Fast Facts about Syria and Yemen
Syria:
Population: 18 million
Total area: 18.5 million hectares
Major Ethnic Groups: Arab, Kurdish, Armenian
GDP (official exchange rate): $24.6 Billion
Yemen:
Population: 28 million
Total Area: 52.7 million hectares
Major Ethnic Groups: Arab, Afro-Arab, European
GDP (official exchange rate): $28.3 Billion
Data, maps, and flags in Fast Facts are borrowed from: "CIA World Factbook" articles on Syria and Yemen
What are the people like in this region?
The Middle East, and Syria and Yemen in particular, is primarily Arab, but several ethnic minorities exist. These groups include the Kurds, Anatolian Turks, Persians, and Azerbaijanis ("The World Factbook: YEMEN" and "The World Factbook: SYRIA").
Religious diversity in this region is a topic of much discussion. The region is primarily Muslim, with pockets of Christians who are often persecuted.
What Makes The Middle East unique?
The Middle East has a large degree of ethnic and religious diversity, but this diversity is constantly being challenged by civil wars and religious violence (Shoup).
This region has spawned several terrorist organizations including the recently formed ISIS, or Daesh.
Although it is difficult to generalize about the Middle East as a whole region, it can be said that both Syria and Yemen have complex cuisines ("Syria", "9 Syrian Recipes To Excite Your Tastebuds", and "Yemen").
What are the Difficulties and Challenges Faced by the Middle East?
The challenges facing the Middle East are numerous and serious. So numerous and so serious, in fact, that summarising them is virtually impossible.
The region is plagued by ethnically and religiously motivated violence and terrorism, dictatorships, proxy wars, limited fresh water, a dwindling supply of petroleum and natural gas, and poor sanitation. All of these issues have led to long-term instability in the region as a whole. Syria's ongoing civil war has presented the region with a massive refugee crisis.