Near East vs Middle East

**nokhor** · 04-23-2005, 13:59

i know it's more of a geography question, but it seems to fit best here. what is the difference between the two regions? they are used almost synonymously nowadays.

**Quietus** · 04-23-2005, 16:39

Originally Posted by nokhor

i know it's more of a geography question, but it seems to fit best here. what is the difference between the two regions? they are used almost synonymously nowadays.

No difference at all. Both are exactly synonymous and the same. 'Near East' is just the older used one.

**Mouzafphaerre** · 04-23-2005, 17:53

-
Semantics. I don't care much about labels, what I'm interested in are the meanings.

(Whoa! That's too philosophical an expression to eat.

)
-

**caesar44** · 04-24-2005, 19:58

well , i think that near east is a geographical term meaning the lands from europe to persia and middle east is a political term meaning all the arab and islamic states from mauritania to egypt to afghanistan including israel (no arab no islamic)

**Kaiser of Arabia** · 04-24-2005, 21:36

Mauritania is a muslim country? I didn't know that.

**Franconicus** · 04-25-2005, 07:58

Maybe I am wrong but the far as I know the Europeans used to call

1. Arabia Persia ... the Near East
2. Indian Peninsula ... the Middle East
3. China, Japan, Thai... the Far East.

I guess the Americans used to call Arabia the Middle East, what is correct from their point of view. (What then is the Near East? Europe??)

In the last decade the Europeans tend to call Arabia the Middle East ... as well.