The Middle East is an area defined in West Asia and North Africa. The region covers part of North Africa, but is situated mainly in Southwest Asia.

It is on three continents with Asia being the primary. Middle East, the lands around the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea, encompassing at least the Arabian Peninsula and, by some definitions, Iran, North Africa, and sometimes beyond. The Middle East is the common term for a region consisting of countries in southwest Asia and, usually, at least part of North Africa. east of what? A more expansive view of the Middle East, or the Greater Middle East, would stretch the region to Mauritania in West Africa and all the countries of North Africa that are members of the Arab League; eastward, it would go as far as Pakistan. It is an interesting term – middle of what? The Middle East is a region that is located on the continent of Asia. While the term is now widespread both inside and outside the region, it is in fact relatively new. The name of Middle East emerged when British colonial officials in the 1800’s divided the Orient into three administrative areas: Near East (West of India), Middle East (Western Asia) and Far East (Eastern Asia). The five major bodies of water that surround the region are the Caspian Sea, Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf. The Middle East is an intercontinental area centered on Egypt, Turkey, and Western Asia. It extends for about 1,000 miles from the Iran Mountains to the Mediterranean Sea and 2,000 miles from the Arabian Sea to the Black Sea.