What continent is the Middle East in?

The title pretty much says it all. Don't necessarily base your answer on this image.

I was always taught it is in Asia. A qucick look shows that even with the Arabian Gulf giving a sort-of seperation that underneath the water the same plate formations look to be below both.

Politically, "Middle East" extendes to Africa as far west as Libya and south to the Sahara. In that regard it is in both, IMHO.

Quote: AZDuffman

I was always taught it is in Asia. A qucick look shows that even with the Arabian Gulf giving a sort-of seperation that underneath the water the same plate formations look to be below both.

Politically, "Middle East" extendes to Africa as far west as Libya and south to the Sahara. In that regard it is in both, IMHO.

There's probably an argument to be made that it extends slightly into Europe as well. I would say that part of Turkey is in Asia and part is in Europe, but all of Turkey is in the Middle East.

Quote: rdw4potus

There's probably an argument to be made that it extends slightly into Europe as well. I would say that part of Turkey is in Asia and part is in Europe, but all of Turkey is in the Middle East.

Turkey has always been a sort of border area between the two, causing it to alternate between having great power and being dominated by others who do over the last 3,000 years. It connects to Bulgaria by a small land-bridge of sorts, kind of like the Isthmus of Panama, so to say "part of Europe" is akin to asking if Panama is "partly" South America. Though you have a point in that the area north of Istanbul *is* Europe by any definiton. I guess I will agree on that part.

Politically, Turkey is tied to the EU and NATO. A bit of a gateway country, a big reason it will be an improtant coutnry the next 50-100 years as its economy keeps growing.

Quote: AZDuffman

Turkey has always been a sort of border area between the two, causing it to alternate between having great power and being dominated by others who do over the last 3,000 years. It connects to Bulgaria by a small land-bridge of sorts, kind of like the Isthmus of Panama, so to say "part of Europe" is akin to asking if Panama is "partly" South America. Though you have a point in that the area north of Istanbul *is* Europe by any definiton. I guess I will agree on that part.

Politically, Turkey is tied to the EU and NATO. A bit of a gateway country, a big reason it will be an improtant coutnry the next 50-100 years as its economy keeps growing.

It's not really a land bridge, you have to cross the Bhosporous or the Darndenalles to get from the European section of Turkey to the rest of the country. And that's all sea. Traditionally, the North part of Turkey has been considered as "Europe" and the rest as "Asia". Or at least by what I was taught in Geography class.

Quote: TheCesspit

It's not really a land bridge, you have to cross the Bhosporous or the Darndenalles to get from the European section of Turkey to the rest of the country. And that's all sea. Traditionally, the North part of Turkey has been considered as "Europe" and the rest as "Asia". Or at least by what I was taught in Geography class.

Sorry, just was looking at the first decent pic google put up. Killing time before a family function today--Godfather for the first time. Wish me luck all, FrGamble, if you can throw me a prayer for guidance as needed for the task that would be great.

Quote: AZDuffman

Sorry, just was looking at the first decent pic google put up.

No worries. It's actually appropriate to be talking about the Dardenalles and the Turkish strait today... 400,000 casualties in 1915 in the Alleid failed attack on Turkey in Gallipoli campaign. Complete meat grinder over a few square miles.

Quote: rdw4potus

There's probably an argument to be made that it extends slightly into Europe as well. I would say that part of Turkey is in Asia and part is in Europe, but all of Turkey is in the Middle East.

The original distinction between Europe and Asia was made by the ancient Greeks. They used the Aegean Sea, the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus, the Black Sea, the Kerch Strait, and the Sea of Azov as the border between Asia and Europe.

Of course modern Turkey includes part of the region known as Thrace.



The term "middle east" became widely known when American naval strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan used the term in 1902 to 'designate the area between Arabia and India'. The United Nations consider the term Middle East not politically correct and uses the term Western Asia to refer to the following nations:

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Georgia, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

Many Turks reject the ancient classifications and consider themselves part of Europe, and have applied to be part of the European Union on 14 April 1987.

Most of the Middle East is in Asia however Turkey is split between Asia and Europe.

Quote: whatme

Most of the Middle East is in Asia however Turkey is split between Asia and Europe.

As has been noted, Egypt is almost always also included in "Middle East," throwing Africa into the mix. Google agrees with me so it must be right.

As such, I voted "other." It is a region that spans 3 continents.