Asia is the largest continent, with more countries and people than any other. We start in its southwest, where Asia meets Europe and Africa. The UN calls this region Western Asia; it has eighteen countries, and many of them are on the Arabian Peninsula, which you met in Islands and Peninsulas.
Key idea
In the north: Türkiye (Turkey) and the three Caucasus countries, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, plus the island of Cyprus. In the middle: Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine (a UN observer state), Jordan and Iraq. On the Arabian Peninsula: Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.
Why it works
Rivers decided where people settled here. The Tigris and Euphrates flow from the mountains of Türkiye through Syria and Iraq to the Gulf (the Persian Gulf, also called the Arabian Gulf). The land between them, Mesopotamia, was home to some of the world's first cities. The Arabian Peninsula, by contrast, is mostly desert, so its people live along the coasts and at oases.
Worked example: Iran or Iraq?
Iran and Iraq are next to each other. Which is the western one?
- Iraq is the smaller, western country, where the Tigris and Euphrates flow.
- Iran is the larger country to the east; it belongs to the next topic's region.
Answer: Iraq.
Worked example: The small Gulf countries
Which country is an island in the Gulf?
- Kuwait is at the top of the Gulf, on the mainland.
- Qatar is a peninsula.
- Bahrain is an island off the coast of Saudi Arabia.
Answer: Bahrain.
Common mistake
Iran and Iraq differ by one letter and sit side by side. Iraq (ending in q) is the western, smaller one, between the Tigris and Euphrates. Iran (ending in n) is the much larger one to the east, reaching toward Pakistan.