What Do We Know About the Middle East? Quiz

Answer: On three continents

While the Middle East is thought to be predominantly in Western Asia, it also encompasses part of Africa and Europe. As an example, although Israel and Egypt border each other, Israel is in Asia while Egypt is in North Africa. To add to the confusion, Cyprus and parts of Turkey are considered to be in Europe.

The Middle East seems to be more of a political region than a geographic one. With all the continued tensions in the area, it is certainly a hot-bed of tension, mistrust and violence.

Answer: Turkey

Turkey is a transcontinental country located in both Western Asia and Southeastern Europe and, other than Russia, it is the only country which spans two continents. Turkish history dates back as far as 7500 BC and includes such historic events as the Trojan War and the Medieval Crusades; it was in 1871 that Heinrich Schliemann discovered the ruins of Troy.

The Ottoman Empire evolved and grew in the sixteen and seventeenth centuries under the rule of Suleiman the Magnificent. Greece is in Southern Europe, Nepal in South Asia and Belarus in Eastern Europe.

Answer: Saudi Arabia

While all of the above countries have large oil reserves, it is Saudi Arabia which is the largest Arab state in Western Asia by land area and contains the greatest oil supply. Ten Middle Eastern countries, i.e. the four mentioned along with Syria, Bahrain, Qatar, U.A.E., Oman and Yemen total about 3.4% of the Earth's land surface, but 60% of the known oil reserves and 41% of the natural gas reserves.

This makes the area of great importance throughout the industrialized world.

Answer: Haile Selassie

Haile Selassie I (1892-1975) ruled Ethiopia as emperor from 1930 to 1974 under the titles of: His Imperial Majesty, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Elect of God and Emperor of Ethiopia; his dynasty traced its origins back to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.

In 1936, he made a speech in front of the League of Nations demanding the cessation of Italy's use of chemical weapons, and was even named Times' Man of the Year on January 6, 1936. He was deposed in 1974 and died less than a year later under mysterious circumstances.

Although Ethiopia in not included in the Middle East, the Ethiopian Empire included parts of Egypt, Saudia Arabia, the Sudan and all of Yemen.

Answer: Arabs

Arabs constitute the major ethnic group in all of the Middle East states except Iran/Persian, Israel/Jewish and Turkey/Turkic. About 60% of the total population of the area speak Arabic and consider themselves Arabs. In addition to the ethnic diversity, there are deep religious conflicts and national loyalties which help to divide the Middle East even more.

The idea of a permanent peace among the Middle Eastern nations continues to be nothing more than a fanciful hope.

Answer: Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin

I hope I didn't trick you. All the choices have won the Nobel Peace Prize, but it was because of Sadat's and Begin's ground-breaking efforts to establsh peace between Egypt and Israel that these two were awarded this honor in 1978. The Camp David Accords, as these negotiations were called, was brokered by President Jimmy Carter and were signed on September 17, 1978.

It was the first such treaty between Israel and its Arab neighbors. In 1994, Rabin, Arafat and Shimon Peres won for the Oslo Accords promoting an end to the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

Answer: Damascus

Damascus, Syria's capital, is known as Ash-Sham in Syria and it is the second largest city after Aleppo; it is nick-named the City of Jasmine. Damascus borders Jordan to the east and Lebanon to the west, and is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world.

The city is even mentioned in the Bible (Genesis 14:15) as existing at the time of the "War of the Kings". In January 2012 a car bomb exploded in Damascus, killing more than 26 people; in March, twin car bombs were detonated in the heart of the city; by June, violence had erupted as government troops fought the Free Syrian Army in the streets.

Answer: Syrian Desert

The Syrian Desert extends northward from the Arabian Peninsula over northern Saudi Arabia, western Iraq, eastern Jordan and southern Syria. It is a dry, barren wasteland largely covered by lava flows. All of the choices can be found in Africa: the Sahara is the world's largest hot desert and covers most of Northern Africa, e.g., Algeria, Chad, Morocco, etc.; the Kalahari covers Botswana and parts of Namibia and South Africa; the Owami desert can be found in Nigeria.

Answer: Turkey

The acronym NATO stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization signed in April 1949 which represents an Alliance of 28 independent member countries from North America and Europe. Turkey joined the Alliance in 1952 and continues to remain the only Middle Eastern nation included as a member country.

Answer: King Hussein

While all of the above have ruled Jordan, it is King Hussein who ruled throughout the Cold War and four decades of conflict with Israel. Hussein's grandfather Abdullah I was assassinated in 1951, at which time Hussein's father, Talal, Abdullah's oldest son, became King of Jordan. Within 13 months Talal was forced to abdicate due to his being diagnosed with schizophrenia; Crown Prince Hussein was then proclaimed King of Jordan in August 1952, at the age of sixteen, and enthroned in May 1953.

In 1994 he became only the second Arab head of state to recognize Israel (after Sadat). Abdullah II is King Hussein's son who ascended the throne on February 7, 1999.