The term Middle East originated in the 19th century during European colonial expansion across the world. The Middle East encompasses a vast region from Morocco to Iran, marked by great diversity in history, language, and political, economic, and social realities. Owing to this overreaching label, this entry will concentrate on 22 nations, in Africa, the Levant, the Fertile Crescent, and the Arabian Gulf. This entry provides an overview of key intercultural patterns pertaining to Arabs. Because of [Page 95]its geographic location, historical prominence, and political transitions and complexities, this part of the world is commonly misunderstood and mistakenly stereotyped. Although this entry describes the general characteristics of Arab culture, with which more than 300 million people identify, there is great diversity in the Arab world, ...