MENA 2150475 212454357 2008-05-14T21:47:51Z Koavf 205121 Rv. Please find a source for Georgia being in the Middle East The term '''MENA''', for "[[Middle East]] and [[North Africa]]", is an [[acronym]] often used in academic and business writing. The term generally covers an extensive region, extending from [[Morocco]] in northwest [[Africa]] to [[Iran]] in southwest [[Asia]]. It generally includes all the [[Arab]] [[Middle East]] and [[North Africa]] countries, as well as [[Iran]] but not [[Turkey]].<ref>[http://lnweb18.worldbank.org/mna/mena.nsf/Attachments/MNABrief2004/$File/MNA+BRIEF-ENG+2004AM.pdf World Bank document on the definition of MENA]</ref> ==List of countries== '''MENA''' has no standardized definition; certain organizations define the region as making up different territories. ===World Bank definition=== <!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:500px_World_Map_MENA_h.JPG|thumb|500px|[[World Bank]]-defined MENA region (MENA countries are colored in [[red]])]] --> * [[Algeria]] * [[Bahrain]] * [[Djibouti]] * [[Egypt]] * [[Iran]] * [[Iraq]] * [[Israel]] * [[Jordan]] * [[Kuwait]] * [[Lebanon]] * [[Libya]] * [[Morocco]] * [[Oman]] * [[Palestinian territories]] (the [[West Bank]] and [[Gaza Strip]]) * [[Qatar]] * [[Saudi Arabia]] * [[Syria]] * [[Tunisia]] * [[United Arab Emirates]] * [[Yemen]] ===Other regions in the Greater Middle East and North Africa=== Some organizations, such as the [[Group of 8]] have [[Greater Middle East|larger and more inclusive definitions]] of the Middle East which include most of the above territories as well as: *[[Afghanistan]] *[[Cyprus]] *[[Mauritania]] *[[Pakistan]] *[[Somalia]] *[[Sudan]] *[[Turkey]] ==Population== The population of the MENA region as it is typically defined comprises about 6% of the total world population, and is equivalent in number to one third of the population of the [[People's Republic of China]]. The population of the MENA region is almost equivalent to the population of the [[European Union]], and is one and a quarter times larger than the population of the [[United States]]. ==Resources== 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, 2007), the MENA region has 70% of the world's [[oil reserves]] (797.04 billion [[barrels]]) and 46% of the world's natural gas reserves (2.8413 quadrilion [[cubic feet]]). [http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/reserves.html 2]. As of 2007, 8 of the 12 [[OPEC]] nations are within the MENA region. [http://www.opec.org/aboutus/ 3] ==References== <references /> ==External links== *[http://www.worldbank.org/mena World Bank page on MENA] {{economy-stub}} [[Category:International economics]] [[Category:Middle East]] [[Category:North Africa]] [[de:MENA-Region]] [[ja:MENA]]