SOUTH West ASIA (MIDDLE EAST)

A Glimpse of the Countries

AFGANISTANWhat to Wear?

Men should wear conservative suits and shoes.

If working in the country in a non-commercial capacity then wearing the traditional Afghan dress (long shirt and trousers) is best.

Women must always dress modestly and conservatively. The general rule is to show as little flesh from the neck downwards.

If working in business, women should wear knee-length, loose fitting business skirts with loose fitting professional trousers underneath. Wearing headscarf is

advisable.

Location: Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran Capital: KabulClimate: Arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers Population: 29,928,987 (July 2005 est.)Ethnic Make-up: Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Aimak 4%, Turkmen 3%, Baloch 2%, other 4% Religions: Sunni Muslim 80%, Shi'a Muslim 19%, other 1%

IRAQ

The traditional music of Iraq is the maqam, which is based on Arabic poetry and is very heart wrenching and

slow. Maqam musical scales are said to have been influenced by the courts of ancient Arabic kings and by

the Persians (ancient Iranians)Mountains make up about 20% of Iraq. The two main mountain chains are the Taurus, on the border with Turkey, and the Zagros, on the border with Iran. The mountains are the only parts of Iraq that still have forests.

Iraq first took part in the Olympic Games in 1948 and has only won one medal, a bronze in weightlifting in the 1960 Rome Games. Iraq has never competed in the Winter Games.

In Iraq, as it is in many predominately Muslim countries, it is offensive to use one’s left hand while eating because the left hand is considered to be unclean.

IranIran's capital and largest city, Tehran, has some of the worst air pollution in the world. An estimated 27 people die a day from air pollution-related diseases .

The current Iranian flag was adopted in 1980 and has three equal horizontal bands of green, white, and red. Green is the color of Islam and represents growth, white symbolizes honesty and peace, and red stands for bravery and martyrdom. Centered in the middle white band is the stylized representation of the word “Allah” and the phrase La ilaha illa Allah (“None is worthy of worship but Allah”) in the shape of a tulip. Along the inner edges of the green and red bands are 22 copies of the phrase Allahu Akbar (“God is great”).

The official name of Iran is the Islamic Republic of Iran. It became an Islamic republic in 1979 when the monarchy was overthrown and religious clerics assumed political power under supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini

SAUDI ARABIA

The government of Saudi Arabia is a Monarchy.

Saudi Arabia is the worlds largest producer of desalinated water.

The prime industry in Saudi Arabia is petroleum.

In Saudi Arabia, Miswak the root of the arak tree is used to clean teeth

Saudi Arabia – capital city is Riyadh

TURKEY

•The capital of Turkey is Ankara, while its largest city is Istanbul. •The major religion of Turkey is Islam, while its official language is Turkish. Kurdish, Dimli

and Azeri are also spoken in the country.•The monetary unit of Turkey is New Turkish lira.

•The part of Turkey in Europe is called ‘Thrace’, while the part in Asia is called ‘Anatolia’.•The highest peak in Turkey is Mount Agri (5,166 m). It is also said to be the place where

Noah's Ark came to rest.•The largest lake in Turkey is Lake Van.

•Turkey is officially known as the ‘Republic of Turkey’.•Turkey is a democratic, secular, unitary and constitutional republic.•The Republic of Turkey was founded on October 29, 1923, under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

ISRAELIsrael has more museums per capita than any other country in the world

The Dead Sea in Israel is the lowest point on earth, at 1,315 feet below sea level at its lowest point

Israel is the only liberal democracy in the middle east.

Israel has the largest fleet of aircraft outside of the U.S.

Israel has the world's second highest per capita of new books.

BESSIE LEE

TOP 10 INTERESTING FACTS (http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=EUPHRATES+RIVER&qs=n&form=QBIR&pq=euphrates+river&sc=0-0&sp=-1&sk=&adlt=strict#view=detail&id=A0D2985D5794DAF58514CEC982CE860BBC5151E4&selectedIndex=15

).