Middle East & Central Asia Travel Fact File

Facts on Countries in the Middle East and Central Asia

Travel - AFGHANISTAN

Location: Central Asia - Official Name: Islamic State of

Afghanistan - Formation: 1919 - Capital: Kabul - Population:

23.4 Million - Total Area: 251,770 Sq Miles - Languages: Persian,

Pashtu, Dari, Uzbek, Turkmen - Religions: Sunni Muslim 84%,

Shi’ a Muslim 15%, Other 1% - Ethnic Mix: Pashto 38%, Tajik

25%, Hazara 19%, Uzbek 6%, Other 12% - Government:

Transitional Regime - Currency: Afghani (100 Puls) - Literacy

Rate: 31% -

Travel - BAHRAIN

Location: Southwest Asia - Official Name: State of Bahrain -

Formation: 1971 - Capital: Manama - Population: 652,000 -

Total Area: 239 Sq Miles - Languages: Arabic, English, Urdu –

Religions: Muslim (mainly Shi’a) 99%, Other 1% - Ethnic Mix:

Bahraini 70%, Iranian, Indian, Pakistani 24%, Other Arab 4%,

European 2% - Government: Constitutional Monarchy - Currency:

Bahraini Dinar (1000 Fils) - Literacy Rate: 87.6% -

Travel - IRAN

Location: Southwest Asia - Official Name: Islamic Republic of

Iran - Formation: 1502 - Capital: Tehran - Population: 71.4

Million - Total Area: 636,406 Sq Miles - Languages: Farsi

(Persian), Azeri, Gilaki, Baluchi, Mazanderani, Kurdish, Arabic -

Religions: Shi’a Muslim 95%, Sunni Muslim 4%, Other 1% -

Ethnic Mix: Persian 50%, Azeri 24%, Lur & Bakhtiari 8%, Kurd

8%, Other 10% - Government: Islamic Theocracy - Currency:

Iranian Rial (100 Dinar) - Literacy Rate: 76.8% -

Travel - IRAQ

Location: Southwest Asia - Official Name: Republic of Iraq -

Formation: 1932 - Capital: Baghdad - Population: 23.6 Million -

Total Area: 168,753 Sq Miles - Languages: Arabic, Kurdish,

Armenian, Assyrian, Turkic Languages - Religions: Shi’a Ithna

Muslim 62%, Sunni Muslim 33%, Other 5% - Ethnic Mix:

Arab 79%, Kurdish 16%, Persian 3%, Turkman 2% -

Government: Transitional Regime - Currency: Iraqi Dinar

(1000 Fils) - Literacy Rate: 55.9% -

Travel - ISRAEL / PALESTINE

Location: Southwest Asia - Official Name: State of Israel

and Palestine Borders - Formation: 1948 - Capital: Jerusalem -

Population: 6.2 Million - Total Area: 8,019 Sq Miles - Languages:

Hebrew, Arabic, Yiddish, German, Russian, Polish, Romanian,

Persian - Religions: Jewish 82%, Muslim (mainly Sunni) 14%,

Other (Incl Druze) 4% - Ethnic Mix: Jewish 82%, Other (mostly

Arab) 18% - Government: Parliamentary Democracy / Palestine

(elected Hamas for Government) - Currency: Shekel (100 Agorat) -

Literacy Rate: 96% -

Travel - JORDAN

Location: Southwest Asia - Official Name: Hashemite Kingdom

of Jordan - Formation: 1946 - Capital: Amman - Population:

5.1 Million - Total Area: 35,637 Sq Miles - Languages: Arabic,

Other - Religions: Muslim (mainly Sunni) 92%, Other (mostly

Christian) 8% - Ethnic Mix: Arab 98% (Palestinian 40%),

Armenian 1%, Circassian 1% - Government: Constitutional

Monarchy - Currency: Jordanian Dinar (1000 Fils) - Literacy

Rate: 89.2%

Travel - KAZAKHSTAN

Location: Central Asia - Official Name: Republic of Kazakhstan -

Formation: 1991 - Capital: Astana - Population: 16.1 Million -

Total Area: 1,049,150 Sq Miles - Languages: Kazakh, Russian,

German, Uighur, Korean - Religions: Muslim (mainly Sunni) 50%,

Russian Orthodox 13%, Other 37% - Ethnic Mix: Kazakh 53%,

Russian 30%, Ukrainian 4%, German 2%, Tartar 2%, Other 9% -

Government: Presidential Democracy - Currency: Tenge (100

Tein) - Literacy Rate: 99% -

Travel - KUWAIT

Location: Southwest Asia - Official Name: State of Kuwait -

Formation: 1961 - Capital: Kuwait City - Population: 2 Million -

Total Area: 6,880 Sq Miles - Languages: Arabic, English, Other -

Religions: Muslim (mainly Sunni) 85%, Christian, Hindu & Other

15% - Ethnic Mix: Kuwaiti 45%, Other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%,

Iranian 4%, Other 7% - Government: Constitutional Monarchy -

Currency: Kuwaiti Dinar (1000 Fils) - Literacy Rate: 82.6% -

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