Southwest Asia
Southwest Asia is a term used to describe the westernmost portion of Asia.
Southwest Asia mainly contains areas with low relief, however, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Yemen include substantial areas of mountainous terrain. The Anatolian Plateau is a large, semiarid central plateau, in Turkey, the Zagros Mountains are located in Iran, in Yemen, heights exceed 3600 metres in many areas, and highland areas extend north along the Red Sea coast and north into Lebanon. The Dead Sea, situated at 418 metres (1371feet) below sea level, is the lowest point on the surface of the Earth.
A large lowland belt extending, from central Iraq, through Saudi Arabia, and to Oman and the Arabian Sea is crossed by the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in Iraq. One of the world's largest sand deserts, covers the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. The southernmost point of the peninsula, in Yemen, is only narrowly separated from Africa.
The Southwest Asia is very diverse when it comes to religions, many of which originated there. Islam is by far the largest religion but other faiths, such as Judaism and Christianity, are also well represented.
Economic activity in the region is varied. The nations around the oil rich Gulf coast depend heavily on oil related exports while others have a more diverse economic base, such as nomadic herding.