|
äîæä"ú: ðúåðéí ëììééí |
|
Population |
Description |
|||||
|
Egypt |
67,273,906 |
385,229 |
175 |
3% |
94% |
Almost all of Egypt’s
population is concentrated in the Nile River Valley |
|
Turkey |
65,599,206 |
300,948 |
218 |
30% |
100% |
Most of Turkey is in
Asia, but the western tip of the nation is in Europe. The European
section of Turkey includes Istanbul, Europe’s second most populated city
after Moscow. |
|
Iran |
65,179,752 |
632,457 |
103 |
8% |
99% |
Iran has been ruled by
Muslim clerics since 1980. Iranians are Muslims, but they are not
Arabs. Iranians speak Farsi. |
|
Algeria |
31,133,486 |
919,595 |
34 |
3% |
99% |
At one time, Algeria
was part of France, but the Algerians asked the French to leave. |
|
Morocco |
29,661,636 |
177,117 |
167 |
18% |
99% |
One-third of the
people of Morocco are Berbers. The Berbers lived in North Africa before
the Arab invasion have their own language and customs. |
|
Afghanistan |
25,824,882 |
251,825 |
103 |
12% |
100% |
Travel is very
difficult through this very mountainous nation. |
|
Iraq |
22,427,150 |
167,975 |
134 |
12% |
97% |
Iraq is ruled by
Saddam Hussein, who used his oil wealth to build a huge army, but was soundly
defeated by a coalition of nation in a 1990 war. Iraq includes
the land once known as Mesopotamia |
|
Saudi
Arabia |
21,504,613 |
865,000 |
25 |
1% |
100% |
Saudi Arabia is a
monarchy ruled by the Saud family. It has the largest oil reserves in
the world. |
|
Syria |
17,213,871 |
71,498 |
241 |
28% |
90% |
Syria has the best
farmland of the region. When irrigated, the land produces crops of
cotton, wheat, and various vegetables. Syria is a dictatorship led by
Hafez al-Assad |
|
Yemen |
16,942,230 |
205,356 |
83 |
6% |
95% |
Military officers
control Yemen. It’s most famous export is rich-tasting coffee called
mocha. |
|
Tunisia |
9,513,603 |
63,378 |
150 |
20% |
98% |
Tunisia was once home
to the ancient civilization of Carthage, an advanced sea-faring city.
The Romans defeated Carthage, burned the city and poured salt over the land
so that it would no longer be arable and the people would be forced to leave. |
|
Israel |
5,749,760 |
7,876 |
730 |
17% |
14% |
Israel is a homeland
to Jewish people who have lived as minorities in other lands until 1948. |
|
Libya |
4,992,838 |
678,400 |
7 |
2% |
97% |
Libya has been
controlled by Muammar al-Qaddaffi since 1967. It is a strict Muslim
nation where gambling and eating pork are forbidden. |
|
Jordan |
4,561,147 |
34,342 |
133 |
4% |
92% |
Jordan is an Arab and
Muslim nation, but Jordan’s King Hussein signed a peace agreement with Israel
in 1994. |
|
Lebanon |
3,562,699 |
3,950 |
902 |
21% |
70% |
Clashes between
Christians and Muslims have made Lebanon an unstable nation. |
|
Oman |
2,446,645 |
118,150 |
21 |
5% |
75% |
Oil has made this
sultanate a rich nation. |
|
United
Arab Emirates |
2,344,402 |
32,280 |
73 |
0% |
96% |
Seven small emirates,
or Arab kingdoms, combined to form this small nation in 1971 |
|
Kuwait |
1,991,115 |
6,880 |
289 |
0% |
85% |
The United States
declared war on Iraq after Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein attempted to “annex”
or take over Kuwait |
|
Qatar |
723,542 |
4,412 |
164 |
0% |
95% |
Qatar is a tiny nation
that has used its oil wealth to create a diversified economy. It is a
center of banking in the Arab world. |
|
Bahrain |
629,090 |
268 |
2347 |
2% |
100% |
Bahrain was one of the
first Persian Gulf nations to produce oil, but the 1970s largely used up its
reserves. |