Please remove Middle East Region!!

[ascaso]

Dear TE admins,

You say: "The country locations are based on geography, not political, historical or cultural reasons."

Infact, there is no GEOGRAPHICAL REGION or SUBREGION called MIDDLE EAST on EARTH! So, why is there here? It is a POLITICAL REGION!

Is this the BBC Website of World Politics? Please use geographical subregions if needed, as you declare.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:United_Nations_geographical_subregions.png

With regards,
0lcay

[green]

This would probably need to recreate the whole site's database. Do you have the time and skill to help the admin do that Olcy?

[ascaso]

Every site needs reconstruction in time. TE needs that too, not only in this issue..I hope it will be evaluated in the new version then..

[vapours]

This isn't the UN website or Atlas of the world. Its just a photo website where Turkey just happens to be grouped in with the Middle East.

I don't really particularly like the term Oceania for my home country of Australia either, but it doesn't stop me from enjoying the site.

[Keitht]

You've only been a member of the site for a few weeks and you expect changes to be made to suit your demands. The other option is - if you don't like it find another site :-(

[ascaso]

"you expect changes to be made to suit your demands"

Thats not a personal demand but just a warning about a fact.

"if you don't like it find another site"

Im sure TE owners are more welcoming to new members than you..

[Darren]

The truth is, although Keith could have been more subtle, I agree with him in principle. I am quite sure that the moderators here will give far greater weight to the opinions of members who are well established here and have a history of good participation.

You say it was not a demand, but your title contained two exclamation points (!!), which doesn't sound to me to be a polite enquiry. Why you would choose to use the word warning is a little odd too.

This has come up in the past and there is an established reason different countries are classified in different locations. I can't remember the protocol Adam chose, but it is one which places Turkey in the Middle East and it is the same one which places Tibet in China. This is not a political choice on Adam's part, but a set of tools that he has used from the beginning of TE.

Quite honestly, getting so caught up in labels seems to be missing the big picture slightly.

[xuaxo]

I agree, broadly, with everybody said until now. Yes, everybody said a little bit of truth.
Yes, if "country locations are based on geography, not political, historical or cultural reasons", there is no reason for a Middle East section.
Yes, it needs "time and skill to help the admin" to change this.
Yes,"every site needs reconstruction in time".
Yes, "it doesn't stop me from enjoying the site".
Yes, "if you don't like it find another site".

About the "two exclamation points" and the "use the word warning", and other misunderstandings, we must remember that many (most?) members of TE don't use English as their mother tongue (including myself). For example in my language the word "warning" may be translated both as "polite warning" and "non-polite warning", depending on the context.

Yes, "getting so caught up in labels seems to be missing the big picture slightly". But if something is not quite OK and if there is the human and technical possibility to improve it, why do not accept the suggestion/"warning"?

I enjoy the site, even if my country is grouped to a region in the other side of the world :-)
Francisco

[paulalex32]

I don't think it matters if you are a member for a day or a decade, this is an open forum and an open site. Unfortunately, many folks around the globe think that if you spend enough time in one spot, that makes it theirs exclusively. As for not getting caught up in labels, this is a perfect example of the TE mandate, viz., to teach others about the planet. What is grouped as the Middle East has a long and rich history. Asking that those who occupy the area be identified on their own terms is nothing new and not much to ask. Keep in mind that language (any language) helps to define reality and, thus, is a powerful tool. Consider the language that helped define a generation of Westerners that included "policeman, mailman, fireman, mankind" to name a few. Since many Westerners have changed those terms, it has drawn attention to a grand disparity. I think we should listen more carefully to those who request to be identified geographically and not politically.

[Keitht]

My original reply may have seemed a bit direct, but I'm just sick of people joining the site and almost immediately 'demanding' changes.
Adam did explain a long time ago where he obtained his list of countries and regions from and also said he wasn't going to change it. Part of the reason for refusing any change was that there are many different lists and he needed to be consistent. There was also the impossible task, already mentioned by others, of then checking and changing the details of over 608,000 photos on the site.
After much searching I came across this from Adam in a previous topic:-

"Since Asia was getting too big, I extracted some Asian countries for a 'Middle East' section, so Turkey has been moved there as well.

It seems that the landmass to the right of the Bosporus Strait, which is called Anatolia, is a part of Asia (Middle East). And since most of Turkey is located east of the Bosporus, Turkey was placed in the Middle East.

Some systems combine Europe and Asia into Eurasia, but this site lists Europe and Asia (and Middle East) separately."