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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Just enjoyed a falafel sandwich w/ tabouli side followed by fresh bakalava and yummy turkish coffee @ my favorite middle eastern place, Zand
michaelarent (michaelarent) Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:48:10 -0000
Just enjoyed a falafel sandwich w/ tabouli side followed by fresh bakalava and yummy turkish coffee @ my favorite middle eastern place, Zand
Terrorist in Spooks: Middle Eastern or Welsh? Difficult to say.
emmahaslett (Emma Haslett) Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:46:29 -0000
Terrorist in Spooks: Middle Eastern or Welsh? Difficult to say.
Good Luck then! @derekpayne1 Working on a pitch for a Middle Eastern bank - one that actually has money.
khaled_itani (Khaled Itani) Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:42:16 -0000
Good Luck then! @derekpayne1 Working on a pitch for a Middle Eastern bank - one that actually has money.
I'm done. Rafa has to go. So does hicks and gilette. We need a middle eastern oil tycoon or something to take over.
MoscowMad (Bryan Wilson) Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:40:45 -0000
I'm done. Rafa has to go. So does hicks and gilette. We need a middle eastern oil tycoon or something to take over.
RT @Journey2Mecca #westindians & #eastafricans are the most beautiful women on the planet< followed by the middle eastern and indian
RedSteelPiston (Richard Crawford) Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:26:33 -0000
RT @Journey2Mecca #westindians & #eastafricans are the most beautiful women on the planet< followed by the middle eastern and indian
Buying middle eastern goodies (@ Barbar in Miami) http://bit.ly/45umz9
PelleB (Pelle Braendgaard) Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:23:39 -0000
Buying middle eastern goodies (@ Barbar in Miami) http://bit.ly/45umz9

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