When and why did “Near East” become “Middle East?”

After the Ottoman Empire disappeared in 1918, the area called the Near East was not used, and the Middle East came to be used for the entire region.

When did Near East become Middle East?

Middle East essentially supplanted Near East in the early 20th century, although the two are now used interchangeably among English speakers. So, for all intents and purposes, Middle East and Near East refer to the same region when used today.

Why is the Middle East called the Near East?

The “Middle East” was originally coined in the late 19th century by the British, along with other Eurocentric geographic terms such as the “Near East” (the eastern Mediterranean regions closest to Europe) and the “Far East” (China, Japan, Korea, and other East Asian entities much farther away from Europe).

What is the difference between the ancient Near East and the Middle East?

The area known as the Near East referred to Southwest Asia. On the other hand, the Middle East applied to areas in western Asia, southeastern Europe, and North Africa. In the 19th century, the westerners divided the Orient area into three parts namely Near East, Middle East, and the Far East.

When was the term Near East first used?

First used in 1856, the term “Near East” was defined specifically against the Far East and referred to the region in Asia that’s west of India.

Why did the ancient Near East End?

The history of the ancient Near East ends with the conquest of the region by the Muslim Arabs in the 7th century CE and the fall of the Persian Sassanian Empire (224-651 CE) which marks the beginning of the new phase of the region’s history.

What was the Middle East called before it was called the Middle East?

The central part of this general area was formerly called the Near East, a name given to it by some of the first modern Western geographers and historians, who tended to divide what they called the Orient into three regions.

Do we still call it the Middle East?

The Associated Press Stylebook says that Near East formerly referred to the farther west countries while Middle East referred to the eastern ones, but that now they are synonymous. It instructs: Use Middle East unless Near East is used by a source in a story. Mideast is also acceptable, but Middle East is preferred.

What is meant by Near East?

noun. an indefinite geographical or regional term, usually referring to the countries of southwestern Asia, including Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia and the other nations of Arabia.

Who named the Middle East?

Adm. Alfred Thayer Mahan



The term “Middle East” was coined in 1901 by Adm. Alfred Thayer Mahan, the celebrated American advocate of naval power. It was popularized in speeches in 1916 by Sir Mark Sykes, a British member of Parliament.

When did the Middle East change?

The Middle East’s modern borders began to take shape in the early twentieth century after the Ottoman Empire collapsed. While the once-mighty empires no longer rule over the region, competition over land, oil, and power continues to define the Middle East’s modern history.

When did the ancient Near East End?

The end of the Ancient Near East is generally considered to be either at either the fall of Assyria in 662 B.C.E., the arrival of Alexander the Great in 332 B.C.E. or the coming of Islam in 622 C.E. Many also consider Ancient Near Eastern History to cover the Biblical history in the Old and New Testaments.

What was considered the Near East?

According to the National Geographic Society, the terms Near East and Middle East denote the same territories and are “generally accepted as comprising the countries of the Arabian Peninsula, Cyprus, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestinian territories, Syria, and Turkey“.



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