Why is the Middle East not called West Asia?

The term Middle East originated with the British Foreign Office in the 19th century. West Asia refers to countries west of Afghanistan to the westernmost part of Asia and with the exception of Israel, Turkey and Iran. The region has predominantly Arab-Muslim population.

What is the difference between Middle East and Asia?

The Middle East lies in the intersection of Africa, Asia and Europe, while “West Asia” is literally the Western direction of Asia on a world map, therefore it is monocontinental.

Is Western Asia Middle East?

It is entirely a part of the Greater Middle East and almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Anatolia, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Mesopotamia, the Levant, the island of Cyprus, the Sinai Peninsula, and partly Transcaucasia.

Why West Asia is known as Near East?

The term Near East was coined in the 19th century when Westerners divided the “Orient” into three parts: the Near East, the Middle East, and the Far East. (The Far East encompassed Asian countries facing the Pacific Ocean.)

Why is the term Middle East problematic?

The term Middle East is imprecise, culturally and geographically biased, susceptible to misunderstanding, and therefore useless in terms of accuracy. Though the term has been called Eurocentric, it is more precisely Anglo-centric, originating at the height of the British imperial century (1815-1914).

What is the politically correct term for the Middle East?

Recently, the name MENA (the Middle East and North Africa) has become more commonplace along with various sub-region acronyms/names. Generally, the area between Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, the Indian Ocean, and Asia is what the general public considers the Middle East.

What makes up West Asia?

The West Asia region comprises 12 member countries: Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, State of Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Is there West Asia?

West Asia includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Georgia, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Content related to these countries and territories can be found below.

What is Western Asia called?

About Western Asia. The southwestern part of Asia is called by many names: West Asia, Western Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East or Near East. The southwestern-most part of Asia is a region at the crossroads between Asia, Africa, and Europe. The terms have to some extent a similar notion as ‘Middle East’.

What do you call the Middle East?

Why is the Middle East called the Middle East?

The term “Middle East” originated from the same European perspective that described Eastern Asia as “the Far East.” The Middle East denotes the transcontinental area between Western Asia and Egypt.

Is West Asia the same as the Middle East?

Yet, we do not hear West Asia, which the geographically proper term for the region so-called ‘Middle East.’ Here we must say that the United Nations actually started to use the term West Asia but we are not sure if they use it across all of their literature. Once again – why the Middle East? What “East” and why we are in the “Middle” of the East?

Why is the Middle East called Middle East?

Even American naval strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan used the term Middle East in 1902 to designate the area between Arabia and India. But with the collapse of the British empire the term lost its relevance. These days terms like South East Asia, North Africa, Eastern Europe, etc. are used.

What is the east-west conflict?

The Cold War, for example, was often referred to as the “East-West conflict” but today nobody thinks of Russia as representative of the “East” – when it is China that is clearly the eastern superpower. Unfortunately, when it comes to the Arab, Turkic and Persian realms, the catch-all term “Middle East” continues to hold sway among English speakers.

Are North African countries relevant to Asia?

But North African countries from Egypt westwards have little relevance to Asia, even though they are mostly Arab-populated. It makes far more sense to refer to West Asia and Southwest Asia to capture Turkey, Iran, the Gulf states, and the nations lying between them.