ABSTRACT
The term ‘Western Asia’ is an ambiguous geographical term. If we take the term literally, it simply refers to the territory that lies in the western part of Asia. Most people would agree that ‘Western Asia’ includes such areas as Iran, Anatolia, the Transcaucasus region, Iraq, Syria, and the Arabian Peninsula. When we move further to the West and cross the Suez Canal, there will be debates about whether it is appropriate to include Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morroco and the Magreb. In the same way, there will be questions about whether the Balkan area of Southeast Europe is part of Western Asia.
