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The Arab world – in the wider sense of the phrase— is bigger than the United States in terms of the land
area. It stretches some 5,000 miles — which is nearly
twice the distance between New York and San Francisco — from the Atlantic coast of northern Africa in the west to the Arabian Sea in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to central Africa in the south. It covers an area of 5.25 million square miles. By comparison, the United States comprises 3.6 million square miles only.
This region has the unique distinction of being the birthplace of three great religions in the world — Judaism, Christianity and Islam — though the Arab world today is a mixture of rich and many diverse influences. Various ethnic, linguistic and religious groups inhabit the region. Yet, Islam and the Arabic language constitute its two chief cultural features. The Arab people, spread over a vast area, enjoy common bonds of history and tradition. Spanning over 22 different countries, the Arabs consider themselves to be one nation.
With 72 percent of its territory in Africa and 28 percent in Asia, the Arab world runs along two continents, a position that has made it one of the world’s most strategic regions. It has access to long coastlines and waterways: the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Arabian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, to name a few.
While the region is dominated by dry climatic conditions, the existence of mountain ranges permits seasonal rainfall. The Atlas range in northwest Africa (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia) forms a barrier between the Sahara Desert and the coastal areas. Other important mountain systems are the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon ranges and the Zagros Mountains to the east of Iraq. Because of mostly dry landscape, water sources in the Arab world; be they springs, from which oases are formed, or rivers are extremely important. Foremost among the river valleys are the Nile and the Tigris-Euphrates.
While in the Arab land one would get all kinds of crops but dates remain the most important. Agriculture is the key economic activity in the Arab world. A few important food crops of the region are wheat, barley, rice, maize and millet. These are largely consumed within the region, while cotton, sugarcane, sugar beets and sesame are exported as cash crops. Contrary to popular belief only a few Arab countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, and Kuwait possess vast petroleum and natural gas resources. Other natural resources include iron-ore, lead, phosphate, cobalt and manganese.
Interestingly, it was in the Arab land that man first organized into a settled form of society, cultivating grain and raising livestock, establishing cities and promoting diverse skills and occupations. This became a nurturing ground for rich and complex cultures of ancient Egypt, Sumer, Assyria, Babylonia and Phoenicia. They all were great civilizations, whose traces continue to be uncovered in archeological sites throughout the region.
The Arab world is coming out of its shell now. It is changing, constantly reviving its past glories and heading towards what can be termed as a global destination. Development is evident everywhere as high-rise buildings replace the covered souqs of ancient times.
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