also trace their origins to the Middle East, such as the pantheon of Ancient Egyptian gods, the deities of Ancient Sumer, and the Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism of Ancient and Classical Persia.

Following the establishment of Islam, much of the Middle East came under control of Arab dynasties, followed by a series of Turkic peoples. The first of these was the Seljuks, followed by the influx of Mongol invasions during the 13th century, and finally by the Ottomans, who established an empire based in Constantinople (now Istanbul) in the middle of the 15th century. The Ottoman Empire controlled much of the Middle East for several centuries, though there were competing powers such as the Persian Safavids and the growing colonial powers Britain, France , and Russia . The Ottoman Empire was dismantled during the course of World War I, resulting in a vacuum of power in the Middle East in which the British and French occupied further stretches of territory up until the end of World War II, where after a series of conflicts both European powers began to retreat from the region. The 20th century saw the formation of several new nations within the Middle East, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran (which had been previously known as Persia), Jordan , Lebanon , Syria, and Israel.

The region also saw a series of major conflicts during this century, such as the Arab-Israeli War, the Iran- Iraq War, and the Gulf War. The Middle East’s recent history during the 21st century has also been marred with violence. The September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001 prompted an invasion of Afghanistan and later Iraq as part of a continuing “War on Terror,” while a series of revolutions beginning in 2010 called the Arab Spring involved major protests and the overthrowing of dictatorial regimes in Tunisia , Egypt, Libya , and Yemen . Revolutionary activity in Syria resulted in harsh governmental retaliations leading into the prolonged Syrian Civil War, a larger conflict is still ongoing and has killed between 250,000 and 470,000, displaced over 7.5 million within Syria, and forced over 4 million people to flee the country as refugees.

New militant terrorist organizations have also taken hold in the region in recent years, most notably the Taliban in Afghanistan; al-Qaeda, which had orchestrated the September 11 attacks; and the Islamic State (IS), also known as ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), ISIL (Islamic State of Syria and the Levant), or Daesh, which has proclaimed its own state and caliphate with the intent of forcibly implementing its own interpretation of Islam and Sharia law. Demographics of the Middle East Stretching the definition of the Middle East to include its widest borders as per the parameters outlined earlier, the population of the region rests at around 690 million people. The most populous countries in the Middle East include Pakistan (~193 million), Egypt (~90.6 million), Iran (~79 million), and Turkey (~78.7 million), while the least populated countries are Cyprus (~1.1 million), Bahrain (~1.4 million), Qatar (~2.4 million), and Armenia (~3 million). Despite the historical rise and prominence of Islam in the Middle East, the many belief systems which originated in the region allow it to maintain a highly diverse religious makeup today.

Indeed, out of the entire global Muslim population only roughly 20% live within the Middle East. This being said, Islam is still dominant and is the official state religion in most countries of the region. Over 90% of people in Afghanistan , Azerbaijan , Egypt, Iran, Iraq , Jordan , Kuwait , Oman , Pakistan, Saudi Arabia , Tajikistan , Turkey, Uzbekistan , and Yemen adhere to Islam, while Muslims make up between 50-89% of the population in Bahrain, Lebanon , Qater, Syria, Turkmenistan , and the United Arab Emirates . The two largest denominations of Islam in the Middle East are Sunni and Shia, though Sunni is the more dominant sect in most countries of the region. The countries that have Shia majorities in the Middle East are Bahrain, Iraq, and Iran. Shia Islam specifically is the official religion of Iran, which is the country with the highest percentage of its adherents in the world (90-96%) and with its largest global population (30-35%). Orthodox Christianity is the most prominent Christian denomination in the Middle East, with several major groups including the Armenian, Coptic, and Greek Orthodox churches.

Christianity is the dominant religion in Armenia, Cyprus, and Georgia , and Christian minority populations of at least 10% are found in Bahrain, Egypt, Lebanon, Qatar, Syria, Turkmenistan, and the United Arab Emirates. Lebanon is of particular note for having a nearly even split between Islam and Christianity, being roughly 54% Muslim and 40% Christian and having a Christian as its president. Israel is unique for being the only country in the world with a majority Jewish population, though it officially has no state religion. Roughly 75% of its population adheres to Judaism, with about 17% adhering to Islam. Among Israel’s Jewish population, roughly 66% are Secular, 26.5% Orthodox, 3.2% Conservative, and 3.9% Reform. Arabic is the most common language in the Middle East. It is the sole official language in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Iraq has two official languages, with Arabic spoken by the majority of its population and Kurdish spoken by in the autonomous Kurdistan region.

Persian is the second-most spoken language in the Middle East, and it has specific dialects in the region. The most common form of Persian is Farsi, which is the sole official language of Iran and is spoken by the vast majority of the population there. The Tajiki dialect of Persian is the official language of Tajikistan, with Russia n recognized as a regional language, and Dari is the Persian dialect spoken primarily in Afghanistan. Afghanistan actually has two official languages: Dari and Pashto, a Central Asian language related to (but separate from) Persian. Turkish is the third-most popular language in the Middle East. It is the sole official language of Turkey and one of the two official languages of Cyprus, alongside Greek. Several Middle Eastern nations also have their own languages specific to their country. Urdu is one of the two Hindustani languages (alongside Hindu) and is the national language of Pakistan, though English is also an official language. Uzbek, a Central Asian Turkic language, is the official language of Uzbekistan, with Russian and Karakalpak (also a Turkic language) recognized as regional languages.

Turkmen, another Turkic language from Central Asia, is the sole official language of Turkmenistan, though Russian has some limited recognition. Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Georgian are the sole official languages for their respective countries. Israel is the only country in the world to have Hebrew as a national language, but there are actually two official languages in the country: Hebrew and Arabic. Aside from official and national languages, there are also a wide variety of minority languages which are a product of the diverse cultures, patterns of migration, and economic activities of the Middle East. These spoken languages include (but are not limited to) Berber, Circassian, English, French, Gagauz, Hindi, Romani, Russian, Somali, and several Modern Aramaic dialects. 10 Things to Know About the Middle East | Alternet 9/11: One Year Later 10 Things to Know About the Middle East A summary of what should be known -- and often is not -- about the people, politics and history of the Middle East. Comments 1. Who are the Arabs? Arab peoples range from the Atlantic coast in northwest Africa to the Arabian peninsula and north to Syria.

They are united by a common language and culture. Though the vast majority are Muslim, there are also sizable Christian Arab minorities in Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Palestine. Originally the inhabitants of the Arabian peninsula, the Arabs spread their language and culture to the north and west with the expansion of Islam in the 7th century. There are also Arab minorities in the Sahel and parts of east Africa, as well as in Iran and Israel. The Arabs were responsible for great advances in mathematics, astronomy and other scientific disciplines, while Europe was still mired in the Dark Ages. Though there is great diversity in skin pigmentation, spoken dialect and certain customs, there is a common identity that unites Arab people, which has sometimes been reflected in pan-Arab nationalist movements. Despite substantial political and other differences, many Arabs share a sense that they are one nation, which has been artificially divided through the machinations of Western imperialism and which came to dominate the region with the decline of the Ottoman Empire in the 19th and early 20th century. There is also a growing Arab diaspora in Europe, North America, Latin America, West Africa and Australia. 2. Who are the Muslims?

The Islamic faith originated in the Arabian peninsula, based on what Muslims believe to be divine revelations by God to the prophet Mohammed. Muslims worship the same God as do Jews and Christians, and share many of the same prophets and ethical traditions, including respect for innocent life. Approximately 90 percent of Muslims are of the orthodox or Sunni tradition; most of the remainder are of the Shi'ite tradition, which dominate Iran but also has substantial numbers in Iraq, Bahrain, Yemen and Lebanon. Sunni Islam is nonhierarchical in structure. There is not a tradition of separation between the faith and state institutions as there is in the West, though there is enormous diversity in various Islamic legal traditions and the degree to which governments of predominately Muslim countries rely on religious bases for their rule. Political movements based on Islam have ranged from left to right, from nonviolent to violent, from tolerant to chauvinistic. Generally, the more moderate Islamic movements have developed in countries where there is a degree of political pluralism in which they could operate openly. There is a strong tradition of social justice in Islam, which has often led to conflicts with regimes that are seen to be unjust or unethical.

The more radical movements have tended to arise in countries that have suffered great social dislocation due to war or inappropriate economic policies and/or are under autocratic rule. Most of the world's Muslims are not Arabs. The world's largest Muslim country, for example, is Indonesia. Other important non-Arab Muslim countries include Malaysia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey and the five former Soviet republics of Central Asia, as well as Nigeria and several other black African states. Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the world and scores of countries have substantial Muslim minorities. There are approximately five million Muslims in the United States. 3. Why is there so much violence and political instability in the Middle East? For most of the past 500 years, the Middle East actually saw less violence and warfare and more political stability than Europe or most other regions of the world. It has only been in the last century that the region has seen such widespread conflict. The roots of the conflict are similar to those elsewhere in the Third World, and have to do with the legacy of colonialism, such as artificial political boundaries, autocratic regimes, militarization, economic inequality and economies based on the export of raw materials for finished goods.

Indeed, the Middle East has more autocratic regimes, militarization, economic inequality and the greatest ratio of exports to domestic consumption than any region in the world. At the crossroads of three continents and sitting on much of the world's oil reserves, the region has been subjected to repeated interventions and conquests by outside powers, resulting in a high level of xenophobia and suspicion regarding the intentions of Western powers going back as far as the Crusades. There is nothing in Arab or Islamic culture that promotes violence or discord; indeed, there is a strong cultural preference for stability, order and respect for authority. However, adherence to authority is based on a kind of social contract that assumes a level of justice which -- if broken by the ruler -- gives the people a right to challenge it. The word jihad, often translated as "holy war," actually means "holy struggle," which can sometimes mean an armed struggle (qital), but also can mean nonviolent action and political work within the established system. Jihad also can mean a struggle for the moral good of the Muslim community, or even a personal spiritual struggle. Terrorism is not primarily a Middle Eastern phenomenon.

In terms of civilian lives lost, Africa has experienced far more terrorism in recent decades than has the Middle East. Similarly, far more suicide bombings in recent years have come from Hindu Tamils in Sri Lanka than from Muslim Arabs in the Middle East. There is also a little-known but impressive tradition of nonviolent resistance and participatory democracy in some Middle Eastern countries. 4. Why has the Middle East been the focus of U.S. concern about international terrorism? There has been a long history of terrorism -- generally defined as violence by irregular forces against civilian targets -- in the Middle East. During Israel's independence struggle in the 1940s, Israeli terrorists killed hundreds of Palestinian and British civilians; two of the most notorious terrorist leaders of that period -- Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir -- later became Israeli prime ministers whose governments received strong financial, diplomatic and military support from the United States. Algeria's independence struggle from France in the 1950s included widespread terrorist attacks against French colonists. Palestine's ongoing struggle for independence has also included widespread terrorism against Israeli civilians, during the 1970s through some of the armed militias of the Palestine Liberation Organization and, more recently, through radical underground Islamic groups.

Terrorism has also played a role in Algeria's current civil strife, in Lebanon's civil war and foreign occupations during the 1980s, and for many years in the Kurdish struggle for independence. Some Middle Eastern governments -- notably Libya, Syria, Sudan, Iraq and Iran -- have in the past had close links with terrorist organizations. In more recent years, the Al Qaeda movement -- a decentralized network of terrorist cells supported by Saudi exile Osama bin Laden -- has become the major terrorist threat, and is widely believed to be responsible for the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. Bin Laden himself has been given sanctuary in Afghanistan, though his personal fortune and widespread network of supporters have allowed him to be independent on direct financial or logistical support from any government. The vast majority of the people in the Middle East deplore terrorism, yet point out that violence against civilians by governments has generally surpassed that of terrorists. For example, the Israelis have killed far more Arab civilians over the decades through using U.S.-supplied equipment and ordinance than have Arab terrorists killed Israeli civilians. Similarly, the U.S.-supplied Turkish armed forces have killed far more Kurdish civilians than have such radical Kurdish groups like the PKK (the Kurdish acronym for the Kurdistan Workers' Party).

Also, in the eyes of many Middle Easterners, U.S. support for terrorist groups like the Nicaraguan contras and various right-wing Cuban exile organizations in recent decades, as well as U.S. air strikes and the U.S.-led sanctions against Iraq in more recent years, have made the U.S. an unlikely leader in the war against terrorism 5. What kind of political systems and alliances exist in the Middle East? There are a variety of political systems in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Morocco and Jordan are all conservative monarchies (in approximate order of absolute rule). Iraq, Syria and Libya are left-leaning dictatorships, with Iraq being one of the most totalitarian societies in the world. Egypt and Tunisia are conservative autocratic republics. Iran is an Islamic republic with an uneven trend in recent years towards greater political openness. Sudan and Algeria are under military rulers facing major insurrections. Lebanon, Turkey and Yemen are republics with repressive aspects but some degree of political pluralism.

The only Middle Eastern country with a strong tradition of parliamentary democracy is Israel, though the benefits of this political freedom is largely restricted to its Jewish citizens (the Palestinian Arab minority is generally treated as second-class citizens and Palestinians in the occupied territories are subjected to military rule and human rights abuses). The largely autocratic Palestinian Authority has been granted limited autonomy in a series of non-contiguous enclaves in the West Bank and Gaza Strip surrounded by Israeli occupation forces. All Arab states, including the Palestinian Authority, belong to the League of Arab States, which acts as a regional body similar to the Organization of African Union or the Organization of American States, which work together on issues of common concern. However, there are enormous political divisions within Arab countries and other Middle Eastern states. Turkey is a member of the NATO alliance, closely aligned with the West and hopes to eventually become part of the European Union. The six conservative monarchies of the Persian Gulf region have formed the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), from where they pursue joint strategic and economic interests and promote close ties with the West, particularly Great Britain (which dominated the smaller sheikdoms in the late 19th and early 20th century) and, more recently, the United States.

Often a country's alliances are not a reflection of its internal politics. For example, Saudi Arabia is often referred in the U.S. media as a "moderate" Arab state, though it is the most oppressive fundamentalist theocracy in the world today outside of Taliban-ruled Afghanistan; "moderate," in this case, simply means that it has close strategic and economic relations with the United States. Jordan and Egypt are pro-Western, but have been willing to challenge U.S. policy on occasion. Israel identifies most strongly with the West: most of its leaders are European-born or have been of European heritage, and it has diplomatic relations with only a handful of Middle Eastern countries. Iran alienated most of its neighbors with its threat to expand its brand of revolutionary Islam to Arab world, though its increasingly moderate orientation in recent years has led to some cautious rapprochement. Syria, a former Soviet ally, has been cautiously reaching out to more conservative Arab governments and with the West; it currently exerts enormous political influence over Lebanon.

Iraq under Saddam Hussein, Libya under Muammar Qaddafi and Sudan under their military junta remain isolated from most of other Middle Eastern countries due to a series of provocative policies, though many of these same countries oppose the punitive sanctions and air strikes the United States has inflicted against these countries in recent years. 6. What is the impact of oil in the Middle East? The major oil producers of the Middle East include Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Libya and Algeria. Egypt, Syria, Oman and Yemen have smaller reserves. Most of the major oil producers of the Middle East are part of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC. (Non-Middle Eastern OPEC members include Indonesia, Venezuela, Nigeria and other countries.) Much of the world's oil wealth exists along the Persian Gulf, with particularly large reserves in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. About one-quarter of U.S. oil imports come from the Persian Gulf region; the Gulf supplies European states and Japan with an even higher percentage of those countries' energy needs. The imposition of higher fuel efficiency standards and other conservation measures, along with the increased use of renewable energy resources for which technologies are already available, could eliminate U.S.

dependence on Middle Eastern oil in a relatively short period of time. The Arab members of OPEC instigated a boycott against the United States in the fall of 1973 in protest of U.S. support for Israel during the October Arab-Israeli war, creating the first in a series of energy shortages. The cartel has had periods of high and low costs for oil, resulting in great economic instability. Most governments have historically used their oil wealth to promote social welfare, particularly countries like Algeria, Libya and Iraq, which professed to a more socialist orientation. Yet all countries have squandered their wealth for arms purchases and prestige projects. In general, the influx of petrodollars has created enormous economic inequality both within oil-producing states and between oil-rich and oil-poor states as well as widespread corruption and questionable economic priorities. 7. What is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict about? The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is essentially over land, with two peoples claiming historic rights to the geographic Palestine, a small country in the eastern Mediterranean about the size of New Jersey.

The creation of modern Israel in 1948 was a fulfillment of the goal of the Jewish nationalist movement, known as Zionism, as large numbers of Jews migrated to their faith's ancestral homeland from Europe, North Africa and elsewhere throughout the 20th century. They came into conflict with the indigenous Palestinian Arab population, which also was struggling for independence. The 1947 partition plan, which divided the country approximately in half, resulted in a war that ended with Israel seizing control of 78 percent of the territory within a year. Most of the Palestinian population became refugees, in some cases through fleeing the fighting and in other cases through being forcibly expelled. The remaining Palestinian areas -- the West Bank and Gaza Strip -- came under control of the neighboring Arab states of Jordan and Egypt, though these areas were also seized by Israel in the 1967 war. Israel has been colonizing parts of these occupied territories with Jewish settlers in violation of the Geneva Conventions and UN Security Council resolutions. Historically, both sides have failed to recognize the legitimacy of the others' nationalist aspirations, though the Palestinian leadership finally formally recognized Israel in 1993.

The peace process since then has been over the fate of the West Bank (including Arab East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip, which is the remaining 22 percent of the Palestine, occupied by Israel since 1967. The United States plays the dual role of chief mediator of the conflict as well as the chief financial, military and diplomatic supporter of Israel. The Palestinians want their own independent state in these territories and to allow Palestinian refugees the right to return. Israel, backed by the United States, insists the Palestinians give up large swaths of the West Bank -- including most of Arab East Jerusalem -- to Israel and to accept the resettlement of most refugees into other Arab countries. Since September 2000, there has been widespread rioting by Palestinians against the ongoing Israeli occupation as well as terrorist bombings within Israel by extremist Islamic groups. Israeli occupation forces, meanwhile, have engaged in widespread killings and other human rights abuses in the occupied territories. Most Arabs feel a strong sense of solidarity with the Palestinian struggle, though their governments have tended to manipulate their plight for their own political gain. Neighboring Arab states have fought several wars with Israel, though Egypt and Jordan now have peace agreements and full diplomatic relations with the Jewish state.

In addition to much of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israel still occupies a part of southwestern Syria known as the Golan Heights. The threats and hostility by Arab states towards Israel's very existence has waned over the years. Full peace and diplomatic recognition would likely come following a full Israeli withdrawal from its occupied territories. 8. What has been the legacy of the Gulf War? Virtually every Middle Eastern state opposed the Iraqi invasion and occupation of Kuwait in 1990, though they were badly divided on the appropriateness of the U.S.-led Gulf War that followed. Even among countries that supported the armed liberation of Kuwait, there was widespread opposition to the deliberate destruction by the United States of much of Iraq's civilian infrastructure during the war. Even more controversial has been the enormous humanitarian consequences of the U.S.-led international sanctions against Iraq in place since the war, which have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, mostly children, from malnutrition and preventable diseases. The periodic U.S. air strikes against Iraq also have been controversial, as has the ongoing U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia, other Gulf states and in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea.

Since Iraq's offensive military capability was largely destroyed during the Gulf War and during the subsequent inspections regime, many observers believe that U.S. fears about Iraq's current military potential are exaggerated, particularly in light of the quiet U.S. support for Iraq during the 1980s when its military was at its peak. In many respects, the Gulf War led the oil-rich GCC states into closer identification with the United States and the West and less with their fellow Arabs, though there is still some distrust about U.S. motivations and policies in the Middle East. 9. How has the political situation in Afghanistan evolved and how is it connected to the Middle East? Afghanistan, an impoverished landlocked mountainous country, has traditionally been identified more with Central and South Asia than with the Middle East. A 1978 coup by communist military officers resulted in a series of radical social reforms, which were imposed in an autocratic matter and which resulted in a popular rebellion by a number of armed Islamic movements. The Soviet Union installed a more compliant communist regime at the end of 1979, sending in tens of thousands of troops and instigating a major bombing campaign, resulting in large-scale civilian casualties and refugee flows.

The war lasted for much of the next decade. The United States sent arms to the Islamic resistance, known as the mujahadin, largely through neighboring Pakistan, then under the rule of an ultra-conservative Islamic military dictatorship. Most of the U.S. aid went to the most radical of the eight different mujahadin factions on the belief that they would be least likely to reach a negotiated settlement with the Soviet-backed government and would therefore drag the Soviet forces down. Volunteers from throughout the Islamic world, including the young Saudi businessman Osama bin Laden, joined the struggle. The CIA trained many of these recruits, including bin Laden and many of his followers. When the Soviets and Afghanistan's communist government were defeated in 1992, a vicious and bloody civil war broke out between the various mujahadin factions, war lords and ethnic militias. Out of this chaos emerged the Taliban movement, led by young seminary students from the refugee camps in Pakistan who were educated in ultra-conservative Saudi-funded schools. The Taliban took over 85 percent of the country by 1996 and imposed long-awaited order and stability, but established a brutal totalitarian theocracy based on a virulently reactionary and misogynist interpretation of Islam.

The Northern Alliance, consisting of the remnants of various factions from the civil war in the 1990s, control a small part of the northeast corner of the country. 10. How have most Middle Eastern governments reacted to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and their aftermath? Virtually every government and the vast majority of their populations reacted with the same horror and revulsion as did people in the United States, Europe and elsewhere. Despite scenes shown repeatedly on U.S. television of some Palestinians celebrating the attacks, the vast majority of Palestinians also shared in the world's condemnation. If the United States, in conjunction with local governments, limits its military response to commando-style operations against suspected terrorist cells, the U.S. should receive the cooperation and support of most Middle Eastern countries. If the response is more widespread, based more on retaliation than self-defense, and ends up killing large numbers of Muslim civilians, it could create a major anti-American reaction that would increase support for the terrorists and lessen the likelihood for the needed cooperation to break up the Al Qaeda network, which operates in several Middle Eastern countries.

While few Middle Easterners support bin Laden's methods, the principal concerns expressed in his manifestoes -- the U.S.'s wrongful support for Israel and for Arab dictatorships, the disruptive presence of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia and the humanitarian impact of the sanctions on Iraq -- are widely supported. Ultimately, a greater understanding of the Middle East and the concerns of its governments and peoples are necessary before the United States can feel secure from an angry backlash from the region. Stephen Zunes is an associate professor of politics and chair of the Peace & Justice Studies Program at the University of San Francisco. He serves as a senior policy analyst and Middle East editor for the Foreign Policy in Focus Project.

Question: Which country is known as ‘Switzerland of the Middle East’?
Answer: Lebanon