Unlike South America and the Mediterranean countries, where there is a fairly clear-cut physical boundary, or Europe and Asia, where the boundary is widely agreed on; the Middle East is a fairly non-specific term and definitions can vary widely. The Arabian Peninsula is always considered part of the Middle East, but most of the rest of the definition is open for discussion. Some sources include Egypt because of the Sinai Peninsula, others because of cultural factors (and often add the rest of Northern Africa.) Other sources use the phrase “Middle East and Northern Africa” to refer to the same countries. Some sources include Turkey, others consider Turkey part of Europe or Eurasia. Both Israel and Palestine are sometimes included and sometimes excluded for cultural and/or political reasons. Generally, Israel is excluded because of cultural differences and Palestine because it does not currently have land. Afghanistan and the many former Soviet republics with strong cultural, political, and/or religious ties to other Middle Eastern countries are also sometimes included. Still other sources use different terms, possibly referring to slightly different areas, like “the Near East,” “Western Asia,” “Southwest Asia,” or “the Arabic World.” However, in many contexts the terms are used loosely or interchangeably.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA, 2004) uses the acronym MENA, for Middle East and Northern Africa, to refer to this region and includes the countries Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) and Yemen. This is the definition often used for travel and tourism. The World Fact Book (CIA, 2006) considers the following countries and entities to be located in the Middle East – Bahrain, Cyprus, the Gaza Strip, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), the West Bank, and Yemen. This is the definition usually used by U.S. government officials. As mentioned previously, depending on the situation and context, Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Pakistan, Palestine, Somalia, Turkey, and Uzbekistan are also considered as part of the Middle East. Historically, Spain under Moorish occupation could be considered part of the Middle East as well.

SOURCES

CIA. “The World Factbook.” 19 September 2006. Central Intelligence Agency. 21 September 2006 <https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html>. [This information is in the public domain.]

“IATA - Middle East and Northern Africa.” 2005. International Air Transport Association. 21 September 2006 <http://www.iata.org/worldwide/middle_east/>.