What Countries In The Middle East Are Democracies?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Rank Country Political rights 1 Israel 2 2 Lebanon 5 3 Jordan 5 4 Kuwait 5

What countries are officially in the Middle East?

What Are the Countries in the Middle East? The Middle East is generally considered to include the countries on or near the Arabian Peninsula, including

Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Syria, Jordan

, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Lebanon, Oman, the Palestinian territories, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain.

Is Saudi Arabia a democratic country?

The government of Saudi Arabia is led by the monarch, King Salman, who acceded to the throne on 23 January 2015. No political parties or national elections are permitted, and according to The Economist’s 2010 Democracy Index, the Saudi government was the seventh-most authoritarian regime among the 167 countries rated.

Is Iran a democracy?

Iran has a democratically elected president, a parliament (or Majlis), an Assembly of Experts (which elects the supreme leader), and local councils. … From 1906 to 1979, Iran was a constitutional monarchy with a nominal parliamentary system.

Is Lebanon a democracy?

Lebanon is a parliamentary democratic republic within the overall framework of confessionalism, a form of consociationalism in which the highest offices are proportionately reserved for representatives from certain religious communities.

Is Saudi Arabia a free country?

Saudi Arabia’s

absolute monarchy restricts almost all political rights and civil liberties

. No officials at the national level are elected. The regime relies on pervasive surveillance, the criminalization of dissent, appeals to sectarianism and ethnicity, and public spending supported by oil revenues to maintain power.

What is the main religion in Saudi Arabia?

According to the 1992 Basic Law of Governance, the country’s official religion is

Islam

and the constitution is the Quran and Sunna (traditions and practices based on the life of the Prophet Muhammad). The legal system is based largely on sharia as interpreted by the Hanbali school of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence.

Why it is called Middle East?

The term “Middle East”

originated from the same European perspective that described Eastern Asia as “the Far East

.” The Middle East denotes the transcontinental area between Western Asia and Egypt. It is comprised of 17 nations and an estimated population of million. Which countries are called Middle [ ].

What is the biggest country in the Middle East?


Saudi Arabia

is the largest of the core countries of the Middle East in area. Bahrain, an island nation in the Persian Gulf, is the smallest of the Middle Eastern states.

Is Turkey an Arab country?


Iran and Turkey are not Arab countries

and their primary languages are Farsi and Turkish respectively. Arab countries have a rich diversity of ethnic, linguistic, and religious communities. These include Kurds, Armenians, Berbers and others. There are over 200 million Arabs.

What is Iran like to live in?

The majority of Iran’s urban dwellers live

in flats

, and in major cities homes are rapidly being replaced with apartment blocks. Land in Tehran is as expensive as many North American and European cities, and the cost of living is increasingly prohibitive.

Is Iran a safe country?


Iran is generally a very safe place to travel

, so much so that many travellers describe it as the ‘safest country I’ve ever been to’, or ‘much safer than travelling in Europe’.

Does Iran have freedom of speech?

Restrictions and punishments in the Islamic Republic of Iran which violate international human rights norms include harsh penalties for crimes, punishment of victimless crimes such as fornication and homosexuality, execution of offenders under 18 years of age, restrictions on freedom of speech and the press (including …

What religion is in Lebanon?

Statistics Lebanon, an independent firm, estimates 67.6 percent of the citizen population is

Muslim

(31.9 percent Sunni, 31 percent Shia, and small percentages of Alawites and Ismailis). Statistics Lebanon estimates 32.4 percent of the population is Christian.

What is the largest religion in Lebanon?

The main two religions are

Islam

with (61.1% of the citizens (Sunni, Shia, and a small number of Alawites and Ismailis) and Christianity with 33.7% of the citizens (the Maronite Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Protestantism, the Armenian Apostolic Church).

Is it safe in Lebanon?


Lebanon is the safest country in the Middle East

and pretty safe for tourists, especially female travellers. Keep an eye on the news for potential political unrest or protests and try to avoid times where these are active. Also, avoid the no-go areas like borders and Palestinian refugee camps.

Leah Jackson
Author
Leah Jackson
Leah is a relationship coach with over 10 years of experience working with couples and individuals to improve their relationships. She holds a degree in psychology and has trained with leading relationship experts such as John Gottman and Esther Perel. Leah is passionate about helping people build strong, healthy relationships and providing practical advice to overcome common relationship challenges.