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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
wrenching the thread (amidst much internal strife) back on topic:
"Middle East" is not a completely settled term, but using the most common definition of the term, it includes Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and the disputed territories of Palestine including the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and the Golan Heights of Syria.
Sometimes the term "Middle East" is taken to include Turkey and Cyprus, although both Turks and Cypriots assert that they are part of Europe and not the Middle East. The list of countries discussed in the context of Middle East is occasionally extended, due to strong cultural, economic and political relationships to include Morocco, Sudan, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Afghanistan and even Iran and Pakistan.
One of the problems with the term "Middle East" is its perceived Eurocentrism. The region is only "to the east" from the perspective of Europe. To an Indian, it lies to the west; to a Russian, it lies to the south. There is also a problem with the word "Middle." What is the Middle East in the middle of?
The answer to this lies in the older term "Near East." Before the First World War, "Near East" was used in Europe to refer to the Balkans and the Ottoman Empire, while "Middle East" refered to Persia, Afghanistan and sometimes Central Asia, Turkestan and the Caucasus. ("Far East" referred to countries such as Malaysia and Singapore.) With the disappearance of the Ottoman Empire in 1918, "Near East" fell out of use, the "Middle East" came to be applied to the re-emerging countries of the Arab World.
The ambiguity of the term "Middle East" annoys some geographers, who have tried to popularise South-West Asia as an alternative, with little success. "Arab World" is used in some contexts, but it excludes peoples such as the Israelis, the Iranians and the Kurds who are not Arabs. In some ways the ambiguity of "Middle East" is an advantage, since it can be defined in a number of ways.
©Wikipedia
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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,624
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,624 |
"Arab World" is used in some contexts, but it excludes peoples such as the Israelis, the Iranians and the Kurds who are not Arabs.
Hate to gainsay Wikipedia, but the differences between the Hamites and the Semites are only cultural ....
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 771
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 771 |
From where I'm sitting, of Troy, you're living in it. And for me, the Far East is so far east it's west. In fact, I would guess that there are places in the Far East that are closer to me than you are... so my answer is "Maybe it's all a matter of perspective." 
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
Kinda puts paid to the separate plates thangie in my JDM®.
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475
veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475 |
... and what about the Japhthites? Linguistic terms actually, or at least when they were coined. Wikipedia is good, but it's only as infallible as its contributors.
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788 |
There is also a problem with the word "Middle."
Many years ago, while shopping in Korea, I came across a map of the world, printed in China, which featured China in the middle. I bought it as a reminder that there are more ways than one to view the world.
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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210 |
we have a great map in our school office which show the world <scare quotes>upside down</scare quotes>. all the labels are correctly orientized, and I believe the Atlantic Ocean is in the center. some kids just don't get it. some adults complain, too... sheesh. 
formerly known as etaoin...
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Joined: Jan 2004
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475 |
makes sense, Mandarin for China is zhong guo 'middle country'.
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