Answer:
The Middle East is a region in Asia, located to the east of Europe and Africa. The countries of the Middle East are located on the Asian continent, but historically-geographically it is considered a separate region.
The oil reserves discovered in the twentieth century significantly increased the economic and strategic importance of the region. In 1945, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates began producing and exporting oil.
The Middle East has the world's largest oil reserves, as it accounts for 63% of the world's oil reserves, with more than 600 billion barrels of oil in the region's crust. Today, the Middle East continues to be important in economic and religious terms. Over time, the region has also become a key strategic and political issue in international relations.
