Middle East
The Middle East is a region around the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea, including at least the Arabian Peninsula and, by some definitions, Iran, North Africa, and sometimes beyond.
A related region is the "Middle East and North Africa" (MENA). Another is the "Greater Middle East".
A common feature of the region(s) is Islam.
A part nearer Europe was previously referred to as the "Near East", with the "Middle East" then extending from the Persian Gulf to Southeast Asia, with regions facing the Pacific Ocean referred to as the "Far East".
