W1: WHAT?

Twenty-one countries in the Southwest region of Asia.

Wait, no, eighteen countries in the Northern region of Africa.

Umm, actually, sixteen countries and a few territories off the coast of Southern Europe.



No wonder media moguls shy away from the “what” question! Defining the Middle East can only lead to trouble, because it is a different region to different people. Its composition is at the mercy of political spats, religious beliefs, and (of course) economic benefits.

The most recent 2006 list of “Middle East Countries” (according to the hopefully un-biased International Air Transport Association): BAHRAIN, EGYPT, IRAN, IRAQ, ISRAEL, JORDAN, KUWAIT, LEBANON, PALESTINIAN TERRITORY, OMAN, QATAR, SAUDI ARABIA, SUDAN, SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, AND YEMEN.

That definition of the Middle East is currently used in world-wide airfare and tax collection for cargo.

However, other frequent players in the Middle East game include: AFGHANISTAN, ALGERIA, ARMENIA, CYPRUS, DJIBOUTI, ERITREA, MALTA, MOROCCO, PAKISTAN, TURKEY, and UZBEKISTAN.

Whew, what a mouthful. Can you blame the nightly news for narrowing its interest to the four-letter countries?