Short Indroduction of Islamic World

LEBANON



Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria

Population: 3,578,036 (July 2000 est.)

Ethnic groups: Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%

Religions: Muslim 70% (5 legally recognized Islamic groups -
Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri), Christian 30% (11
legally recognized Christian groups - 4 Orthodox Christian, 6 Catholic,
1 Protestant), Jewish NEGL%

Languages: Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian widely understood

Area: total: 10,400 sq km
land: 10,230 sq km
water: 170 sq km

Natural resources: limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land

LIBYA



Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Tunisia

Population: 5,115,450
note: includes 162,669 non-nationals (July 2000 est.)

Ethnic groups: Berber and Arab 97%, Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, Tunisians

Religions: Sunni Muslim 97%

Languages: Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the major cities

Area: total: 1,759,540 sq km
land: 1,759,540 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, gypsum

MALAYSIA



Location: Southeastern Asia, peninsula and northern one-third of
the island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia and the South China Sea,
south of Vietnam.

Population: 21,793,293 (July 2000 est.)

Ethnic groups: Malay and other indigenous 58%, Chinese 26%, Indian 7%, others 9%.

Religions: Islam, Buddhism, Daoism, Hinduism, Christianity, Sikhism; note - in addition, Shamanism is practiced in East Malaysia.

Languages: Bahasa Melayu (official), English, Chinese
dialects (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil,
Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai; note - in addition, in East Malaysia
several indigenous languages are spoken, the largest of which are Iban
and Kadazan.

Area: Total: 329,750 sq km,
land: 328,550 sq km,
water: 1,200 sq km.

Natural resources: tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas, bauxite.

MALDIVES



Location: Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India

Population: 301,475 (July 2000 est.)

Ethnic groups: South Indians, Sinhalese, Arabs

Religions: Sunni Muslim

Languages: Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived from Arabic), English spoken by most government officials

Area: total: 300 sq km
land: 300 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Natural resources: fish

MALI



Location: Western Africa, southwest of Algeria

Population: 10,685,948 (July 2000 est.)

Ethnic groups: Mande 50% (Bambara, Malinke, Soninke), Peul 17%, Voltaic 12%, Songhai 6%, Tuareg and Moor 10%, other 5%

Religions: Muslim 90%, indigenous beliefs 9%, Christian 1%

Languages: French (official), Bambara 80%, numerous African languages

Area: total: 1.24 million sq km
land: 1.22 million sq km
water: 20,000 sq km

Natural resources: gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone, uranium, hydropower
note: bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper deposits are known but not exploited

MAURITANIA



Location: Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara

Population: 2,667,859 (July 2000 est.)

Ethnic groups: mixed Maur/black 40%, Maur 30%, black 30%

Religions: Muslim 100%

Languages: Hasaniya Arabic (official), Pular, Soninke, Wolof (official), French

Area: total: 1,030,700 sq km
land: 1,030,400 sq km
water: 300 sq km

Natural resources: iron ore, gypsum, fish, copper, phosphate

MOZAMBIQUE



Location: Southern Africa, bordering the Mozambique Channel, between South Africa and Tanzania

Population: 19,104,696
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life
expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population
and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age
and sex than would otherwise be expected; the 1997 Mozambican census
reported a population of 16,099,246 (July 2000 est.)

Ethnic groups: indigenous tribal groups 99.66% (Shangaan,
Chokwe, Manyika, Sena, Makua, and others), Europeans 0.06%,
Euro-Africans 0.2%, Indians 0.08% Religions: indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%

Languages: Portuguese (official), indigenous dialects

Area: total: 801,590 sq km
land: 784,090 sq km
water: 17,500 sq km

Natural resources: coal, titanium, natural gas, hydropower

NIEGER



Location: Western Africa, southeast of Algeria

Population: 10,075,511 (July 2000 est.)

Ethnic groups: Hausa 56%, Djerma 22%, Fula 8.5%, Tuareg
8%, Beri Beri (Kanouri) 4.3%, Arab, Toubou, and Gourmantche 1.2%, about
1,200 French expatriates

Religions: Muslim 80%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christians

Languages: French (official), Hausa, Djerma

Area: total: 1.267 million sq km
land: 1,266,700 sq km
water: 300 sq km

NIGERIA



Location: Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin and Cameroon

Population: 123,337,822
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life
expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population
and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age
and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2000 est.)

Ethnic groups: Nigeria, which is Africa's most populous
country, is composed of more than 250 ethnic groups; the following are
the most populous and politically influential: Hausa and Fulani 29%,
Yoruba 21%, Igbo (Ibo) 18%, Ijaw 10%, Kanuri 4%, Ibibio 3.5%, Tiv 2.5%

Religions: Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10%

Languages: English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani

Area: total: 923,768 sq km
land: 910,768 sq km
water: 13,000 sq km

Natural resources: petroleum, tin, columbite, iron ore, coal, limestone, lead, zinc, natural gas, hydropower, arable land

OMAN

Location: Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and UAE

Population: 2,533,389 note: includes 527,078 non-nationals (July 2000 est.)

Ethnic groups: Arab, Baluchi, South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi), African

Religions: Ibadhi Muslim 75%, Sunni Muslim, Shi'a Muslim, Hindu

Languages: Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects

Area: total: 212,460 sq km
land: 212,460 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Natural resources: petroleum, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum, natural gas

PAKISTAN



Location: Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between
India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the
north.

Population: 141,553,775 (July 2000 est.)

Ethnic groups: Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtun (Pathan), Baloch,
Muhajir (immigrants from India at the time of partition and their
descendants)


Religions: Muslim 97% (Sunni 77%, Shi'a 20%), Christian, Hindu, and other 3%

Languages: Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Siraiki (a Punjabi
variant) 10%, Pashtu 8%, Urdu (official) 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%,
Brahui 1%, English (official and lingua franca of Pakistani elite and
most government ministries), Burushaski, and other 8%

Area: total: 803,940 sq km
land: 778,720 sq km
water: 25,220 sq km

Natural resources: land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone

PALESTINE








Location: Middle East, west of Jordan

Population: 2,090,713 (July 2001 est.)

Ethnic groups: Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17%

Religions: Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and other 8%

Languages: Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English (widely understood)

Area: total: 5,860 sq km, land: 5,640 sq km, water: 220 sq km

Natural resources: arable land

QATAR



Location:
Middle East, peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia


Population:
744,483 (July 2000 est.)


Ethnic groups:
Arab 40%, Pakistani 18%, Indian 18%, Iranian 10%, other 14%


Religions:
Muslim 95%


Languages:
Arabic (official), English commonly used as a second language


Area:
total: 11,437 sq km

land: 11,437 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, fish

SAUDI ARABIA



Location: Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen

Population: 22,023,506
note: includes 5,360,526 non-nationals (July 2000 est.)

Ethnic groups: Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%

Religions: Muslim 100%

Languages: Arabic

Area: total: 1,960,582 sq km
land: 1,960,582 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper

SENEGAL



Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania

Population: 9,987,494 (July 2000 est.)

Ethnic groups: Wolof 43.3%, Pular 23.8%, Serer 14.7%, Jola 3.7%, Mandinka 3%, Soninke 1.1%, European and Lebanese 1%, other 9.4%

Religions: Muslim 92%, indigenous beliefs 6%, Christian 2% (mostly Roman Catholic)

Languages: French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka

Area: total: 196,190 sq km
land: 192,000 sq km
water: 4,190 sq km

Natural resources: fish, phosphates, iron ore

SIERRA LEONE



Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia

Population: 5,232,624 (July 2000 est.)

Ethnic groups: 20 native African tribes 90% (Temne 30%, Mende
30%, other 30%), Creole 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who
were settled in the Freetown area in the late-eighteenth century),
refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans,
Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians

Religions: Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10%

Languages: English (official, regular use limited to literate
minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal
vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the
descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown
area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population
but understood by 95%)

Area: total: 71,740 sq km
land: 71,620 sq km
water: 120 sq km

Natural resources: diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite

SOMALIA



Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, east of Ethiopia

Population: 7,253,137
note: this estimate was derived from an official census taken in 1975
by the Somali Government; population counting in Somalia is complicated
by the large number of nomads and by refugee movements in response to
famine and clan warfare (July 2000 est.)

Ethnic groups: Somali 85%, Bantu, Arabs 30,000

Religions: Sunni Muslim

Languages: Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English

Area: total: 637,657 sq km
land: 627,337 sq km
water: 10,320 sq km

Natural resources: uranium and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt

SUDAN



Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea

Population: 35,079,814 (July 2000 est.)

Ethnic groups: black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1%

Religions: Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), indigenous beliefs 25%, Christian 5% (mostly in south and Khartoum)

Languages: Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, English
note: program of Arabization in process

Area: total: 2,505,810 sq km
land: 2.376 million sq km
water: 129,810 sq km

Natural resources: petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold, hydropower

SURINAME



Location: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between French Guiana and Guyana

Population: 431,303 (July 2000 est.)

Ethnic groups: Hindustani (also known locally as "East
Indians"; their ancestors emigrated from northern India in the latter
part of the 19th century) 37%, Creole (mixed white and black) 31%,
Javanese 15%, "Maroons" (their African ancestors were brought to the
country in the 17th and 18th centuries as slaves and escaped to the
interior) 10%, Amerindian 2%, Chinese 2%, white 1%, other 2%

Religions: Hindu 27.4%, Muslim 19.6%, Roman Catholic 22.8%, Protestant 25.2% (predominantly Moravian), indigenous beliefs 5%

Languages: Dutch (official), English (widely spoken), Sranang
Tongo (Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki, is native language of
Creoles and much of the younger population and is lingua franca among
others), Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Javanese

Area: total: 163,270 sq km
land: 161,470 sq km
water: 1,800 sq km

Natural resources: timber, hydropower, fish, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite, gold, and small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, iron ore

SYRIA



Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey

Population: 16,305,659
note: in addition, there are about 38,200 people living in the
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights - 18,200 Arabs (16,500 Druze and 1,700
Alawites) and about 20,000 Israeli settlers (July 2000 est.)

Ethnic groups: Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%

Religions: Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim
sects 16%, Christian (various sects) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in
Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)

Languages: Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood

Area: total: 185,180 sq km
land: 184,050 sq km
water: 1,130 sq km
note: includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied territory

Natural resources: petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower

TAJIKISTAN



Location:
Central Asia, west of China


Population:
6,440,732 (July 2000 est.)


Ethnic groups:
Tajik 64.9%, Uzbek 25%, Russian 3.5% (declining because of emigration), other 6.6%


Religions:
Sunni Muslim 80%, Shi'a Muslim 5%


Languages:
Tajik (official), Russian widely used in government and business

Area:
total: 143,100 sq km

land: 142,700 sq km

water: 400 sq km


Natural resources:
hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten

TUNISIA



Location:
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya


Population:
9,593,402 (July 2000 est.)


Ethnic groups:
Arab 98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1%


Religions:
Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and other 1%


Languages:
Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce)


Area:
total: 163,610 sq km

land: 155,360 sq km

water: 8,250 sq km


Natural resources:
petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt, arable land

TURKEY



Location: southeastern Europe and southwestern Asia (that
portion of Turkey west of the Bosporus is geographically part of
Europe), bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Georgia, and
bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and
Syria

Population: 65,666,677 (July 2000 est.)

Ethnic groups: Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20%

Religions: Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (Christian and Jews)

Languages: Turkish (official), Kurdish, Arabic, Armenian, Greek

Area: total: 780,580 sq km
land: 770,760 sq km
water: 9,820 sq km

Natural resources: antimony, coal, chromium, mercury, copper, borate, sulfur, iron ore, arable land, hydropower

TURKMENISTAN



Location: Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan

Population: 4,518,268 (July 2000 est.)

Ethnic groups: Turkmen 77%, Uzbek 9.2%, Russian 6.7%, Kazakh 2%, other 5.1% (1995)

Religions: Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2%

Languages: Turkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%

Area: total: 488,100 sq km
land: 488,100 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, sulfur, salt

UGANDA



Location: Eastern Africa, west of Kenya

Population: 23,317,560
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life
expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population
and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age
and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2000 est.)

Ethnic groups: Baganda 17%, Karamojong 12%, Basogo 8%, Iteso 8%,
Langi 6%, Rwanda 6%, Bagisu 5%, Acholi 4%, Lugbara 4%, Bunyoro 3%,
Batobo 3%, non-African (European, Asian, Arab) 1%, other 23%

Religions: Roman Catholic 33%, Protestant 33%, Muslim 16%, indigenous beliefs 18%

Languages: English (official national language, taught in grade
schools, used in courts of law and by most newspapers and some radio
broadcasts), Ganda or Luganda (most widely used of the Niger-Congo
languages, preferred for native language publications in the capital
and may be taught in school), other Niger-Congo languages, Nilo-Saharan
languages, Swahili, Arabic

Area: total: 236,040 sq km
land: 199,710 sq km
water: 36,330 sq km

Natural resources: copper, cobalt, hydropower, limestone, salt, arable land