GAZETTEER
the location of important places in the Middle East

Abu Dhabi: The largest of the seven emirates of the UAE and its capital.
Aden:  A city and winter capital of Yemen located in the South of the country at the Gulf of Aden.
Afghanistan:a mountainous country in Southwest Asia, between Pakistan and Iran. (33 N/65 E)
Alexandria:City in northern Egypt situated on the Mediterranean Sea.
Algiers: Capital of Algeria
Algeria: a country in north Africa, on the Mediterranean Sea. (35 N/3 E)
Amman:  The capital of Jordan

Anatollian Plateau:A high plateau in central Turkey (32 N/34 E)
Anti-Lebanon Mountains:A mountain range of Lebanon and Syria.  Its highest peak is Mount Herman.
Ankara: The capital of Turkey
Arabian Peninsula:  A large peninsula in Southwest Asia between the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, and the Indian Ocean (30N/45E)
Arabian Sea:   Sea between the Arabian peninsula and the Indian subcontinent that is part of the Indian Ocean
Asia Minor:   A peninsula in west Asia forming the Asian part of Turkey.  Most of the peninsula is occupied by the Anatollian plateau.
Atlas Mountains:A mountain range in northwest Africa (33N/3W)
Bahrain: An archipelago made up of 11 islands in the Persian Gulf.
Basra: A city in southern Iraq on the Shatt-al-Arab waterway near the Persian Gulf.
Baghdad: The capital of Iraq

Beirut: The capital of Lebanon
Bosporus Straits: A strait that separates European and Asian Turkey.  The strait connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara.
Buiyan Island:  Located in the Persian Gulf this island is island was disputed between Iraq and Kuwait.  In 1994 Iraq formally gave up claim to this island.
Cairo:  The capital of Egypt, on the Nile River; Africa's largest city. (30 N/ 31 E)

Casablanca:Port city and largest city in Morocco.
Caspian Sea:An inland sea between Europe and Asia; borders Iran. (43 N / 50 E)
Cueta: A Spanish enclave in Morocco across from the Strait of Gibraltar
Damascus:The capital of Syria and the the oldest continuously inhabited city.

Dardanelles: A narrow strait linking the Sea of Marmara and the Mediterranean Sea, and separating European and Asian Turkey.
Dead Sea:  Salt Lake of Jordan ,Israel and Palestine that is the lowest water surface on earth.

Doha:  The capital of Qatar
Egypt: A country in eastern North Africa. (28 N / 31 E)
Elburz Mountains:Mountains in northern Iran where the capital, Tehran is found.
Euphrates River: A river in Southwest Asia that flows from Turkey through Syria and Iraq and into the Persian Gulf
 (31N/ 47E)
Gaza:  A Palestinian city situated on the Mediterranean Sea.  It is the main city of the Gaza Strip and is the headquarters of the Palestinian National Authority.
Gaza Strip: Palestinian territory bordered to the South by Egypt and to the north and east by Israel.

Golan Heights:  Formerly Syrian territory that has been annexed by Israel.

Gulf of Aden:  An arm of the Red Sea running ot the east of the Sinai peninsula and west of the Arabian mainland.  It is part of the Rift Valley.
Gulf of Aquaba: An arm of the Red Sea running to the east of the Sinai Peninsula and west of the Arabian mainland.  It is part of the Rift Valley.
Hala'ib Triangle:Disputed region between Sudan and Egypt
Hawar Islands: Located in the Persian Gulf these islands are disputed between Qatar and Bahrain.
Hebron:  City on the West Bank under Palestinian control except for a group of 400 Jews living in the center of the city.

Hindu Kush Mountains: One of the highest mountain systems in the world extending 500 miles west from Pamir Knot, North Pakistan, into Northeast Afghanistan.
Iran: A country in Southwest Asia, south of the Caspian Sea. (33 N/ 53 E)
Iraq: A country in Southwest Asia, west of Iran. (33N/ 44 E)
Israel:  A country in Southwest Asia on the Mediterranean Sea. (32 N/ 35 E)
Istanbul: Former capital and largest city in Turkey.  Located in the European part of Turkey
Jeddah:  A city in Saudi Arabia located on the Red Sea near Mecca.
Jericho:City on the West Bank under Palestinian control

Jerusalem:the capital of Israel, in the eastern part of the country; a holy city for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. (32 N/35E)

Jordan: a country in Southwest Asia east of Israel. (31 N/ 36 E)
Jordan River: River bordering Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan.  The Yarmuk River of Syria is an important tributary.
Kabul: The capital of Afghanistan.
Khartoum: The capital and largest city of Sudan in East Africa. (16 N/ 33 E)
Khyber Pass: A narrow, steep-sided mountain pass on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.  For centuries the main western land approach to India was through this pass.
Kurdistan: An extensive plateau and mountain region in Southwest Asia inhabited mainly by Kurds and includes part of Eastern Turkey, Northern Syria, Northeast Iraq, Southern Armenia, and Northwestern Iran.
Kuwait:  A country located on the northeastern edge of the Persian Gulf south of Iraq and west of Saudi Arabia.
Kuwait City: The capital of Kuwait.
Lebanon: A country in Southwest Asia on the Mediterranean Sea north of Israel.  (34 N/ 36 E)
Libya: A country in North Africa west of Egypt. (27 N/17 E)
Litani River: A river of Lebanon.  It is the only river in the Near East that does not cross international borders.
Manama:  The capital of Bahrain.
Masada:  An ancient fortress in Israel overlooking the Dead Sea and a site of a battle between the Jews and the Romans.

Mecca:  The religious capital of Saudi Arabia in the western part of the country. (21 N/40 E)
Mediterranean Sea: Strategically important sea between Europe, Africa, and Asia.  Opening ot the Atlantic Ocean, to the Black Sea through the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara and the Bosporus; and to the Red Sea through the Suez Canal
Melilla: A Spanish enclave in Morocco on the Mediterranean Sea.
Memphis:  A city of ancient Egypt situated on the west bank of the Nile.  It is the first imperial city in the world.
Mount Herman:Shared between Lebanon and the Israeli occupied Golan Heights.  It marks the end of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range.
Morocco: A country in western North Africa, (32 N/ 6 W)
Musandam Peninsula:  A strategic peninsula that guards the entrance to the Persian Gulf.
Muscat: The capital of Oman
Nile Valley:The fertile banks of the Nile River in Africa (25  N/ 32 E)
Oman:  A country located on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula.
Persian Gulf: A part of the Arabian Sea between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula. ( 27 N/ 50 E)
Petra:  An ancient city in Jordan, it is a former capital of the Nabteans.  The city was cut into the Rock.

Qatar:  Located on a peninsula of the Arabian Peninsula.
Rabat:  The capital of Morocco
Red Sea: Sea between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
Riyadh:  The capital of Saudi Arabia.
Rub-al-Khali: A desert in Saudi Arabia the size of Texas.
Ru'usal-Jibal:  A small enclave of belonging to Oman on the tip of the Musandam peninsula.
Sahara:  The world's largest desert in northern Africa (25 N/ 5E)
San'a:  The capital of Yemen
Sea of Marmara:  Sea in-between the Dardanelles and Bosporus Straits in Turkey
Saudi Arabia: A country on the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia (26 N/ 44 E)
Shatt-al-Arab: Waterway that is formed where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers meet before they flow into the Persian Gulf.
Sinai Peninsula: Landbridge belonging to Egypt that connects Asia and Africa.
Strait of Hormuz:  A narrow channel connecting the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea.(26 N/ 56 E)
Suez Canal: A canal in Egypt connecting the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. (30 N/ 33 E)

Sudan:  The largest country in Africa bordered by Egypt in the north, the Red Sea in the Northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia in the East, Kenya, Uganda, and Zaire in the South, the Central African Republic and Chad in the west and Libya to the Northwest.
Syria: A country in Southwest Asia south of Turkey. (35 N/ 38 E)
Tehran:The capital of Iran.
Tel Aviv-Jaffa: The largest city in Israel located on the Mediterranean Sea.
Tigris River: A river in Southwest Asia that flows from southeastern Turkey though Iraq into the Persian Gulf. (37 N/42E)
Tripoli: The capital of Libya
Tunis:  The capital of Tunisia.
Tunisia: A country in Northwest Africa bordered by Algeria, the Mediterranean Sea and Libya.
Turkey: A country in southeastern Europe and Southwest Asia. (39 N/ 36 E)
United Arab Emirates:Located on the Arabian Peninsula on the south shore of the Persian Gulf
Warbah Island : Located in the Persian Gulf this island is island was disputed between Iraq and Kuwait.  In 1994 Iraq formally gave up claim to this island.
West Bank: Disputed territory west of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea and east of Israel..  Some of the land is under Palestinian authority, the rest is under Israeli occupation.
Yemen: A country located on the south coast of the Arabian peninsula.
Zagros Mountains:  Mountain range dominating western Iran.

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