Middle Eastern Studies is a name given to a number of academic programs associated with the study of the culture, politics, economy, and geography of the Middle East, an area that is generally interpreted to cover a range of nations extending from North Africa in the west to the Chinese frontier, including Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia and multiple other nations. It is considered as part of area studies taking an interdisclipinary approach to the study of a region.
Although some academic programs combine Middle Eastern Studies with Islamic Studies, based on the preponderance of Muslims in the region, others maintain these areas of study as separate disciplines.
The Middle East is the site of the Fertile Crescent, where civilization is thought to have began. This area is also referred to as Mesopotamia. It is characterized as having an Arabic ethnic composition and primarily Islamic religious composition. There are however, quite a few Persians, Kurds, Turks, and other ethnic groups. Furthermore, Western Christians, Jews, Orthodox Christians, Buddhists, and members of other religious groups can be found to varying degrees throughout the region.
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