How has Wikipedia's Middle East and North Africa article changed?

Wikipedia's first sentence called it "geographic region whose countries are often referred to by the acronym mena". Today it says "geographic region which comprises the middle east". We saved the article's opening at 6 moments between 2005 and 2025, and every claim links the exact revision.

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How Wikipedia rewrote the Middle East and North Africa article

The opening as it read in 2005

Middle Easth and North Africa) region enjoys a vast territorial domain, extending from the Atlas Mountains of Morocco in northwest Africa to the Zagros Mountains of Iran in southeast Asia , and bordered by the coastlines of the Atlantic Ocean , the Mediterranean Sea , the Red Sea , the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf . MENA's terrain is cleaved by rivers and lakes, which form fertile plains and break the monotony of the arid deserts. With their rich deltas and beds, the Nile , Euphrates and Tigris constitute the major rivers of the region. MENA's territorial area of 6 million square meters is almost equal to that of the European Union, and one and a half times larger than that of the United States and of China The inhabitants of the MENA region comprise 6% of total world population, and one third of the population of China . The population of this region is almost equivalent to the population of the European Union , and one and a quarter times larger than the population of the United States . MENA has a tremendous growth potential reflecting a promising vast consumer market. Within the next decade, MENA's population is projected to supersede that of the European Union by 20% (growing at a rate of 3% vs. 0.8% of EU). MENA's vast consumer market is projected to double in size in approximately 18 years, while the EU market is expected to double in approximately 87 years. The consumer market growth of MENA is further reinforced by the skewed structure of its population breakdown. More than 45% of MENA's population is below the age of 15, compared to the EU's 18%. Although this poses a strain on the structure of the economy, from a marketing perspective, an increase in population indicates higher consumption in a region where the economy is highly contingent on international imports from industrialized nations MENA is a leading player in international trade. World trade (imports and exports) of the MENA region in 1994 reached over US$ 320 billion, while the gross domestic product ( GDP ) of MENA for the same year reached US$ 500 billion. The contribution of MENA's international trade to its GDP stood at around 65%, reflecting the integration of the region with economies of the world, and manifesting its potent strength as a viable consumer market for industrial nations. MENA's economy is sturdy and diversified. The region exhibits an amalgamation of economic performances of its composite countries. Ten MENA countries are oil exporters, seven countries are significant labor exporters and the remaining others depend highly on diversified manufacturing and service industries. GDP per capita in the MENA region ranges from around US$ 18,000 in Kuwait to US$ 165 in Somalia , with an average of US$ 2,000. The MENA region exhibited a trade surplus of US$ 16 billion in 1993. The United States and the EU showed a deficit of US$ 117 billion and US$ 88 billion respectively for the same year. The comparative advantage is promising, as other economies find it increasingly challenging to maintain a favorable equilibrium in their balance of trade. MENA plays a dynamic role in the global market, accounting for 6% of world trade (excluding its own internal trade). It is an active trading entity interacting with all other regions of the globe. Its trade activities stretch from New Zealand in the South Pacific to Latin America in the Atlantic . With more than two-thirds of the world's oil reserves, MENA is the leading exporter of crude petroleum, accounting for over 50% of the world's exports of the commodity. The MENA region is also a leading exporter of natural gas and natural phosphates, with their exports comprising 22% and 40% respectively of the world export of these commodities. MENA enjoys an abundance of other resources and commodities, ranked highly in global exports. MENA's exports of fertilizers constitute 9%, citrus fruit 11%, and cotton 8% of world exports. MENA holds an equally prominent role in world imports of foodstuffs. By the end of 1993, MENA ranked the highest in the world for imports of select foodstuffs. MENA's import of tea constitutes 28%, rice 29%, refined sugar 34%, frozen and fresh meat 6% and iron and steel rods 10% of the world's imports. MENA's imports of manufactured luxury products is also high, reflecting the urban lifestyle of its inhabitants. MENA's imports of buses stand at 15%, passenger cars 4%, domestic refrigerators 9%, cosmetics and perfumery 7% of the world's imports. The MENA region did not only witness growth in trade, but exhibited a corresponding growth in tourism. According to the World Tourism Organization , the MENA region attracted 2% of world tourism in 1994. Furthermore, tourism in the Middle East grew by 11.8% in 1995, reflecting the positive developments in the region's tourism sector, especially in the aftermath of peace.¹

This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 17977627.

The opening as it stood in 2010 35 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

The term MENA , for " Middle East and North Africa ", is an acronym often used in academic and business writing. The term generally covers an extensive region, extending from Morocco in northwest Africa to Iran in southwest Asia . It generally includes all the Arab Middle East and North Africa countries.

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Sometimes also considered part of the region. The term MENA is an acronym referring to the Middle East and North Africa region. The term MENA covers an extensive region, extending from Morocco to Iran , including all Middle Eastern and Maghreb countries. The term is roughly synonymous with the term the Greater Middle East . The MENA acronym is often used in academia , military planning, disaster relief, and business writing. Due to the geographic ambiguity and Eurocentric nature of the term "Middle East", many people prefer use of the term WANA (West Asia and North Africa) or the less common NAWA (North Africa-West Asia). The population of the MENA region at its least extent is about 381 million people, about 6% of the total world population.

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The opening as it stood in 2020 5 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

Middle East and North Africa region This article is about the geographic region. Approximate extent of the Middle East and North Africa region. MENA is an English-language acronym referring to the Middle East and North Africa , which corresponds to the Greater Middle East . It is alternatively called the WANA ( West Asia and North Africa), as well as the MENAP , which also includes Central Asia and the South Asian countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan . The MENAP covers an extensive region stretching from the Maghreb in the west to Pakistan in the east. The MENA acronym is often used in academia , military planning, disaster relief, media planning as a broadcast region, and business writing. Moreover, the region shares a number of cultural, economic and environmental similarities across the countries; for example, some of the most extreme impacts of climate change will be felt in the region.

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The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 4 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

Geographic region "MENA", "WANA", and "NAWA" redirect here. How often countries/territories are included in MENA/WANA definitions: Almost always included Sometimes included Rarely included The Middle East and North Africa is a geographic region whose countries are often referred to by the acronym MENA . It is also known as WANA , SWANA , or NAWA , which alternatively refers to the Middle East as West Asia or as Southwest Asia ; this is another way to reference the geographical region, instead of using the more common political terminology. As a regional identifier, MENA is often used in academia , military planning, disaster relief, media planning (as a broadcast region), and business writing. Moreover, the region shares a number of cultural, economic, and environmental similarities across its comprising countries; for example, some of the most extreme impacts of climate change will be felt in MENA . Some terms have a wider definition than MENA, such as MENASA , MENAP , or Greater Middle East , which extends to the countries in the regions of Central Asia ( Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , Tajikistan , Turkmenistan , and Uzbekistan ) and South Asia ( Afghanistan , Maldives , and Pakistan ), which have had significant Islamic influence, as well as their use of the Arabic script . The term MENAT explicitly includes Turkey , which is usually excluded from some MENA definitions, even though Turkey is almost always considered part of the Middle East.

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1177059512.

The opening as it stood in 2025 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

Geographic region "MENA", "WANA", and "NAWA" redirect here. The Middle East and North Africa ( MENA ), also referred to as West Asia and North Africa ( WANA ) or South West Asia and North Africa ( SWANA ), is a geographic region which comprises the Middle East (also called West Asia ) and North Africa together. However, it is widely considered to be a more defined and apolitical alternative to the concept of the Greater Middle East , which comprises the bulk of the Muslim world . The region has no standardized definition and groupings may vary, but the term typically includes countries like Algeria , Bahrain , Egypt , Iraq , Jordan , Kuwait , Lebanon , Libya , Morocco , Oman , Qatar , Saudi Arabia , Syria , Tunisia , the United Arab Emirates , and Yemen . As a regional identifier, the term "MENA" is often used in academia , military planning, disaster relief, media planning (as a broadcast region), and business writing. Moreover, it shares a number of cultural, economic, and environmental similarities across the countries that it spans; for example, some of the most extreme impacts of climate change will be felt in MENA . Some related terms have a wider definition than MENA, such as MENASA ( lit. ' Middle East and North Africa and South Asia ' ) or MENAP ( lit. ' Middle East and North Africa and Afghanistan and Pakistan ' ). The term MENAT explicitly includes Turkey , which is usually excluded from some MENA definitions, even though Turkey is almost always considered part of the Middle East proper. Ultimately, MENA can be considered as a grouping scheme that brings together most of the Arab League and variously includes their neighbors, like Iran , Turkey , Israel , Cyprus , the Caucasian countries , Afghanistan , Pakistan , Malta , and a few others. There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a template (see the help page ).

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