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Middle East and North Africa

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For the proposed submarine telecommunications cable system, see MENA (cable system). For other uses, see Mena
  Commonly accepted as MENA countries.
  Sometimes also considered part of the region.

The term MENA, for "Middle East and North Africa", is an acronym often used in academic, military planning and business writing.[1][2]

Due to the geographic ambiguity and Eurocentric nature of the term "Middle East", many people prefer use of the term WANA (West Asia and North Africa)[3] or the less common NAWA (North Africa-West Asia).[4]

The term covers an extensive region, extending from Morocco to Iran, including the majority of both the Middle Eastern and Maghreb countries. The term is roughly synonymous with the term the Greater Middle East (which is also sometimes taken to include Afghanistan).

The population of the MENA region at its least extent is about 381 million people, about 6% of the total world population.[5] At its greatest extent, its population is roughly 523 million.[6]

List of countries

MENA has no standardized definition; different organizations define the region as consisting of different territories. The following is a list of commonly included countries,[1][7] including disputed territories and partially recognized states, marked with a dagger (†).

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Sometimes also included in broader definitions:[8][9]

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Economy

See also: Economy of the Middle East

The MENA region has vast reserves of petroleum and natural gas that make it a vital source of global economic stability. According to the Oil and Gas Journal (January 1, 2009), the MENA region has 60% of the world's oil 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) ).[10]

As of 2011, 8 of the 12 OPEC nations are within the MENA region.

See also

Look up MENA in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References

  1. ^ a b World Bank Definition: MENA
  2. ^ World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa, Marrakech, Morocco, 26-28 October 2010
  3. ^ http://www.worldbank.org/html/cgiar/newsletter/april97/8beltagy.html
  4. ^ http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2003/2003GL017862.shtml
  5. ^ Algeria – 35,423,000, Bahrain – 1,235,000, Egypt – 79,090,000, Iran – 76,923,000, Iraq – 31,234,000, Israel – 7,654,000, Jordan – 6,407,000, Kuwait – 3,566,000, Lebanon – 4,224,000, Libya – 6,420,000, Morocco – 32,200,000, Oman – 2,845,000, Gaza Strip – 1,657,000, West Bank – 2,515,000, Qatar – 1,697,000, Saudi Arabia – 27,137,000, Syria – 22,505,000, Tunisia – 10,433,000, UAE – 4,976,000, Yemen – 23,580,000
  6. ^ Armenia – 3,262,000, Azerbaijan – 9,047,000, Cyprus – 803,000, Northern Cyprus – 285,000, Djibouti – 864,000, Malta – 413,000, Mauritania – 3,291,000, Somalia – 9,359,000, Sudan – 34,000,000, Turkey – 77,804,000, Western Sahara – 513,000
  7. ^ Dumper, Michael, and Stanley, Bruce E., Cities of the Middle East and North Africa: A Historical Encyclopaedia, 2007
  8. ^ "About MENA". Renaissance Capital Research Portal.
  9. ^ MENA Magazine, which covers issues in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Somalia
  10. ^ "International Reserves". United States Department of Energy. Retrieved 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
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