The Arab world is considered an area of the world that encompasses the region from the Atlantic Ocean near northern Africa east to the Arabian Sea. Its northern boundary is at the Mediterranean Sea, while the southern portion extends to the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean (map). In general this area is tied together as a region because all of the countries within it are Arabic-speaking. Some of the countries list Arabic as their only official language, while others speak it, in addition to other languages.
UNESCO identifies 21 Arab states, while Wikipedia lists 23 Arab states. In addition the Arab League is a regional organization of these states that was formed in 1945. It currently has 22 members. The following is a list of those nations arranged in alphabetical order. For reference, the country's population and language has been included. In addition, those with an asterisk (*) are listed by UNESCO as Arab states, while those with (1) are members of the Arab League. All population numbers were obtained from the CIA World Factbook and are from July 2010.
1) Algeria*1
Population: 34,586,184
Official Language: Arabic
2) Bahrain*1
Population: 738,004
Official Language: Arabic
3) Comoros1
Population: 773,407
Official Languages: Arabic and French
4) Djibouti*1
Population: 740,528
Official Languages: Arabic and French
5) Egypt*1
Population: 80,471,869
Official Language: Arabic
6) Iraq*1
Population: 29,671,605
Official Languages: Arabic and Kurdish (only in Kurdish regions)
7) Jordan*1
Population: 6,407,085
Official Language: Arabic
8) Kuwait*1
Population: 2,789,132
Official Language: Arabic
9) Lebanon*1
Population: 4,125,247
Official Language: Arabic
10) Libya*1
Population: 6,461,454
Official Languages: Arabic, Italian and English
11) Malta*
Population: 406,771
Official Language: Maltese and English
12) Mauritania*1
Population: 3,205,060
Official Language: Arabic
13) Morocco*1
Population: 31,627,428
Official Language: Arabic
14) Oman*1
Population: 2,967,717
Official Language: Arabic
15) Qatar*1
Population: 840,926
Official Language: Arabic
16) Saudi Arabia*1
Population: 25,731,776
Official Language: Arabic
17) Somalia*1
Population: 10,112,453
Official Language: Somali
18) Sudan*1
Population: 43,939,598
Official Language: Arabic and English
19) Syria*1
Population: 22,198,110
Official Language: Arabic
20) Tunisia*1
Population: 10,589,025
Official Language: Arabic and French
21) United Arab Emirates*1
Population: 4,975,593
Official Language: Arabic
22) Western Sahara
Population: 491,519
Official Languages: Hassaniya Arabic and Moroccan Arabic
23) Yemen*1
Population: 23,495,361
Official Language: Arabic
Note: Wikipedia also lists the Palestinian Authority, an administrative organization which governs parts of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as an Arab state. However since it is not an actual state, it has not been included on this list. In addition the State of Palestine is a member of the Arab League.
References
UNESCO. (n.d.). Arab States - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Retrieved from: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/worldwide/arab-states/
Wikipedia.org. (25 January 2011). Arab World - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_World
Wikipedia.org. (24 January 2011). Member States of the Arab League- Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Member_states_of_the_Arab_League
Cars drive on a bridge crossing the Nile River on February 9, 2006 in Central Cairo, Egypt. Cairo is still the heart of Egypt and is allegorically called "the Mother of World."
Getty Images EuropeUpdated January 30, 2011
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