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Good show, ol'chap

I really don't think Afghanistan and Pakistan should be lumped in with The Philippines, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka.

Opinions vary as to what countries make up the modern definition of the Middle East.

Opinions are like ?

The Middle East defines a geographical area, but does not have precise defined borders. The modern definition of the region includes:Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, the Palestinian territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Egypt, with its Sinai Peninsula in Asia, is considered part of the Middle East, although most of the country lies geographically in North Africa. According to international media, North African nations without Asian links, such as Libya, Tunisia and Algeria, are increasingly being called North African. Other countries that are sometimes included in this definition are those of the Caucasus region (Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia), Cyprus,Afghanistanand North Africa (the Maghreb), Sudan, Djibouti, and Somalia.

The Middle East primarily consists of arid and semi-arid, with grasslands, rangelands, and deserts. Water shortages are a problem in many parts of the Middle East, with rapidly growing populations increasing demands for water, while salinization and pollution threaten water supplies. Major rivers, including the Nile and the Euphrates, provide sources for irrigation water to support agriculture.

Often considered Middle Eastern

* Near East, or Levant
o Israel
o Lebanon
o Syria
o Jordan
o Iraq
* Bilad al-Sham (Historical)
o Israel
o Lebanon
o Syria
o Jordan
* Greater Syria (Historical)
o Lebanon
o Syria
o Often parts of Jordan and Israel
* Arabia or Arabian Peninsula
o Saudi Arabia
o Kuwait
o Bahrain
o Qatar
o United Arab Emirates
o Oman
o Yemen
* Persian Gulf States
o Iran (Persia)
o Arabian states except Yemen
* Egypt

Sometimes considered Middle Eastern

* Caucasus
o Azerbaijan
o Georgia
o Armenia
* Anatolia
o Turkey
* Mediterranean Sea
o Cyprus
* The Maghreb
o Morocco
o Western Sahara (SADR)
o Algeria
o Tunisia
o Libya
o Mauritania
* Central Asia
o Afghanistan
o Turkmenistan
o Uzbekistan
o Tajikistan
* Iranian plateau
o Pakistan
* Sudan
* Somalia
* Eritrea

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regions_of_the_Middle_East