MENA

  Commonly accepted as MENA countries.
  Sometimes also considered part of the region.

The term MENA is an acronym referring to the Middle East and North Africa region. The term MENA covers an extensive region, extending from Morocco to Iran, including all Middle Eastern and Maghreb countries. The term is roughly synonymous with the term the Greater Middle East.

The MENA acronym is often used in academic, military planning, disaster relief, 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 population of the MENA region at its least extent is about 381 million people, about 6% of the total world population.

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 and territories.[1][5]

Sometimes also included in broader definitions of MENA:[6][7]

Economy

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) ).[8]

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

MENAP

In April 2013, the International Monetary Fund created a new analytical region called MENAP (Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan), which adds Afghanistan and Pakistan to MENA countries.[9]

MENAT

In response to a shift in the economy, the term MENAT has become widely used by businesses in the MENA region to formally include "Turkey" in the list of MENA countries.

See also

Look up MENA in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "World Bank Definition: MENA". Worldbank.org. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  2. ↑ "World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa, Marrakech, Morocco, 26-28 October 2010". World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa 2010 - World Economic Forum. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  3. ↑ "West Asia and North Africa: A Regional Vision". Worldbank.org. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  4. ↑ "Welcome". Agu.org. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  5. ↑ Dumper, Michael, and Stanley, Bruce E., Cities of the Middle East and North Africa: A Historical Encyclopaedia, 2007
  6. ↑ "About MENA". Renaissance Capital Research Portal.
  7. ↑ "MENA Magazine, which covers issues in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Somalia". Middle East and North Africa magazine. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  8. ↑ "International Reserves". United States Department of Energy. Retrieved 2011.
  9. ↑ "World Economic Outlook Database". Imf.org. Retrieved 28 November 2014.