Countries north of the Sahara , along with Sudan , are included in the geographical and geopolitical unit known as the " Middle East and North Africa region " , or MENA , as their linguistic , religious and cultural characteristics have more in common with the nations of the Middle East than with their neighbours south of the desert .
Страны же , находящиеся северней Сахары , вместе с Суданом , включены в географический и геополитический акроним MENA ( Ближний Восток и Северная Африка ) , ибо культурные , языковые и религиозные черты скорей роднят их с Ближним Востоком , чем с южными соседями .