☰

Earth

Continents

Asia

Political Map of Countries of Western Asia

Maps Index

Political Map of Countries of Western Asia

Caravanserai in the Dasht-e Lut in the Kerman Province of Iran. The Lut Desert is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Image: Erik Albers

About Western Asia

The southwestern part of Asia is called by many names: West Asia, Western Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East or Near East. The southwestern-most part of Asia is a region at the crossroads between Asia, Africa, and Europe. The terms have to some extent a similar notion as 'Middle East'.

Western Asia is bounded in the west by the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, in the north by the Black Sea, the Caucasus, and the Caspian Sea, on the east by the fringing mountains of Iran, and in the south by the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.

The various regions of Western Asia include Asia Minor, aka Anatolia (peninsula), the Caucasus region, the Eastern Mediterranean or Levant, the historical region of Mesopotamia, the Armenian Highlands, the historical region of Syria, the geographical and historical region of Palestine, the Sinai Peninsula, the Arabian Peninsula with the Arabian desert ecoregion, and the Iranian Highlands (see maps below).

Map of Western Asia, including the Middle East and African countries bordering the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Political Map of Western Asia, the Middle East, and the Arabian Peninsula

Political Map of Western Asia, the Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula and adjacent countries with borders, capitals and major cities. The map includes the Mediterranean Sea, the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, parts of the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf (sometimes Arabian Gulf).

The map shows Western Asia with international borders, capitals and major cities of the Middle East region, the Arabian Peninsula and African countries with a shoreline at the Red Sea.

You are free to use the above map for educational purposes (fair use); please refer to the Nations Online Project.

More about Western Asia

Topographic map of Western Asia.

The following states and dependent territories are geographically counted as part of Western Asia and the Middle East:

Armenia is a landlocked country in the Caucasus. Capital city is Yerevan; spoken language is Armenian.

Azerbaijan is a country in the Caucasus on the western shore of the Caspian Sea. Capital city is Baku; spoken languages are Azerbaijani (official) and Russian.

Bahrain is a group of islands in the Persian Gulf. The capital city of the Sunni-led monarchy is Manama; spoken language is Arabic.

Cyprus is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is shared by the Republic of Cyprus, an EU member state, and Turkish occupied Northern Cyprus. Capital of the Republic of Cyprus is Nicosia; official languages are Greek and Turkish.

Egypt is a transcontinental country in North Africa bordering the Mediterranean Sea; Egypt's territory on the Sinai Peninsula is located in Western Asia. Capital and largest city is Cairo; official language is Arabic.

Georgia is a country in the Caucasus on the eastern shore of the Black Sea. Capital city is Tbilisi; spoken languages are Georgian (official), Russian, and Armenian.

Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a country in the Middle East, between Iraq and Pakistan, bordering the Caspian Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Gulf of Oman. Capital city is Tehran; spoken languages are Persian (Farsi), Azerbaijani and other Turkic dialects, Kurdish, and Arabic.

Iraq is a country in the Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf between Iran and Kuwait. Capital city is Baghdad; the official language is Arabic.

Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in the Middle East between Egypt and Lebanon, bordering the Mediterranean Sea. The seat of government and the proclaimed capital is Jerusalem; the economic capital is Tel Aviv; spoken languages are Hebrew (official), English, and Arabic.

Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Middle East, east of the Jordan River and northwest of Saudi Arabia, between Israel and Iraq. Capital city is Amman; spoken language is Arabic (official).

Kuwait is a country in the Middle East between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, bordering the Persian Gulf. Capital city is Kuwait City; official language is Arabic.

Lebanon is a country in the Levant between Israel and Syria, bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Capital city is Beirut; spoken languages are Arabic (official), French, English, and Armenian.

Oman is a country at the eastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, between Yemen and the UAE, bordering the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Oman, and the Persian Gulf. Capital city is Muscat; spoken language is Arabic (official).

Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, consists of two separate territories, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Capital city is East Jerusalem, occupied by Israel. Official language is Arabic.

Qatar is a sheikdom ruled by the Al Thani family since the mid-18th century. The country is located on a peninsula on the Persian Gulf coast and borders Saudi Arabia. Capital city is Doha; spoken language is Arabic (official).

Saudi Arabia is a country in south-western Asia, occupying most of the Arabian peninsula. Capital city is Riyadh; spoken language is Arabic (official).
The country is the birthplace of Islam and home to Islam's two holiest sites, Mecca and Medina.

Syria is a country in the Levant bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey. Capital city is Damascus; spoken languages are Arabic (official), Kurdish, Armenian and Aramaic.

Turkey (officially: Türkiye) occupies the Anatolian peninsula between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, and a small portion in southeastern Europe, west of the Bosporus. Capital city is Ankara; the largest city is Istanbul; spoken languages are Turkish (official), Kurdish, and other minority languages.

The United Arab Emirates is an independent state on the Arabian Peninsula bordering the southern Persian Gulf. The country consists of a federation of six emirates. Capital city is Abu Dhabi; spoken languages are Arabic (official), English, Hindi, and other Southern Asian dialects.

Yemen is a country in the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula bordering the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Capital city is Sana'a; spoken language is Arabic (official).

Arabian Peninsula

The Arabian Peninsula is the world's largest peninsula, situated in Southwest Asia with the Red Sea in the southwest, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman in the west and the Arabian Sea in the southeast.

By political definition, the countries situated on the peninsula are Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, and Yemen. Saudi Arabia occupies most of the center. The island country of Bahrain is connected with Saudi Arabia by the King Fahd Causeway.
In the northern part of the peninsula is the Syrian Desert, which includes northeastern Jordan, southeastern Syria, and western Iraq.
To the northwest are Israel and the Palestinian territories along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

Sinai Peninsula

The Sinai Peninsula connects Asia with Africa, while the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara and the Bosporus form a narrow separation from Europe. The Sinai Peninsula is the only part of Egypt's territory that lies in Asia.

More about Western Asia:

Map of the Arabian Peninsula
Political Map of the Arabian Peninsula.

Map of the Persian Gulf
Political Map of the Persian Gulf.

Map of the Black Sea
Political Map of the Black Sea region.

Map of the Caspian Sea
Political Map of the Caspian Sea region.

Map of Sinai Peninsula
Map of the Asian part of Egypt.

More about Asia:

Map of Asia
A political map of Asia.

Capitals of Asia
Information and maps for all capital cities in Asia.

Countries of Asia
Countries of Asia with population figures.

Flags of Asia
Flags of the Asian States.

Languages of Asia

Continents:

World Continents