Learn Farsi: منطقه‌ی خاورمیانه همیشه مهم است. - The Middle East region is always important.

This is the Explanatory Ezafe in action. منطقه ends in a silent 'he' (ه) which makes a vowel sound. When adding an Ezafe to a word ending in this vowel, we add ی to create the -ye sound. This Ezafe links the general geographic noun (منطقه, region) directly to its specific proper name (خاورمیانه, Middle East).

Why does the word for 'region' come before 'Middle East', unlike in English?

When using the Explanatory Ezafe for geographic locations, Farsi always places the general category noun first, followed by the specific name. So instead of 'Middle East region', the structure is strictly 'Region of Middle East' (منطقه‌ی خاورمیانه). This rule applies to countries, lakes, oceans, and mountains as well.

What does the word خاورمیانه actually break down to?

It is a compound word. خاور (khâvar) is a slightly more literary or older word for 'East' (you might also know شرق for East), and میانه (miyâne) means 'middle' or 'central'. Joined together, they form the standard proper noun for the Middle East.

I sometimes see this written as منطقه خاورمیانه without the ی. Is that a mistake?

Strictly speaking, writing the ی is the formally correct way to show the -ye Ezafe after a silent 'he'. However, in casual writing, texting, or older print, native speakers often leave it out. Even if the ی is visually missing, you must always pronounce the sound to link the words.