Bahrain - which name means "two seas" - was one of the first states in the Gulf to discover oil and to build a refinery. It never reached the levels of production enjoyed by Kuwait or Saudi Arabia, and so has had to diversify its economy.

The Muslim country is ruled by a Sunni king, whose family holds the main political and military posts. The divide between the Shia majority and the Sunni rulers has led to long-running tension in the kingdom, which has sporadically boiled over into civil disobedience.

The government called in the Saudi military to crush protests by demonstrators demanding a greater say in government in early 2011. Shia leaders have long alleged systematic discrimination in jobs and services.

Cyprus, Greek Kípros, Turkish Kıbrıs, an island in the eastern Mediterranean Sea renowned since ancient times for its mineral wealth, superb wines and produce, and natural beauty.

A “golden-green leaf thrown into the Sea” and a land of “wild weather and volcanoes,” in the words of the Greek Cypriot poet Leonidas Malenis, Cyprus comprises tall mountains, fertile valleys, and wide beaches. Settled for more than 10 millennia, Cyprus stands at a cultural, linguistic, and historic crossroads between Europe and Asia. Its chief cities—the capital of Nicosia, Limassol, Famagusta, and Paphos—have absorbed the influences of generations of conquerors, pilgrims, and travelers and have an air that is both cosmopolitan and provincial. Today Cyprus is a popular tourist destination for visitors from Europe, favoured by honeymooners (as befits the legendary home of Aphrodite, the ancient Greek goddess of love), bird-watchers drawn by the island’s diversity of migratory species, and other vacationers.

WHERE IT ALL BEGINS Egypt has been known as the cradle of civilization for centuries and also a cradle for inspiration; the source of many people's discoveries and experiences.

From the majestic Pyramids still standing proudly to the mighty Nile flowing through the heart of Egypt, the stark Sahara Desert and the pristine beaches of the Red Sea, Egypt has it all. A great story awaits you.

Greece, the southernmost of the countries of the Balkan Peninsula. Geography has greatly influenced the country’s development. Mountains have historically restricted internal communications, but the sea has opened up wider horizons. The total land area of Greece (one-fifth of which is made up of the Greek islands) is comparable in size to England or the U.S. state of Alabama.

Greece has more than 2,000 islands, of which about 170 are inhabited; some of the easternmost Aegean islands lie just a few miles off the Turkish coast. The country’s capital is Athens, which expanded rapidly in the second half of the 20th century. Attikí (ancient Greek: Attica), the area around the capital, is now home to about one-third of the country’s entire population.

Officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan was founded in 1921 and was recognized by the League of Nations as a state under the British mandate in 1922 known as The Emirate of Transjordan.

In 1946, Jordan became an independent sovereign state officially known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

Over half of Jordan is covered by the Arabian Desert. Its capital city is Amman. Jordan’s only access to the sea is a narrow stretch of land at the Gulf of Aqaba with the town of Aqaba the only seaport.

United Arab Emirates, federation of seven emirates along the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula.

 

The largest of these emirates, Abu Dhabi (Abū Ẓaby), which comprises more than three-fourths of the federation’s total land area, is the centre of its oil industry and borders Saudi Arabia on the federation’s southern and eastern borders. The port city of Dubai, located at the base of the mountainous Musandam Peninsula, is the capital of the emirate of Dubai (Dubayy) and is one of the region’s most vital commercial and financial centres, housing hundreds of multinational corporations in a forest of skyscrapers. The smaller emirates of Sharjah (Al-Shāriqah), ʿAjmān, Umm al-Qaywayn, and Raʾs al-Khaymah also occupy the peninsula, whose protrusion north toward Iran forms the Strait of Hormuz linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. The federation’s seventh member, Al-Fujayrah, faces the Gulf of Oman and is the only member of the union with no frontage along the Persian Gulf.

 

After years of unrest, Lebanon is regaining its former reputation as «The Switzerland of the Middle East». Its mountains and its scenic beauty were almost untouched. Visiting Lebanon you’ll discover a country of great contrast and diversity both in the places you go to and in the people you meet. Thanks to its location at the crossroads of Asia, Europe, and Africa, Lebanon has been shaped by many civilizations throughout history. Its position as a meeting point for diverse peoples is evident in the extraordinary richness of its archaeological sites and historical monuments. From Stone Age settlements to Phoenician city-states, from Roman temples to rock-cut Christian hermitages, from Crusader Castles to Mamluke mosques and Ottoman hammams, the country's historical sites are a true encyclopedia of ancient and modern world history.

Morocco, mountainous country of western North Africa that lies directly across the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain.

The traditional domain of indigenous peoples now collectively known as Berbers (self-name Imazighen; singular, Amazigh), Morocco has been subject to extensive migration and has long been the location of urban communities that were originally settled by peoples from outside the region. Controlled by Carthage from an early date, the region was later the westernmost province of the Roman Empire. Following the Arab conquest of the late 7th century CE, the broader area of North Africa came to be known as the Maghrib (Arabic: “the West”), and the majority of its people accepted Islam. Subsequent Moroccan kingdoms enjoyed political influence that extended beyond the coastal regions, and in the 11th century the first native Amazigh dynasty of North Africa, the Almoravids, gained control of an empire stretching from Andalusian (southern) Spain to parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Attempts by Europeans to establish permanent footholds in Morocco beginning in the late 15th century were largely repulsed, but the country later became the subject of Great Power politics in the 19th century. Morocco was made a French protectorate in 1912 but regained independence in 1956. Today it is the only monarchy in North Africa.

Oman, country occupying the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula at the confluence of the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea.

Much of the country’s interior falls within the sandy, treeless, and largely waterless region of the Arabian Peninsula known as the Rubʿ al-Khali. The region is still the domain of Bedouin nomads, although today it is also crisscrossed by oil and gas pipelines.

In contrast to the stark interior, the coastal regions are much more hospitable. Oman’s lush northern coast lies between the sea and inland mountains. This verdant, fertile region is known for its grapes and other produce, as is the Dhofar region in the country’s south. The capital, Muscat, lies along the northern coast. Blending modern and traditional architecture, the city commands a view of the Gulf of Oman and serves as a port and commercial centre.

Tunis, Arabic Tūnis or Tūnus, capital and largest city of Tunisia, on the northern African coast, between the western and eastern basins of the Mediterranean Sea. Tunis was built at the end of the shallow Lake of Tunis, an inlet of the Gulf of Tunis, and is linked with its port, Ḥalq al-Wādī, 6 miles (10 km) to the northeast.

Tunis was founded by the Libyans, who in the 9th century BC surrendered the site of Carthage to the Phoenicians from Tyre. In 146 BC, during the Third Punic War between Carthage and Rome, Tunis and Carthage were destroyed. The city flourished under Roman rule, but its importance dates chiefly from the Muslim conquest in the 7th century AD. It became the capital city under the Aghlabids (800–909) and reached its greatest prosperity under the Ḥafṣid dynasty (1236–1574). The Holy Roman emperor Charles V took possession of it in 1535, and in 1539 the city passed into the hands of the Turks. It was retaken by the Spaniards, who held it from 1573 to 1574 but who were obliged to yield it to the Ottoman Empire, under which it remained until the French protectorate (1881–1956). Occupied by the Germans in 1942 and liberated by British forces and Allied troops in 1943, it became the national capital of Tunisia when independence was achieved in 1956.

Agriculture remains a major source of income. Olives and cereals are the principal crops grown, and olive oil and foodstuffs are processed. Manufactures include textiles and clothing, carpets, and cement and metal building structures. There are also chemical (superphosphate), metallurgical, machine, and electrical industries and railway workshops. There are several thermoelectric plants at Ḥalq al-Wādī, and Maqrīn has a lead smelter. Tourism is of particular economic importance. Al-ʿUwaynah International Airport and the International Airport of Tunis-Carthage are located northeast of the city.

Tunis has two cultural centres, as well as a theatre that is used by international theatre groups. The summer festival—the Festival of Carthage, held in July—has achieved a certain renown. Among the city’s attractions are its thermal baths, dating from the time of Rome’s Antonine emperors (who reigned in the 2nd century), the heights of Sīdī-Bū Saʿīd, the exoticism of its markets (suqs), and the mosque of Al-Zaytūnah (8th century), the oldest and most venerated monument in Tunis. The University of Tunis was founded in 1960. Southeast of the city, along the valley of the Wadi Milyān, are magnificent remains of the aqueduct built by the Romans to link Mount Zaghwān to Carthage. Pop. (2004) city (commune), 728,453.