What is the Middle East and North Africa region

The Middle East and North Africa region represents an important geographical, demographic and economic region for the world, which has made it a major driver and an important pillar for the global economy, especially considering the economic renaissance and remarkable technological adoption carried out by some countries in the region, most notably the countries of the Arabian Gulf region.

First. Geography of the Middle East and North Africa region:

The Middle East and North Africa region represents a region of important geopolitical and geographical importance, as it covers a large part of the northern African continent, the Arabian Peninsula, Anatolia, most of Iraq and Iran, and extends to southern Afghanistan, thus including, according to data from the International Monetary Fund, 20 countries, with an area estimated at about 15 million square kilometers, which represents approximately 10% of the land area of ​​the globe.

Its location, which extends into a remarkable environmental diversity, including mountains, deserts and water bodies, has made it a place full of life and rich in important natural resources, most notably crude oil and natural gas, in addition to many other natural resources.

Its important geographical location and distinctive environmental and cultural diversity have made it a vital and important crossroads between Europe, Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia and South Asia.

This region also contains vital and strategic waterways that have facilitated global trade and contributed to reducing costs and time alike.

The Middle East and North Africa region contains waterways, the most important of which are the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the Caspian Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Arabian Gulf.

It also contains many very important trade routes for the world, as it contains the Bosphorus Strait.

• The Dardanelles Strait.
• The Strait of Hormuz.
• The Arabian Gulf.
• The Suez Canal.
• Bab al-Mandab.
• The Strait of Gibraltar.

The importance of the Middle East region to the global economy:

By clarifying the geographical area of ​​the Middle East and North Africa region, it becomes clear that this region has been of great importance to the global economy, both internally due to its abundance of natural resources, or in terms of its positioning as a pivotal region for commercial transportation, specifically maritime.

To emphasize the importance of the location of the Middle East and North Africa for maritime transportation, it is worth emphasizing that maritime transportation still plays a pivotal role in facilitating global trade, and is even the backbone of import and export activities in many industries that either cannot be transported by air due to their large size, or it would not be feasible to transport them by land, which explains that maritime transportation represents 75% of international trade.

As for the importance of this region through its abundance of resources, most notably energy represented by oil and natural gas, specifically in areas such as the Gulf States and some North African countries.

The region contributed about 57% of the total global oil supply, and about 41% of the total global gas supply.

This means that the Middle East and North Africa region is a pivotal region supporting the global economy and manufacturing, as it is also home to the world's largest conventional onshore and offshore oil and gas fields located across Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, Qatar, Algeria, Libya and Egypt.

As for oil shale, the region also contains large amounts of shale gas reserves of about 2,547 feet.

The Middle East and North Africa region and global energy supplies

Oil and gas producers in the Middle East and North Africa have been the backbone of global energy, as the region contributed about 37% of the world's total oil supply, and about 35% of the world's total gas supply.

The region's crude oil production in 2022 was estimated at about 30 million barrels per day, equivalent to a third of the world's total oil.

While the region's natural gas production amounted to about 925 billion cubic meters, which represents more than a fifth of the total gas produced globally.

Economy of the Middle East and North Africa region:

The GDP of this region is estimated at approximately 4.4 trillion US dollars, which represents 4% of the global GDP, noting that the GDP of this region had reached 610 billion US dollars thirty years ago, specifically in 1994, according to data from the International Monetary Fund.

As for the most important trading partners of the Middle East and North Africa region, it was China, according to data from the International Monetary Fund.

China was the top importer for 67% of MENA countries, sending goods worth over $171 billion to them in 2022.

India is another important trading partner in the region, importing over $50 billion worth of goods from the UAE, with over 40% of these imports consisting of petroleum products.

Italy, a major exporter to Tunisia, is another major player driving trade with MENA countries, with the country buying over $28 billion from Algeria and Libya in 2022, particularly oil.

Trade in the region is expected to increase, with some countries recently deciding to join the BRICS group. The addition of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran and the UAE to the bloc represents over $1 trillion in exports.