19.1.7

Population of the Middle East

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Population of the Middle East

The population of the Middle East is not distributed evenly, with many settlements being concentrated around sources of water.

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Population

  • The most populous country in the Middle East is Egypt with nearly 100 million people.
  • The least populous country is the small island of Bahrain with a population of almost 1.5 million.
  • The lack of precipitation means that opportunities for agriculture are severely limited.
  • Historically, settlements were based around water sources or rivers and the coastline.
    • For example, Cairo on the River Nile in Egypt.
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Population density

  • Population density is the average number of people per square km.
    • Population density is lowest in Oman at nearly 15 people per square km
    • Population density is highest in Gaza at just over 5,000 people per square km.
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Changes in population density

  • The high birth rate in many Middle Eastern countries has had a major impact on population density over time.
  • The population density in some Middle Eastern countries is being affected by migration, e.g. by the war in Syria.

Jump to other topics

1Geography Skills

2Geology of the UK

3Geography of the World

4Development

5Weather & Climate

6The World of Work

7Natural Resources

8Rivers

9Coasts

10Glaciers

11Tectonics

12Climate Change

13Global Population & Inequality

14Urbanisation

15Ecosystems

16Life in an Emerging Country

17Analysis of Africa

18Analysis of India

19Analysis of the Middle East

20Analysis of Bangladesh

21Analysis of Russia

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