The Middle East is a historical and cultural subregion of Africa-Eurasia traditionally held to be countries or regions in Southwest Asia together with Egypt. In other contexts, the region can include other parts of North Africa and/or Central Asia.

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In the Western world, the Middle East is generally thought of as a predominantly Islamic Arabic community defined by frequent war. However the area encompasses many distinct cultural and ethnic groups, including the Arabs, Armenians, Assyrians, Azeris, Berbers, Chaldeans, Druze, Greeks, Jews, Kurds, Maronites, Persians and Turks. The main language groups include: Arabic, Armenian, Assyrian (also known as Aramaic and Syriac), Hebrew, Persian, Kurdish and Turkish. The corresponding adjective is Middle-Eastern and the derived noun is Middle-Easterner.

Most Western definitions of the "Middle East" — in both established reference books and common usage — define the region as 'nations in Southwest Asia, from Iran (Persia) to Egypt'. Egypt, with its Sinai Peninsula in Asia, is often considered part of the 'Middle East', although most of the country lies geographically in North Africa. North African nations without Asian links, such as Libya, Tunisia and Morocco, are increasingly being called North African — as opposed to Middle Eastern (Iran (Persia) to Egypt-Asia) — by international media outlets.

One widely used definition of "Middle East" is that of the airline industry, maintained by the IATA standards organization. This definition — as of early 2006 — includes Bahrain, Egypt, Iran (Persia), Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestinian Territory, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. ^* This definition is used in world-wide airfare and tax calculations for passengers and cargo.

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Middle East - Twitter Search

RBC expands Middle East wealth management - The Globe and Mail http://tinyurl.com/yca36kx
RainTreeQuest (Richard & Christine) Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:23:43 -0000
RBC expands Middle East wealth management - The Globe and Mail http://tinyurl.com/yca36kx
@AmanpourCNN please do a segment about Gays and Lesbians in the Middle East.Esp regarding Saudi ones and them living in constant fear.
ZooziQB (Zoozi Getty) Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:22:18 -0000
@AmanpourCNN please do a segment about Gays and Lesbians in the Middle East.Esp regarding Saudi ones and them living in constant fear.
RBC expands Middle East wealth management - The Globe and Mail http://bit.ly/1OiEkU
z49 (Mario Tankovic) Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:21:51 -0000
RBC expands Middle East wealth management - The Globe and Mail http://bit.ly/1OiEkU
@vmconners I would love to see more content on Middle East traveling, showing the beauty of the Middle East.
connectingwomen (Connecting Women ) Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:21:30 -0000
@vmconners I would love to see more content on Middle East traveling, showing the beauty of the Middle East.
Middle East News - One dead after raid on Saudi border: After a clash with al Houthi rebels i.. http://bit.ly/3MLB3m
tn_middleeast (TheNational MidEast) Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:20:59 -0000
Middle East News - One dead after raid on Saudi border: After a clash with al Houthi rebels i.. http://bit.ly/3MLB3m
Middle East News - UN debates Goldstone report on war crimes: With the General Assembly to vo.. http://bit.ly/3dEQh1
tn_middleeast (TheNational MidEast) Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:20:56 -0000
Middle East News - UN debates Goldstone report on war crimes: With the General Assembly to vo.. http://bit.ly/3dEQh1

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