Regions
The Middle East
Also Known As Southwest Asia A geographically descriptive alternative to the political term Middle East, increasingly used on its own or paired with North Africa as SWANA; boundaries drawn under either term vary by source.
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A region spanning the eastern Mediterranean coast, the Arabian Peninsula, Mesopotamia and Iran, at the meeting point of Asia, Africa and Europe. Its geography ranges from the fertile river valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates to the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula, and it has served as a crossroads of trade and cultural exchange since antiquity. Minted here as the home region Middle Eastern cuisine is described against in FoodAtlas's own founding wave (ruling 632, mint-on-mention).
Facts
Disputed
Area (sq km)Definitions vary by which states are counted (Cyprus and Egypt are borderline); figures in the literature range from about 6 to 7.2 million sq km. Population2025 estimate. Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
This source names Africa directly: "Iran, at the meeting point of Asia, Africa and Europe."
This source names Europe directly: "the meeting point of Asia, Africa and Europe."
Palestine, Countries Palestine is described as being part of West Asia / the Middle East.
On Continent
Sources
1. Encyclopaedia Britannica
1. Encyclopaedia Britannica
Asia (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Asia, Geography section, Main regions subsectionQuote, Associated With: Asia, Geography section, Main regions subsection
North Asia (Siberia), Central Asia, West Asia (the Middle East or Near East and part of the Caucasus), South Asia (Indian subcontinent), East Asia (Far East), Southeast Asia (East Indies and Indochina).
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