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.

Characteristics

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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.

More on [ Middle East ]

washingtonpost.com - Struggling Airlines

Delta, NWA shareholders approve combination
JOSHUA FREED and HARRY R. WEBER Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:00:49 -0400
-- Delta Air Lines Inc. and Northwest Airlines Corp. shareholders gave the go-ahead Thursday to a combination that would create the world's biggest carrier, deciding that in their volatile industry they like their chances better together than on their own.
Alitalia official: time running out for bailout
ALESSANDRA RIZZO Sat, 13 Sep 2008 18:55:52 -0400
ROME -- Alitalia's bankruptcy administrator on Saturday warned unions opposed to a rescue plan that time was running out for saving the Italian carrier, as flights were at risk of cancellation for lack of fuel and some workers would be laid off soon.
Investors walk out of rescue plan talks
ALESSANDRA RIZZO and COLLEEN BARRY Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:20:26 -0400
ROME -- It may indeed take papal prayers to save Alitalia after Italian investors tapped to take over the bankrupt national carrier walked away from talks with unions on Friday.
More Frustrated Fliers Taking to the Rails
Sholnn Freeman Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400
Jada Golden stood in the waiting lounge at Union Station, explaining why Amtrak is a better way to travel than an airline.
Struggling to Stay Aloft
Sholnn Freeman Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400
LYNCHBURG, Va. -- American cities have long viewed a thriving commercial airport as a source of civic pride, a way to attract businesses and jobs, a selling point promising an easy connection to the outside world. Any community vibrant enough to support a respectable airport, the thinking goes, i...
Air Travel Failings Exposed Again by Weekend Storms
Sholnn Freeman Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400
The line of thunderstorms stretching from Albany to Washington over the weekend showed once again how broken the nation's air system is, according to travelers and activists.

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