Western Asia, West Asia, Southwest Asia or Southwestern Asia are terms that describe the westernmost portion of Asia. The area of Western Asia includes many countries in the Arab world. Included among these are Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, the West Bank and Gaza, and Yemen. Industrialization is rapidly occurring in many West Asian countries. Industries such as tourism are also growing, often near the coastal areas. Another major industry that is being transformed by modernization is agriculture. The largest industry in Western Asia is oil. In fact, just about every country in the region has an economy based around oil production. Among the industries that deal with oil are oil and gas exploration, refining, petrochemicals industries, and oil transportation. Thousands of miles of oil pipelines connect hundreds of offshore oil wells in Western Asia.
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