West Asia (also called Southwest Asia) is the westernmost part of Asia. The term is used only to a limited extent, as the area overlaps with the Middle East with the main difference that Egypt is not included in West Asia.
According to Countryaah.com, the region of West Asia includes the following nations:
- ARMENIA
- AZERBAIJAN
- BAHRAIN
- CYPRUS
- UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
- GEORGIA
- IRAK
- ISRAEL
- JORDAN
- KUWAIT
- LIBANON
- OMAN
- PALESTINE
- QATAR
- SAUDI ARABIA
- SYRIA
- TURKEY
- YEMEN
Lebanon
Lebanon is a country in the Middle East. It has borders with Syria and Israel. The coastline west of the country is made up of the Mediterranean Sea. Lebanon is traditionally one of the fifteen countries referred to as the cradle of humanity.
Lebanon’s history is marked by conflicts between a variety of faiths within Christianity and Islam.
TIMELINE:
1975-1990 – The country went through a devastating civil war that lasted 15 years. Several neighboring countries were involved in the conflict, including Israel and Syria. Israel invaded southern Lebanon and first evacuated the area in 2000. In connection with this war, between 700 and 3,500 refugees were killed during the Sabra and Shatila massacres. Which was a retaliatory action for the massacre in Damur which took place on January 20, 1976, when Palestinian and Muslim militia units stormed the Christian Lebanese coastal city of Damur after a prolonged siege. Between 330 and 500 were killed during the massacre. Syria had troops stationed in the country from 1975 until 2005. In addition, Iran supported the creation of the Shiite Hezbollah militia in 1982, which has especially fought Israeli targets in southern Lebanon and Israel itself with suicide bombers and especially katusha rockets against targets in northern Israel.
2006 – This summer, the country was thrown into a new war when Hezbollah in southern Lebanon kidnapped two Israeli soldiers. The Israelis responded by launching a major attack. The Israelis bombed the southern part of the country, where Hezbollah is located, and smashed, among other things, 640 km of road, 73 bridges, 25 gas stations, a few power plants and a dairy. Up to a thousand civilians were killed and half a million Lebanese were forced away from their homes and forced to survive in refugee camps and schools.
2006 – February 5. The Danish Consulate General in the Lebanese capital Beirut is burned by angry protesters in protest against Jyllands-Posten’s violations of the Prophet Muhammad.
Yemen
Yemen is an Arab republic. The capital is Sanaá. The language of the republic is Arabic, and the religion Islam. The country’s exports consist primarily of coffee and cotton.
In addition to the area in the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen also includes a number of islands, including the Socotra archipelago in the Arabian Sea.
TIMELINE:
1918 – The country becomes a kingdom with an imam as head.
1962 – A military coup leads to a republic and then civil war until 1967. In this conflict, Saudi Arabia supported the Imam, while the Republican
government received support from Egypt
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a country in the Middle East and the largest country on the Arabian Peninsula. The country borders Jordan to the northwest, Iraq to the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates to the east, Oman to the southeast and Yemen to the south. The country also borders the Persian Gulf to the northeast and the Red Sea to the west. Saudi Arabia has an estimated population of 27.6 million, [2] and an area of approximately 2,150,000 km².
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is sometimes referred to as the “Land of the Two Holy Mosques” in view of Mecca and Medina, which are the two holiest cities of the Muslims.
Saudi Arabia is the country in the world that exports the most oil, and these exports lubricate the Saudi economy. Oil accounts for over 90% of the country’s export revenues and almost 75% of government revenues. This forms the basis of a welfare state that the government has had trouble maintaining during periods of low oil prices. Human rights organizations
such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly expressed concerns about human rights in Saudi Arabia; concerns rejected by the Saudi government.
Saudi Arabia has by law ruled that women are not allowed to drive. It is also stipulated by law that women must be allowed by a man in the family to be able to travel, take a job or get married.
TIMELINE:
571 – April 20. The Prophet Muhammad is born.
622 – Muhammad receives a hidjra and emigrates from the city of Mecca to Medina. Here Islam finally develops into an independent religion. Muhammad builds a congregation and ummah in Medina, thus gathering believing people around him. He continues to receive revelations. The city is ruled militarily, spiritually and religiously by Muhammad. When Muhammad dies in 632, it is in Medina that he is buried. Medina has previously only been for Muslims, but began to be open to all believers in the 1970s.
1902 – Saudi Arabia is founded in 1902 by Abdul-Aziz bin Saud, whose offensive in 1902 recaptured the Al-Saud family’s ancestral hometown of Riyadh and culminated in 1932 with the announcement and recognition of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
1991 – The country participates on the Allied side in the Gulf War against Iraq and has Allied bases on its territory. Iraq attacked the capital Riyadh with Scud rockets during the war. The US military presence has since been greatly reduced, and the country has gained a more tense relationship with the United States.
