There are various ways to define the boundaries of the Middle East, but all of them end with a southern terminus on the coast of Yemen. The dry, mountainous country is at the bottom of the Arabian Peninsula and just across the Bab el-Mandeb Strait from Eritrea and Djibouti in Africa. Yemen's true southernmost point is on the remote island of Socotra, which is famous for its rare dragon's blood trees.

Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is considered the holiest city in the Islamic religion. It is reputedly the birthplace of the prophet Muhammad, who founded Islam in the seventh century CE. About 280 miles to Mecca's north is the city of Medina, which is Islam's second-holiest site. According to Muslim believers, Medina is where Muhammad traveled after being driven out of Mecca, and where the holy prophet is buried.

By area, Bahrain is the smallest country in the Middle East and the third-smallest in all of Asia, with a total area of just 760 square miles. The tiny monarchy is located between the peninsula of Qatar and the west coast of Saudi Arabia. The country consists of Bahrain island and around 30 smaller islands in its archipelago.

Seven emirates make up the United Arab Emirates: Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain, Ajman, Sharjah, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi. Of those, Abu Dhabi is by far the largest in area. It's home to the country's capital city, also named Abu Dhabi. Dubai, however, is the most populous city and emirate in the UAE. It's home to about 43% of the country's total population.

Iran's Mount Damavand tops out at an elevation of 18,402 feet, making it the tallest mountain in the Middle East and the highest volcano in Asia. Located in the middle of the country's Alborz Range, just south of the Caspian Sea, Damavand holds an important place in Persian mythology — one legend even names it as the final resting place of Noah's Ark.

The Tigris and Euphrates rivers both begin within 50 miles of each other in the Armenian Highlands of eastern Turkey. From there, they descend roughly parallel with each other through the center of Iraq before draining into the Persian Gulf. Between the two rivers' southern regions, the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia sprang up more than 5,000 years ago.

The cedar tree is one of Lebanon's most iconic symbols. It's found all over the small nation, appears in the center of its national flag, and is even part of its national anthem, which declares the cedar to be Lebanon's "symbol for eternity." The country's most famous forest is known in English as the "Cedars of God," and some of the trees there are more than 1,000 years old.

The Red Sea separates the Middle East's Arabian Peninsula from mainland Africa, putting Egypt, Sudan, and Eritrea just a quick boat ride away from the western Saudi coast. One of the world's saltiest bodies of water, the Red Sea is also one of the most heavily traveled waterways in the world, as it is also the southern passageway of the Suez Canal.

Damascus, the capital and largest city in Syria, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. When Mark Twain visited the "Pearl of the East" in 1867, he wrote, "To Damascus, years are only moments, decades are only flitting trifles of time." A major cultural and religious center of the Middle East, the city is home to approximately 2 million residents today.

Saudi Arabia is the Middle East’s largest country, covering an area of more than 800,000 square miles. Roughly the size of Alaska and Texas combined, Saudi Arabia is also the fifth-biggest country in Asia. Despite its size, Saudi Arabia has a relatively modest population of around 33 million residents, largely because most of its area is desert. Iran is the region’s second-largest country, covering 630,000 square miles.