Middle East Quick Fact Sheet

Home , Christian head covering, Keffiyeh, Taqiyah (cap), Turban, Veil

• The countries that make up the Middle East are: Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, The Palestinian Territories, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

• Iran has the largest population in the region with approximately 70 million people.

• Most popular languages spoken: Arabic, Kurdish, Persian, and Hebrew.

• Many religions are practice in this region. The most popular are: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.

• When visiting holy sites in the region it is customary to wear a head covering. When visiting Muslim sites modest head covering s are appreciated like a turban, taqiyah (cap) or keffiyeh for males and a scarf for females. Males are required to remove their hats while females wear a keffiyehs or veil when visiting Orthodox Christian sites. For Jewish holy sites males are required to wear a yamulke or any other head wear.

• The metric system is used in the Middle East.

• Some of the most popular foods in the region are; hummus (a dip made from chickpeas), pita, shawarma (meat wrapped up in pita bread), falafel, baba ghanoush (an eggplant and tahini dip), tabouleh (a salad made with pasley, tomatoes, chick peas and olive oil). It is common to eat from a central platter.

• A global warming impact study of the Arabian Gulf by the British University of Dubai predicts that temperatures will rise between 1.8 and 4 degrees Celsius. This will melt ice caps and submerge coastal areas which will force those living in such regions to flee inland. o Reference: http://www.ameinfo.com/148002.html

• The United Arab Emirates has the highest carbon footprint on a per capita tonne basis even with its small population. The four worst offenders from the region are: Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait. The major reason for this is the burning of fossil fuels. o Reference: http://www.ameinfo.com/148002.html www.HabitatHeroes.com Saving the Planet One Game at a Time

• In Iran the thumbs up gesture is an offensive insult.

• Souks / bazaars are market places. A wide variety of items are sold there from food to jewellery, ceramics and clothing. Bargaining is expected.