Fertile Crescent: Quick Facts

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Map showing the ancient Fertile Crescent, highlighting the regions of Babylonia and Assyria around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The green-shaded area traces the arc of early civilization from the Persian Gulf through Mesopotamia and up to the eastern Mediterranean, including notable ancient cities such as Babylon, Ur, Nineveh, and Assur. An inset map outlines the modern countries that now occupy this region, including Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, and surrounding nations.

Map highlighting the Fertile Crescent in green, spanning the river valleys of the Nile in Egypt and the Tigris and Euphrates in Mesopotamia, and curving through regions labeled as Lower and Upper Egypt, Phoenicia, Palestine, Assyria, Mesopotamia, Elam, and Media in the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East.

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Flag of Egypt with horizontal red, white, and black stripes and a gold eagle centered on the white stripe.

Egypt

country, Africa

Iran

country, Asia

Iraq

country, Asia

Israel

country, Middle East

Flag of Jordan: three horizontal stripes (black, white, green) with a red triangle at the hoist bearing a white seven-pointed star.

Jordan

country, Asia

Lebanon

country, Asia

Syria

country, Asia

Flag of Turkey featuring a red field with a white crescent moon and white five-pointed star.

Turkey

country, Asia and Europe