TheMiddle East and North Africa (MENA), also referred to asWest Asia and North Africa (WANA)[1] orSouth West Asia and North Africa (SWANA),[2][3] is a geographic region which comprises theMiddle East (also calledWest Asia) andNorth Africa together. However, it is widely considered to be a more defined and apolitical alternative to the concept of theGreater Middle East, which comprises the bulk of theMuslim world.[who?] The region has no standardized definition and groupings may vary, but the term typically includes countries likeAlgeria,Bahrain,Egypt,Jordan,Kuwait,Lebanon,Libya,Morocco,Oman,Qatar,Saudi Arabia,Syria,Tunisia, theUAE, andYemen.
As a regional identifier, the term "MENA" is often used inacademia, military planning, disaster relief, media planning (as a broadcast region), and business writing.[4][5] Moreover, it shares a number of cultural, economic, and environmental similarities across the countries that it spans; for example,some of the most extreme impacts of climate change will be felt in MENA.
Some related terms have a wider definition than MENA, such asMENASA (lit. 'Middle East and North Africa andSouth Asia') orMENAP (lit. 'Middle East and North Africa andAfghanistan andPakistan').[6] The termMENAT explicitly includesTurkey, which is usually excluded from some MENA definitions, even though Turkey is almost always considered part of the Middle East proper. Ultimately, MENA can be considered as a grouping scheme that brings together most of theArab League and variously includes their neighbors, likeIran,Turkey,Israel, theCaucasian countries,Afghanistan,Pakistan, and a few others.
TheMiddle East andNorth Africa has no standardized definition; different organizations define the region as consisting of different territories, or do not define it as a region at all.
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There is no MENA region amongst theUnited Nations Regional Groups, nor in theUnited Nations geoscheme used by theUNSD (though the latter does feature two subregions called 'Western Asia' and 'Northern Africa', seeWANA). Someagencies and programmes of the United Nations do define the MENA region, but their definitions may contradict each other, and sometimes only apply to specific studies or reports.
| Country or territory | World Bank MENA 2003[8][9] | FAO MENA 2015[13] | UNAIDS MENA 2019[10] | UNICEF MENA 2021[14] | UNHCR MENA 2010[12] | IMF MENA 2003[11] | UNSD WA+NA[15] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Algeria | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Armenia | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Azerbaijan | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Bahrain | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cyprus | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Djibouti | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Egypt | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Georgia | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Iran | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Iraq | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Israel | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Jordan | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Kuwait | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lebanon | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Libya | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Malta | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Mauritania | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Morocco | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Oman | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pakistan | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Palestine* | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Qatar | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Saudi Arabia | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Somalia | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
| Sudan | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Syria | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tunisia | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Turkey | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| United Arab Emirates | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Western Sahara | Unclear | Unclear | Unclear | Unclear | Unclear | Unclear | Yes |
| Yemen | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| *Also called State of Palestine, (Occupied) Palestinian Territories, Palestinian Authority, or West Bank and Gaza (Strip). | |||||||
Historians Michael Dumper and Bruce Stanley stated in 2007: 'For the purposes of this volume, the editors have generally chosen to define the MENA region as stretching from Morocco to Iran and from Turkey to the Horn of Africa. This definition thus includes thetwenty-two countries of the Arab League (including the Palestinian Authority enclaves in the West Bank and Gaza Strip), Turkey, Israel, Iran, and Cyprus.' They stressed, however, how controversial and problematic this definition is, and that other choices could also have been made according to various criteria.[16]
For its December 2012 global religion survey, thePew Research Center grouped 20 countries and territories as 'the Middle East and North Africa', namely: 'Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, the Palestinian territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Western Sahara and Yemen.'[17]
For theGlobal Peace Index 2020, theInstitute for Economics & Peace defined the MENA region as containing 20 countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.[18]
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Due to the geographic ambiguity andEurocentric nature of the term "Middle East", some people, especially in sciences such asagriculture andclimatology, prefer to use other terms like "WANA" (West Asia and North Africa)[19] or the less common NAWA (North Africa-West Asia).[20] Usage of the term WANA has also been advanced bypostcolonial studies.[21]
TheUnited Nations geoscheme used by theUN Statistics Division for its specificpolitical geographystatistics needs, does not define a single WANA region, but it does feature two subregions called Western Asia and Northern Africa, respectively:[15]
In a 1995 publication, the then-Aleppo-basedInternational Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) defined its West Asia/North Africa (WANA) region as 25 countries, including: 'Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and Yemen.'[23] It noted thatCGIAR's Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) excluded Ethiopia, Sudan and Pakistan from its 1992 WANA definition, but otherwise listed the same countries.[23] In a 2011 study, ICARDA stated 27 countries/territories: 'The WANA region includes: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gaza Strip, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.'[22]
| Country or territory | CGIAR WANA 1992[23] | ICARDA WANA 1995[23] | ICARDA WANA 2011[22] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Algeria | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Armenia | No | No | No |
| Azerbaijan | No | No | No |
| Bahrain | Unclear | Unclear | Yes |
| Cyprus | No | No | No |
| Djibouti | Unclear | Unclear | Yes |
| Egypt | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Eritrea | No | Probably | Yes |
| Ethiopia | No | Yes | Yes |
| Georgia | No | No | No |
| Iran | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Iraq | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Israel | Unclear | Unclear | No |
| Jordan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Kuwait | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lebanon | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Libya | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mauritania | Unclear | Unclear | Yes |
| Morocco | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Oman | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Palestine* | Unclear | Unclear | Partial |
| Pakistan | No | Yes | Yes |
| Qatar | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Saudi Arabia | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Somalia | Unclear | Unclear | Yes |
| Sudan | No | Yes | Yes |
| Syria | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tunisia | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Turkey | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| U.A.Emirates | Unclear | Unclear | Yes |
| W. Sahara | Unclear | Unclear | Unclear |
| Yemen | Yes | Yes | Yes |
*Also called State of Palestine, or West Bank and Gaza (Strip).
In a preparatory working paper for the June 2004 G8 Summit, the U.S. government (at the end of theGeorge W. Bush administration's first term) defined theGreater Middle East as including the Arab states, Israel, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan.[7]
From April 2013, theInternational Monetary Fund started using a new analytical region calledMENAP (Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan), which addsAfghanistan andPakistan to MENA countries.[24]Now MENAP is a prominent economic grouping in IMF reports.[25][26]
MENASA refers to the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia region.[27] Its usage consists of the region of MENA together with South Asia, withDubai chosen by theUnited Nations as the data hub for the region.[6] In some contexts, specifically the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, the region is abbreviated as SAMENA instead of the more common MENASA.
The termMENAT (Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey) has been used to includeTurkey in the list ofMENA countries.[28][29]
The termNear East was commonly used before the term Middle East was coined by the British in the early 20th century. The termAncient Near East is commonly used by scholars for the region inantiquity. Some organisations and scholars insist on still using 'Near East' today, with some including North Africa, but definitions range widely and there is no consensus on its geographical application.
EMME refers to a grouping of 18 nations situated in and around theEastern Mediterranean and Middle East. The 18 nations in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East are:Bahrain,Cyprus,Egypt,Greece,Iran,Iraq,Israel,Jordan,Kuwait,Lebanon,Oman,Palestine,Qatar,Saudi Arabia,Syria,Turkey,UAE, andYemen.[30]
In 2018, theMENA region emitted 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide and produced 8.7% of globalgreenhouse gas emissions (GHG)[34] despite making up only 6% of the global population.[35] These emissions are mostly from theenergy sector,[36] an integral component of manyMiddle Eastern andNorth African economies due to the extensiveoil andnatural gas reserves that are found within the region.[37][38] The region of Middle East is one of the mostvulnerable to climate change. The impacts include increase indrought conditions, aridity,heatwaves andsea level rise.
Sharp global temperature and sea level changes, shifting precipitation patterns and increased frequency ofextreme weather events are some of the main impacts of climate change as identified by theIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).[39] The MENA region is especially vulnerable to such impacts due to its arid and semi-arid environment, facing climatic challenges such as low rainfall, high temperatures and dry soil.[39][40] The climatic conditions that foster such challenges for MENA are projected by theIPCC to worsen throughout the 21st century.[39] Ifgreenhouse gas emissions are not significantly reduced, part of the MENA region risks becoming uninhabitable before the year 2100.[41][42][43]
Climate change is expected to put significant strain on alreadyscarce water and agricultural resources within the MENA region, threatening the national security and political stability of all included countries.[44] Over 60 percent of the region's population lives in high and very high water-stressed areas compared to the global average of 35 percent.[45] This has prompted some MENA countries to engage with the issue of climate change on an international level through environmental accords such as theParis Agreement. Law and policy are also being established on a national level amongst MENA countries, with a focus on the development of renewable energies.[46]Islam is by far the dominant religion in nearly all of the MENA territories; 91.2% of the population isMuslim. The Middle East–North Africa region comprises 20 countries and territories with an estimated Muslim population of 315 million or about 23% of the world's Muslim population.[47] The term "MENA" is often defined in part in relation to majority-Muslim countries located in the region, although several nations in the region are not Muslim-dominated.[48] Major non-Islamic religions native here areChristianity,Judaism,Yazidism,Druzeism,African folk religions,Berberism and other Arab paganism.[citation needed]
Migrant population, mostly within the Gulf nations, practice mostly the beliefs they follow to, such asBuddhism andHinduism among South Asian, East Asian and Southeast Asian migrants.[49][50]
The demographics of theMiddle East andNorth Africa (MENA) region show a highly populated, culturally diverse region spanning threecontinents. As of 2023, the population was around 501 million.[51] The class, cultural, ethnic, governmental, linguistic and religious make-up of the region is highly variable.
Debates on which countries should be included in the Middle East are wide-ranging.[52] TheGreater Middle East and North Africa region can includethe Caucasus,Cyprus,Afghanistan, and severalsub-Saharan African states due to various social, religious and historic ties. The most commonly accepted countries in the MENA region are included on this page.The MENA region has vast reserves ofpetroleum andnatural gas that make it a vital source of globaleconomic stability. According to the Oil and Gas Journal (January 1, 2009), the MENA region has 60% of the world'soil reserves (810.98 billion barrels (128.936 km3)) and 45% of the world's natural gas reserves ( 2,868,886 billion cubic feet (81,237.8 km3) ).[53]
As of 2023, 7 of the 13OPEC nations are within the MENA region.[citation needed]
According toPew Research Center's 2016 "Religion and Education Around the World" study, 40% of the adult population in MENA had completed less than a year of primary school. The fraction was higher for women, of whom half had been to school for less than a year.[54]
In itsGlobal Peace Index 2020, theInstitute for Economics & Peace stated that 'the Middle East and North Africa remains the world's least peaceful region, despite improvements for 11 countries'.[18] According to an in-depth multi-part study by theCenter for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) published in April 2016, the factors shaping the MENA region are exceedingly complex, and it is difficult to find 'any overall model that fits the different variables involved'. It found that there were 'deep structural causes of violence and instability'. Wars and upheavals are partly 'shaped by the major tribal, ethnic, sectarian, and regional differences', by 'demographic, economic, and security trends', and by 'quality of governance, internal security system, justice systems, and [social] progress.' In some countries, the necessary societal factors for successful democratic change (often championed by some in the region and in the West to address various issues) are absent, and political revolutions may not always lead to more stability, nor solve the underlying problems in a given MENA country. However, it also found that 'the majority of MENA nations have remained relatively stable and continue to make progress'.[55]
During and after thedecolonisation of Africa andAsia in the 20th century, many different armed conflicts have occurred in the MENA region, including but not limited to theRif War; theIraqi–Kurdish conflict; theArab–Israeli conflict; theWestern Sahara conflict; theLebanese Civil War; theKurdish–Turkish conflict (1978–present); theIranian Revolution; theIran–Iraq War;Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict; theBerber Spring; theToyota War; theInvasion of Kuwait and theGulf War; theAlgerian Civil War; theIraqi Kurdish Civil War; therise of terrorism and anti-terrorist actions; theU.S.-led intervention of Iraq in 2003 and subsequentIraq War. TheArab Spring (2010–2011) led to theTunisian Revolution, theEgyptian revolution of 2011 andEgyptian Crisis (2011–2014), while also sparking war throughout the region such as theSyrian Civil War, theLibyan Civil War, theYemeni Civil War and theIraqi war against ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant).[citation needed] During theSudanese Revolution, months of protests and amilitary coup led to the fall ofOmar al-Bashir's regime and the initiation of the2019–2022 Sudanese transition to democracy and theSudanese peace process.[56]
the assignment of countries or areas to specific groupings is for statistical convenience
Medium-range estimates of Arctic carbon emissions could result from moderate climate emission mitigation policies that keep global warming below 3°C (e.g., RCP4.5). This global warming level most closely matches country emissions reduction pledges made for the Paris Climate Agreement...
"The IPCC doesn't make projections about which of these scenarios is more likely, but other researchers and modellers can.The Australian Academy of Science, for instance, released a report last year stating that our current emissions trajectory had us headed for a 3°C warmer world, roughly in line with the middle scenario.Climate Action Tracker predicts 2.5 to 2.9°C of warming based on current policies and action, with pledges and government agreements taking this to 2.1°C.
The dictionary definition ofMENA at Wiktionary
Media related toMiddle East and North Africa at Wikimedia Commons