West Asia
Southwest Asia, or West Asia, is the southwestern part of Asia.
The region is sometimes considered synonymous with the Middle East, but usually the term Middle East includes North African countries and the part of Egypt in North Africa. Geographers that were annoyed with the ambiguity of the term "Middle East" tried to popularize the word "Southwest Asia", but with little success.
The countries in Southwest Asia include:
- Afghanistan
- Bahrain
- Cyprus
- Egypt (Sinai Peninsula)
- Gaza Strip
- Iran
- Iraq
- Israel
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Lebanon
- Oman
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- Syria
- Turkey (Anatolia section)
- United Arab Emirates
- West Bank
- Yemen
Sometimes the following countries are defined as in Southwest Asia:
Anatolia, Levant, and Mesopotamia are subregions of Southwest Asia.
- For the history of countries in Southwest Asia, see History of the Middle East