MENA

For the proposed submarine telecommunications cable system, see MENA (cable system). For other uses, see Mena

  Commonly accepted as MENA countries.

  Sometimes also considered part of the region.

The term MENA, for "Middle East and North Africa", is an acronym often used in academic, military planning and business writing.^[1][2] The term covers an extensive region, extending from Morocco to Iran, including the majority of both the Middle Eastern and Maghreb countries. The term is roughly synonymous with the term the Greater Middle East (which is also sometimes taken to include Pakistan, Afghanistan, or both).

The population of the MENA region at its least extent is about 381 million people, about 6% of the total world population.^[3] At its greatest extent, its population is roughly 523 million.^[4]

List of countries

MENA has no standardized definition; certain organizations define the region as making up different territories. The following is a list of commonly included countries:^[1][5]

Algeria  Bahrain  Egypt  Iran  Iraq

Israel  Jordan  Kuwait  Lebanon  Libya

Morocco  Oman  Palestinian territories  Qatar  Saudi Arabia

Syria  Tunisia  United Arab Emirates  Yemen

Sometimes also included in broader definitions:^[6][7]

Armenia  Azerbaijan  Cyprus

Djibouti  Malta  Mauritania  Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic

Somalia  Sudan  Turkey

Economy

See also: Economy of the Middle East

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.

See also

• Middle East economic integration
• Greater Middle East
• Near East
• Arab world
• OPEC

References

1. ^ ^{a b} World Bank Definition: MENA
2. ^ World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa, Marrakech, Morocco, 26-28 October 2010
3. ^ Algeria – 35,423,000, Bahrain – 1,235,000, Egypt – 79,090,000, Iran – 76,923,000, Iraq – 31,234,000, Israel – 7,654,000, Jordan – 6,407,000, Kuwait – 3,566,000, Lebanon – 4,224,000, Libya – 6,420,000, Morocco – 32,200,000, Oman – 2,845,000, Gaza Strip – 1,657,000, West Bank – 2,515,000, Qatar – 1,697,000, Saudi Arabia – 27,137,000, Syria – 22,505,000, Tunisia – 10,433,000, UAE – 4,976,000, Yemen – 23,580,000
4. ^ Armenia – 3,262,000, Azerbaijan – 9,047,000, Cyprus – 803,000, Northern Cyprus – 285,000, Djibouti – 864,000, Malta – 413,000, Mauritania – 3,291,000, Somalia – 9,359,000, Sudan – 34,000,000, Turkey – 77,804,000, Western Sahara – 513,000
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. http://research.rencap.com/eng/region.asp?rid=10004. 
7. ^ MENA Magazine, which covers issues in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Somalia
8. ^ "International Reserves". United States Department of Energy. http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/reserves.html. Retrieved 2011.