Eastern Mediterranean

The Eastern Mediterranean is a loosely delimited region comprising the easternmost portion of the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the adjoining land—often defined as the countries around the Levantine Sea. It includes the southern half of Turkey's main region, Anatolia; its smaller Hatay Province; the island of Cyprus; the Greek Dodecanese islands; and the countries of Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine and Egypt. Although Jordan does not border the Mediterranean Sea, it is sometimes included in broader Levantine or Eastern Mediterranean frameworks for historical, cultural, or political analysis, as is sometimes Saudi Arabia - Jordan and the Saudis not least for their involvement in the Arab–Israeli conflict. In its broadest use, the term can encompass the Libyan Sea (thus Libya), the rest of Greece and Turkey (the Aegean Sea with European Turkey and the Greek mainland and remaining islands), and the Ionian Sea (thus Southern Albania in Southeast Europe) and can extend west to Italy's farthest south-eastern coasts.