Near East

Topographic map of parts of the Near East

The Near East (Arabic: الشرق الأدنى) is a transcontinental region around the Eastern Mediterranean encompassing the historical Fertile Crescent, the Levant, Anatolia, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and coastal areas of the Arabian Peninsula.[1] The term was invented in the 20th century by modern Western geographers and was originally applied to the Ottoman Empire,[2] but today has varying definitions within different academic circles. The term Near East was used in conjunction with the Middle East and the Far East (China and beyond), together known as the "three Easts"; it was a separate term from the Middle East during earlier times and official British usage. As of 2024, both terms are used interchangeably by politicians and news reporters to refer to the same region.[3] Near East and Middle East are both Eurocentric terms.[4]

According to National Geographic, the terms Near East and Middle East denote the same territories and are "generally accepted as comprising the countries of the Arabian Peninsula, Cyprus, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestinian territories, Syria, and Turkey".[5] Also, Afghanistan is often included.[6][7][3]

In 1997, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations defined the region similarly, but also included Afghanistan.[8] The part of the region that is in Asia (ie., not including Egypt, the Balkans, and Thrace) is "now commonly referred to as West Asia."[9] Later on in 2012, the FAO defined the Near East as a subregion of the Middle East. The Near East included Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syrian Arab Republic, and Turkey while the Middle East included the Arabian Peninsula, the Caucasus, and Iran.[10]

  1. ^ Jr, William H. Stiebing; Helft, Susan N. (3 July 2023). Ancient Near Eastern History and Culture. Taylor & Francis. pp. 1994–1995. ISBN 978-1-000-88066-3.
  2. ^ "Near East | Middle East, Levant & Anatolia". Britannica. 23 December 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b Grannan, Cydney. "Are the Middle East and the Near East the Same Thing?". Britannica. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  4. ^ What Is The Difference Between Near East and Middle East? worldatlas.com
  5. ^ "Middle East, Near East". National Geographic Style Manual. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 23 September 2024.
  6. ^ "Country Profiles". TeachMideast. 29 September 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  7. ^ "The Near East". www.fao.org. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  8. ^ "The Near East". Food and Agriculture Organization. United Nations.
  9. ^ Small, Zachary (9 February 2022). "Met Museum to Renovate Its Ancient Near East and Cypriot Galleries". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  10. ^ "FAO - Regional Overview of Middle East". www.fao.org. Retrieved 10 August 2024.

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