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Learning about Southwest Asia

That Southwest Asia is in the news very often these days should be of no surprise to any person because this part of the world has always had a very important role to play in the world's history. Straddling the highly populated regions between the Indian Subcontinent and Europe, this region consists of the western parts of Asia as well as the Middle East. The countries that it consists of include Armenia, Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen as well as Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar.

Many of the countries of Southwest Asia have been blessed with abundant oil reserves and this has brought great prosperity and turmoil to the region during modern times. The region was no less important in ancient times because of its position on the lucrative trade routes between Asia and Europe. Parts of it are immensely fertile thanks to great rivers that provide sustenance to the populations living here.

This part of Asia has a very complex culture, having been exposed to a huge number of invasions over the millennia. Some of the oldest cities in the world are located here, some of which have been occupied continuously over thousands of years. Damascus is actually the oldest continuously occupied city in the world. As a matter of fact, each country here has its distinct culture. At the same time, the unifying element is that most of these countries have overwhelmingly Muslim populations. It should be pointed out here that most of the Islamic countries of this region have sizable Christian populations (and Jewish populations to a smaller extent). After all, this region has been the cradle of three major religions.

The geopolitical importance of Southwest Asia is so great that problems that originate here tend to resonate all over the world. It has also been the setting for many of the conflicts of the twenty first century. In fact, many people believe that conflict in this region could be the cause of the next world war since a few of the countries here have nuclear arsenals of their own. It is for this reason that world leaders sit up and take notice when countries in this region resort to sabre rattling. Political scientists, economists and historians alike cannot afford to neglect studying this important part of the world. Neither can businessmen because of the immense potential that this area possesses. The author has spent a lot of time learning about Southwest Asia and other related topics

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