Guest Post by Vishal Agarwal

South west Asia or south western Asia is the western part of the Asia. Western Asia is the latest term specified for the area that comprises of the Middle East and the near east. Due to certain European exceptionalism for referring a part as east of Europe, International organization decided to restore middle east and near east with the western Asia and west Asia respectively. Western Eurasia is the term used to refer western Asia and Europe collectively. Let us have a complete view over the geological, geographical, and economical view of the south west Asia.

Geographical situation

The region of the western Asia is surrounded by 7 crucial seas, the Mediterranean Sea, the black sea, the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, the Caspian Sea, the Aegean Sea and the red sea. To the north the region is surrounded by the Caucasus Mountains, to the southwest by Isthmus of Suez, to the east by the central Asia and the south Asia.

Western Asia can be considered as both arid and semi arid, and can experience drought situation but the region consists of dense forest and fertile valleys. Western Asia consists of beautiful desserts, grassland, mountains and rangelands. The major seas including the Tigris and the Euphrates forms the major source of water supply for the irrigation to support agriculture.

The geological conditions

There are three crucial plate tectonics (theory which states that the earth’s outer surface is divided into three plates or layers above the core) which connect on the western Asia which includes the Arabian, the African and the Eurasian plates. The Arabian plate is tending towards the north into the turkey (Anatolian plate) at the “East Anatolian Fault.

The population

Western Asia has the total population of over 300 million; Iran and Turkey are considered as the most populous countries of the region with over 75 million people in the each country followed by 32 million people in the Iraq. Arabic is the major as well as the official language in the 14 regional countries followed by Persian and the Turkish language. The people of western Asia have major faith in Islam.

The economy of the region

The economy of the western Asia varies and it encounters high economic growth. In the entire western Asia region Turkey has the largest economy followed by Saudi Arabia and the Iran. More than 50 percent of the world’s oil reserves and over 40-50 percent of the world’s natural gas reserves are situated in the western Asia as Petroleum is the main source of economical growth.

The countries and their capitals

The countries and their capitals of the western Asia region are as follows.

• Turkey’s capital is Ankara.
  
• Cyprus’s capital is Nicosia.
  
• Syria’s capital is Damascus.
  
• Lebanon’s capital is Beirut.
  
• Israel’s capital is Jerusalem.
  
• Jordan’s capital is Amman.
  
• Iraq’s capital is Baghdad.
  
• Kuwait’s capital is Kuwait city.
  
• Saudi Arabia’s capital is Riyadh.
  
• Bahrain’s capital is Manama.
  
• United Arab Emirate’s capital is Abu Dhabi.
  
• Oman’s capital is Muscat.
  
• Qatar’s capital is Doha.
  
• Yemen’s capital is Sanaa.