Middle East

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of the Middle East}}
{{See also|Largest metropolitan areas of the Middle East}}

[[File:Maunsell's map, Pre-World War I British Ethnographical Map of eastern Turkey in Asia, Syria and western Persia 01.jpg|thumb|Maunsell's map, a Pre-World War I British Ethnographical Map of the Middle East]]

===Ethnic groups===
{{Main|Ethnic groups in the Middle East}}

[[Arabs]] constitute the largest ethnic group in the Middle East, followed by various [[Iranian peoples]] and then by [[Turkic people]]s ([[Turkish people|Turkish]], [[Azeris]], [[Syrian Turkmen]], and [[Iraqi Turkmen]]). Native ethnic groups of the region include, in addition to Arabs, [[Arameans in Syria|Arameans]], [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]], [[Baloch peoples|Baloch]], [[Berbers]], [[Copts]], [[Druze]], [[Greek Cypriots]], [[Jews]], [[Kurds]], [[Lurs]], [[Mandaeans]], [[Persian people|Persians]], [[Samaritans]], [[Shabak people|Shabaks]], [[Tat people (Iran)|Tats]], and [[Zazas]]. European ethnic groups that form a diaspora in the region include [[Albanians]], [[Bosniaks]], [[Circassians]] (including [[Kabardians]]), [[Crimean Tatars]], [[Greeks]], [[Levantines (Latin Christians)|Franco-Levantines]], [[Levantines (Latin Christians)#Italian Levantines|Italo-Levantines]], and [[Iraqi Turkmens]]. Among other migrant populations are [[Overseas Chinese|Chinese]], [[Filipinos in Saudi Arabia|Filipinos]], [[Indians in Saudi Arabia|Indians]], [[Indonesians in Saudi Arabia|Indonesians]], [[Pakistanis]], [[Pashtuns]], [[Romani people|Romani]], and [[Afro-Arab]]s.

===Migration===
"Migration has always provided an important vent for labor market pressures in the Middle East. For the period between the 1970s and 1990s, the Arab states of the Persian Gulf in particular provided a rich source of employment for workers from Egypt, Yemen and the countries of the Levant, while Europe had attracted young workers from North African countries due both to proximity and the legacy of colonial ties between France and the majority of North African states."<ref name="Hassan and Dyer">{{cite journal|last1=Hassan|first1=Islam|last2=Dyer|first2=Paul|title=The State of Middle Eastern Youth.|journal=The Muslim World|date=2017|volume=107|issue=1|pages=3–12|url=https://www.academia.edu/31029084|hdl=10822/1042998|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170403002800/http://www.academia.edu/31029084/The_Muslim_World_CIRS_Special_Issue_The_State_of_Middle_Eastern_Youth|archive-date=3 April 2017|doi=10.1111/muwo.12175}}</ref>

According to the [[International Organization for Migration]], there are 13&nbsp;million first-generation migrants from [[Arab nations]] in the world, of which 5.8 reside in other Arab countries. Expatriates from Arab countries contribute to the circulation of financial and human capital in the region and thus significantly promote regional development. In 2009 Arab countries received a total of US$35.1&nbsp;billion in [[remittance]] in-flows and remittances sent to [[Jordan]], [[Egypt]] and [[Lebanon]] from other Arab countries are 40 to 190 per cent higher than trade revenues between these and other Arab countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.egypt.iom.int/Doc/IOM%20Intra%20regional%20labour%20mobility%20in%20Arab%20region%20Facts%20and%20Figures%20(English).pdf |title=IOM Intra regional labour mobility in Arab region Facts and Figures (English) |access-date=31 October 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430010601/http://www.egypt.iom.int/Doc/IOM%20Intra%20regional%20labour%20mobility%20in%20Arab%20region%20Facts%20and%20Figures%20%28English%29.pdf |archive-date=30 April 2011 }}</ref> In [[Somalia]], the [[Somali Civil War]] has greatly increased the size of the [[Somali diaspora]], as many of the best educated Somalis left for Middle Eastern countries as well as [[Europe]] and [[North America]].

Non-Arab Middle Eastern countries such as [[Turkey]], [[Israel]] and [[Iran]] are also subject to important migration dynamics.

A fair proportion of those migrating from Arab nations are from ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution and are not necessarily ethnic Arabs, Iranians or Turks.{{citation needed|date=September 2012}} Large numbers of [[Kurdish people|Kurds]], [[Jewish people|Jews]], [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]], [[Greek people|Greeks]] and [[Armenian people|Armenians]] as well as many [[Mandaeans|Mandean]]s have left nations such as Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey for these reasons during the last century. In Iran, many religious minorities such as [[Christians]], [[Baháʼí Faith|Baháʼís]], [[Jews]] and [[Zoroastrians]] have left since the [[Iranian Revolution|Islamic Revolution of 1979]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The Church of the East: An Illustrated History of Assyrian Christianity| first=Christoph |last=Baumer|year= 2016| isbn=  978-1838609344| page =276|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|quote= Although the Christians of Iran, unlike their Iraqi brothers, were not called up for military service in the Iran–Iraq War ... was so radical that a genuine exodus took place – more than half the 250,000 Christians left Iran after 1979.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Iranian Jews in Israel: Between Persian Cultural Identity and Israeli Nationalism| first=Alessandra |last=Cecolin|year= 2015| isbn= 978-0857727886| page =138|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|quote= }}</ref>

===Religions===
{{Main|Religion in the Middle East}}

[[File:Mosque.jpg|thumb|Islam is the largest religion in the Middle East. Here, Muslim men are [[prostration|prostrating]] during prayer in a mosque.]]

The Middle East is very diverse when it comes to [[Major religious groups|religions]], many of which originated there. [[Islam]] is the largest religion in the Middle East, but other faiths that originated there, such as [[Judaism]] and [[Christianity]],<ref>{{cite book|title=The Rowman & Littlefield Handbook of Christianity in the Middle East|first=Philip |last=Jenkins|year= 2020| isbn=978-1538124185| page =xlviii |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|quote=The Middle East still stands at the heart of the Christian world. After all, it is the birthplace, and the death place, of Christ, and the cradle of the Christian tradition.}}</ref> are also well represented. [[Christianity in the Middle East|Christian communities]] have [[Role of Christianity in civilization|played a vital role]] in the Middle East,<ref>{{cite book|title=Jews, Antisemitism, and the Middle East|first=Michael |last=Curtis|year= 2017| isbn=978-1351510721| page =173|publisher=Routledge|quote=Christian communities and individuals have played a vital role in the Middle East, the cradle of Christianity as of other religions.}}</ref> and they represent 40.5% of Lebanon, where the [[President of Lebanon|Lebanese president]], half of the cabinet, and half of the parliament follow one of the various Lebanese Christian rites. There are also important minority religions like the [[Baháʼí Faith]], [[Yarsanism]], [[Yazidis]]m,<ref name="Fuccaro" >{{cite book |author1=Nelida Fuccaro |title=The Other Kurds: Yazidis in Colonial Iraq |date=1999 |publisher=I.B. Tauris |location=London & New York |isbn=1860641709 |page=9}}</ref> [[Zoroastrianism]], [[Mandaeism]], [[Druze]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Middle East Patterns: Places, People, and Politics| first=Colbert|last=  C. Held|year= 2008| isbn= 978-0429962004| page =109|publisher=Routledge|quote= Worldwide, they number 1 million or so, with about 45 to 50 percent in Syria, 35 to 40 percent in Lebanon, and less than 10 percent in Israel. Recently there has been a growing Druze diaspora.}}</ref> and [[Shabak people#Religious beliefs|Shabakism]], and in ancient times the region was home to [[ancient Mesopotamian religion|Mesopotamian religions]], [[ancient Canaanite religion|Canaanite religions]], [[Manichaeism]], [[Mithraic mysteries|Mithraism]] and various [[monotheist]] [[gnostic]] sects.

===Languages===
The six top languages, in terms of numbers of speakers, are [[Arabic dialects|Arabic]], [[Persian language|Persian]], [[Turkish language|Turkish]], [[Kurdish languages|Kurdish]], [[Hebrew languages|Hebrew]] and [[Modern Greek|Greek]]. Arabic and Hebrew represent the [[Afro-Asiatic languages|Afro-Asiatic]] [[language family]]. Persian, Kurdish and Greek belong to the [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]] language family. Turkish belongs to [[Turkic languages|Turkic]] language family. About 20 minority languages are also spoken in the Middle East.

Arabic, with all its dialects, is the most widely spoken language in the Middle East, with [[Modern Standard Arabic|Literary Arabic]] being official in all North African and in most West Asian countries. Arabic dialects are also spoken in some adjacent areas in neighbouring Middle Eastern non-Arab countries. It is a member of the [[Semitic languages|Semitic branch]] of the Afro-Asiatic languages. Several [[Modern South Arabian languages]] such as [[Mehri language|Mehri]] and [[Soqotri language|Soqotri]] are also spoken in Yemen and Oman. Another Semitic language such as [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]] and its dialects are spoken mainly by [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]] and [[Mandaeans]]. There is also an [[Berber languages|Oasis Berber]]-speaking community in Egypt where the language is also known as [[Siwa language|Siwa]]. It is a non-Semitic Afro-Asiatic language.

[[Persian language|Persian]] is the second most spoken language. While it is primarily spoken in [[Iran]] and some border areas in neighbouring countries, the country is one of the region's largest and most populous. It belongs to the [[Indo-Iranian languages|Indo-Iranian branch]] of the family of [[Indo-European languages]]. Other Western Iranic languages spoken in the region include [[Achomi language|Achomi]], [[Daylami language|Daylami]], [[Kurdish languages|Kurdish]] dialects, [[Semnani language|Semmani]], [[Luri language|Lurish]], amongst many others.

The third-most widely spoken language, [[Turkish language|Turkish]], is largely confined to Turkey, which is also one of the region's largest and most populous countries, but it is present in areas in neighboring countries. It is a member of the [[Turkic languages]], which have their origins in East Asia. Another Turkic language, [[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]], is spoken by Azerbaijanis in Iran.

[[Hebrew languages|Hebrew]] is one of the two official languages of [[Israel]], the other being Arabic. Hebrew is spoken and used by over 80% of Israel's population, the other 20% using Arabic.

[[Modern Greek|Greek]] is one of the two official languages of [[Cyprus]], and the country's main language. Small communities of Greek speakers exist all around the Middle East; until the 20th century it was also widely spoken in Asia Minor (being the second most spoken language there, after Turkish) and Egypt. During the antiquity, [[Ancient Greek]] was the [[lingua franca]] for many areas of the western Middle East and until the Muslim expansion it was widely spoken there as well. Until the late 11th century, it was also the main spoken language in [[Asia Minor]]; after that it was gradually replaced by the Turkish language as the Anatolian Turks expanded and the local Greeks were assimilated, especially in the interior.

[[File:1911 Ottoman Calendar.jpg|thumb|upright|1911 Ottoman calendar shown in several different languages such as: Ottoman Turkish (in Arabic script), Greek, Armenian, Hebrew, Bulgarian, and French.]]

[[English language|English]] is one of the official languages of Akrotiri and Dhekelia.<ref>{{cite web |title=Europe :: Akrotiri – The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/akrotiri/ |publisher=CIA |date=25 October 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Europe :: Dhekelia – The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/dhekelia/ |publisher=CIA |date=25 October 2021 }}</ref> It is also commonly taught and used as a second language, especially among the [[middle class|middle]] and [[upper class]]es, in countries such as [[Egypt]], [[Jordan]], [[Iran]], [[Kurdistan]], [[Iraq]], [[Qatar]], [[Bahrain]], [[United Arab Emirates]] and [[Kuwait]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/jordan/ |title= World Factbook – Jordan |date= 20 October 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/kuwait/|title=Kuwait|date=19 October 2021|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|via=CIA.gov}}</ref> It is also a main language in some Emirates of the United Arab Emirates. It is also spoken as native language by Jewish immigrants from Anglophone countries (UK, US, Australia) in Israel and understood widely as second language there.

[[French language|French]] is taught and used in many government facilities and media in [[Lebanon]], and is taught in some primary and secondary schools of [[Egypt]] and [[Syria]]. [[Maltese language|Maltese]], a Semitic language mainly spoken in Europe, is used by the [[Maltese in Egypt|Franco-Maltese diaspora]] in Egypt. Due to widespread immigration of [[French Jews]] to [[French Jews in Israel|Israel]], it is the native language of approximately 200,000 Jews in Israel.

[[Armenian language|Armenian]] speakers are to be found in the region. [[Georgian language|Georgian]] is spoken by the Georgian diaspora.

[[Russian language|Russian]] is spoken by a large portion of the Israeli population, because of [[Aliyah from the Commonwealth of Independent States in the 1990s|emigration in the late 1990s]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Dowty|first=Alan|title=Critical issues in Israeli society|year=2004|publisher=Praeger|location=Westport, Conn. |isbn=9780275973209|page=95}}</ref> Russian today is a popular unofficial language in use in [[Israel]]; news, radio and sign boards can be found in Russian around the country after Hebrew and Arabic. [[Northwest Caucasian languages|Circassian]] is also spoken by the diaspora in the region and by almost all Circassians in Israel who speak Hebrew and English as well.

The largest [[Romanian language|Romanian]]-speaking community in the Middle East is found in [[Israel]], where {{as of|1995|lc=on}} Romanian is spoken by 5% of the population.<ref group="note">According to the 1993 ''Statistical Abstract of Israel'' there were 250,000 Romanian speakers in Israel, at a population of 5,548,523 (census 1995).</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eurojewcong.org/ejc/news.php?id_article=110 |title=Reports of about 300,000 Jews that left the country after WW2 |website=Eurojewcong.org |access-date=7 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100813205116/http://www.eurojewcong.org/ejc/news.php?id_article=110 |archive-date=13 August 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.evz.ro/article.php?artid=185041 |title=Evenimentul Zilei |website=Evz.ro |access-date=7 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071224113558/http://www.evz.ro/article.php?artid=185041 |archive-date=24 December 2007 }}</ref>

[[Bengali language|Bengali]], [[Hindi]] and [[Urdu]] are widely spoken by migrant communities in many Middle Eastern countries, such as Saudi Arabia (where 20–25% of the population is South Asian), the United Arab Emirates (where 50–55% of the population is South Asian), and Qatar, which have large numbers of [[Pakistan]]i, [[Bangladesh]]i and [[India]]n immigrants.