The
Middle East (also called the
Mid East) is a transcontinental
region centered on
Western Asia and
Egypt. The corresponding adjective is
Middle-Eastern and the derived noun is
Middle-Easterner. Formerly, the Eurocentric synonym
Near East (as opposed to
Far East) was commonly used.
Arabs,
Azeris,
Kurds,
Persians, and
Turks constitute the largest ethnic groups in the region by population, while
Armenians,
Assyrians,
Circassians,
Copts,
Druze,
Jews,
Maronites,
Somalis, and other
ethnic and
ethno-religious groups form significant minorities.