How many countries are in an encyclopedia's definition of a term?
22
What is the term?
the Near East
Is that term still used?
not in English
What is used now?
Middle East.
What is a more rough definition of the area?
Western Asia
How was it used at the beginning?
it applied to the maximum extent of the Ottoman Empire
What is the French version of the term?
Proche-Orient
What areas does  a society think is a part of it?
the countries of the Arabian Peninsula, Cyprus, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestinian territories, Syria, and Turkey'.
Do groups agree on the meaning of it?
No
Who else has a meaning for it?
The Food and Agriculture Organization