Knowra Middle East and North Africa Middle East and North Africa A broad region combining North Africa with the Middle East, commonly used in geographic, political, economic, and statistical contexts. Its boundaries vary by institution and purpose.
Middle East : A region centered on Western Asia and often including nearby parts of North Africa. It forms the eastern component of the combined regional label.
World Bank : An international financial institution that provides loans, grants, and expertise to support development. Its regional country groupings make MENA a practical unit for development statistics and programs.
Global North and Global South : A broad framework distinguishing wealthy, politically influential countries from less wealthy countries, with many exceptions. This development-based division cuts across MENA instead of following its regional boundaries.
Orientalism : A critical framework examining Western representations of Asia and the Middle East as exotic, backward, or unchanging. It helps explain how broad regional labels can reproduce simplified portrayals of MENA.
North Africa : The northern part of the African continent, generally extending from the Atlantic coast to Egypt. It forms the African component of the combined regional label.
International Monetary Fund : An international organization that promotes monetary cooperation and financial stability among member countries. Its Middle East and Central Asia department uses a regional frame that differs from standard MENA.
Sub-Saharan Africa : The part of Africa lying south of the Sahara, used as a geographic and statistical region. It is often separated from North Africa in regional classifications despite connections across the Sahara.
Postcolonialism : A field examining the cultural, political, and economic legacies of colonial rule. Colonial histories shaped borders and institutions later grouped within MENA.
Western Asia : The westernmost region of Asia, including the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, and neighboring areas. Many MENA definitions include Western Asian countries, though its scope differs from the Middle East.
United Nations geoscheme : A statistical classification that divides the world into geographic regions and subregions for United Nations data. Its subregions distinguish North Africa from Western Asia rather than treating them as one MENA unit.
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