"-Stan" Countries Are Central Asian, Not Middle Eastern

Correction: Countries ending in "-stan" (Persian for "land of") are in Central Asia, not the Middle East.

The seven "-stan" nations:

• Afghanistan (sometimes grouped with South Asia)
• Kazakhstan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Tajikistan
• Turkmenistan
• Uzbekistan
• Pakistan (South Asia, but "-stan" suffix)

The Middle East (West Asia + Egypt) includes: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Yemen, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Cyprus, Palestine. None end in "-stan."

The suffix -stan derives from Old Persian *stāna* ("place, land"), cognate with Sanskrit sthāna and English "stand." It denotes "land of the [people]"—e.g., Kazakhstan = "Land of the Kazakhs."