ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Eastern Mediterranean

The Eastern Mediterranean is a place where lots of countries come together to share a big body of water called the Mediterranean Sea. This region is located in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea near the countries like Cyprus, Greece, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, and Egypt.

Now, imagine the Mediterranean Sea as a giant bathtub where you can play with your friends from different countries. Each country that surrounds the bathtub has different toys that they like to play with. For example, Greece has toys like their famous myths and ancient ruins, Turkey has toys like their yummy kebabs, Israel has toys like their delicious hummus and history, Lebanon has toys like their fantastic music and culture, Egypt has toys like their breathtaking pyramids and mummies, and many others.

But, because we all want to have fun in the bathtub, all these countries need to learn to share their toys and play nicely together. Sometimes, they may have some arguments about who gets to use a particular toy or who gets to play with a particular game.

In the Eastern Mediterranean region, they have some special rules that help them all share nicely. These rules are called agreements or treaties, and they tell everyone how to behave so that they can all have fun and stay safe in the bathtub.

Sometimes, though, there may be some disagreements, and grown-ups from different countries need to sit down and talk about it to figure out a solution. That's why the Eastern Mediterranean region is continually working on building better relationships with one another, so everyone can continue to share and play in peace.