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India and the Middle East are exciting and exotic regions of the world. Did you know that four of the seven natural wonders of the world can be found here? The Middle East is the birthplace of three major world religions and a continuous hotbed of political activity and religious and ethnic tensions. Keep reading to learn more about this fascinating place!

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The land called Palestine was occupied by the Ottoman Empire, a large group of territories ruled by an oppressive regime that found itself on the losing end of World War I. The Balfour Declaration of 1917 stated that the British people and soldiers supported the construction of a homeland for the Jewish people—in Palestine.

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Jerusalem is the city at the center of the controversy between Israelis and Palestinians. Jerusalem is a key religious city for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Some Palestinians want all of Jerusalem to become a unified capital of a Palestinian state. Many Jews want the same thing.

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The Gaza Strip is a narrow piece of land along the Mediterranean coast between Israel and Egypt. Just 25 miles long and less than half as wide, it is home to more than 1.5 million Palestinians but has been controlled by Israel since 1967.

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New Delhi, Calcutta, Mumbai, and Chennai are the four wealthiest cities in the country. What do the cities of Chennai, Calcutta, and Mumbai have in common?

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New Delhi, Calcutta, Mumbai, and Chennai are the four wealthiest cities in the country. What do the cities of Chennai, Calcutta, and Mumbai have in common?

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Did you notice that all of these cities are located on the coast? Good job!

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The Golan Heights is a strategic plateau and mountainous region, situated to the east of the Jordan River. It remains a hotly contested land between both Syria and Israel. The area currently is controlled by the State of Israel.

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The West Bank is a landlocked territory and is the eastern part of the Palestinian territories on the west bank of the River Jordan in the Middle East. Although almost 80% of the West Bank is Palestinian, Israel occupies the region. Palestine wants the region back.

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Before you begin learning about the roots of the Israel and Palestine conflict, you must first understand the location of key places in the region.

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The Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia and northeastern Africa. The history of the Middle East dates back to ancient times, and throughout its history the Middle East has been a major center of world affairs. The term Middle East probably originated in the 1800s and became internationally accepted in the early 1900s. Following a 1903 article series, "The Middle Eastern Question," written by Sir Ignatius Valentine Chirol, the definition of the "Middle East" was officially expanded to include "those regions of Asia which extend to the borders of India or command the approaches to India."

In this section we will be examining India as well as the following countries in the region referred to as the Middle East: Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Syria, Cyprus, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan.

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The Cradle of Civilization and The Fertile Crescent

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The Cradle of Civilization and The Fertile Crescent

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The "Fertile Crescent" refers to an ancient area of fertile soil and important rivers stretching in an arc from the Nile to the Tigris and Euphrates across the northern part of the Syrian Desert. A traditional theory of the spread of civilization is that it began in the Fertile Crescent and spread out from there. This consistent "Cradle of Civilization" concept is not necessarily supported by archaeological evidence that has revealed similar features of civilization in both hemispheres at comparable times. However, Sumer, Assyria, Babylon and the other cities of Mesopotamia, for most intents and purposes, continue to stand as the groups who gave birth to civilized life. The present day countries of Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq are all located in this region of the Fertile Crescent.Mesopotamia forms the eastern half of the region referred to as the Fertile Crescent. Mesopotamia lies between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which provide the life-giving water that helped transform simple villages into complex cities. The most basic unit in any society is the people, and people need to eat. A nomadic, hunter-gatherer lifestyle could not support the needs of a growing society. The development of agriculture was the major key for promoting civilized life. In this great arc of cultivable land, wheat is considered the first domesticated crop in the region.

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About a quarter of India's population is urban. At least 23 Indian cities have over one million residents! New Delhi, Calcutta, Mumbai and Chennai are four of the most important cities of India. Some cities of India like Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, and Hyderabad have grown at a tremendous pace. All of these cities have over 10 million people. Some of these major cities in India have also witnessed a phenomenal increase in the per capita incomes of people since the economic boom of the 1990s.

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Mapping the Fertile Crescent Region