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League of Arab States جامعة الدول العربية Jāmiʻat ad-Duwal al-ʻArabiyya
Flag
Headquarters		Cairo, Egypt1
Official languages		Arabic
Membership		22 members  Algeria  Bahrain  Comoros  Djibouti  Egypt  Iraq  Jordan  Kuwait  Lebanon  Libya  Mauritania  Morocco  Oman  Palestine  Qatar  Saudi Arabia  Somalia  Sudan  Syria  Tunisia  United Arab Emirates  Yemen 4 observers  Brazil  Eritrea  India  Venezuela
Leaders
-	Secretary General	Amr Moussa (since 2001)
-	Council of the Arab League	Syria
-	Speaker of the Arab Parliament	Nabih Berri
Establishment
-	Alexandria Protocol	March 22, 1945
Area
-	Total area with Western Sahara	13,953,041 km2 (2nd2) 5,382,910 sq mi
-	Area excluding Western Sahara	13,687,041 km2 (5,280,291 sq mi)
Population
-	2007 estimate	339,510,535 (3rd2)
-	Density	24.33/km2  63/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2008 estimate
-	Total	$2,604,639 million (6th2)
-	Per capita	$7,672 (92nd)
Currency		21 currencies ---- ISO 4217 codes bracketed: Algerian dinar (DZB) Bahraini dinar (BHD) Comorian franc (KMF) Djiboutian franc (DJF) Egyptian pound (EGP) Iraqi dinar (IQD) Jordanian dinar (JD) Kuwaiti dinar (KWD) Lebanese livre (LL, LBP) Libyan dinar (LYD) Mauritanian ouguiya (MRO) Moroccan dirham (MAD) Omani rial (OMR) Qatari riyal (QAR) Saudi riyal (SAR) Somali shilling (SOS) Sudanese pound (SDD) Syrian pound (SYP) Tunisian dinar (TND) United Arab Emirates dirham (AED) Yemeni rial (YER)
Time zone		(UTC+0 to +4)
Website (Arabic) http://arableagueonline.org
1	From 1979 to 1989: Tunis, Tunisia
2	If ranked among nation states.

This article contains Arabic text, written from right to left in a cursive style with some letters joined. Without proper rendering support, you may see unjoined Arabic letters written left-to-right instead of right-to-left or other symbols instead of Arabic script.

The Arab League (Arabic: الجامعة العربية‎ al-Jāmiʻa al-ʻArabiyya), officially called the League of Arab States (Arabic: جامعة الدول العربية‎ Jāmiʻat ad-Duwal al-ʻArabiyya), is a regional organization of Arab states in Southwest Asia, and North and Northeast Africa. It was formed in Cairo on March 22, 1945 with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan (renamed Jordan after 1946), Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Yemen joined as a member on May 5, 1945. The Arab League currently has 22 members and four observers. The main goal of the league is to "draw closer the relations between member States and co-ordinate collaboration between them, to safeguard their independence and sovereignty, and to consider in a general way the affairs and interests of the Arab countries."^[1]

Through institutions such as the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALESCO) and the Economic and Social Council of the Arab League's Council of Arab Economic Unity (CAEU), the Arab League facilitates political, economic, cultural, scientific and social programs designed to promote the interests of the Arab world.^[2][3] It has served as a forum for the member states to coordinate their policy positions, to deliberate on matters of common concern, to settle some Arab disputes, and to limit conflicts such as the 1958 Lebanon crisis. The League has served as a platform for the drafting and conclusion of many landmark documents promoting economic integration. One example is the Joint Arab Economic Action Charter which sets out the principles for economic activities in the region.

Each member state has one vote in the League Council, while decisions are binding only for those states that have voted for them. The aims of the league in 1945 were to strengthen and coordinate the political, cultural, economic, and social programs of its members, and to mediate disputes among them or between them and third parties. Furthermore, the signing of an agreement on Joint Defense and Economic Cooperation on April 13, 1950 committed the signatories to coordination of military defense measures.

The Arab league has played an important role in shaping school curricula, advancing the role of women in the Arab societies, promoting child welfare, encouraging youth and sports programs, preserving Arab cultural heritage, and fostering cultural exchanges between the member states.^{[citation needed]} Literacy campaigns have been launched, intellectual works reproduced, and modern technical terminology is translated for the use within member states. The league encourages measures against crime and drug abuse, and deals with labor issues—particularly among the emigrant Arab workforce.

Members and dates

The Arab League was founded in Cairo in 1945 by Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Transjordan (Jordan from 1946), and Yemen. There was a continual increase in membership during the second half of the 20th century, with additional 15 Arab states and 4 observers being admitted.

Egypt's membership was suspended in 1979 after it signed the Egyptian–Israeli Peace Treaty, and the League's headquarters were moved from Cairo to Tunis. In 1987, Arab countries restored diplomatic relations with Egypt and the country was readmitted to the league in 1989 while the league's headquarters moved back to Cairo.^[4] In September 2006, Venezuela was accepted as an observer, and India in 2007.

Israel is not a member despite 20% of its population being of Arab origin, nearly half the Jewish population being descended from Jews from Arab countries, and Arabic being an official language. Neither is Chad a member, although Arabic is in both official and vernacular use there.

Four countries are observer states — a status that entitles them to express their opinion and give advice but denies them voting rights.^[5] Of the four, one (Eritrea) uses Arabic as an official language, and two (Brazil and Venezuela) have large and influential communities of persons of Arab descent (Brazil in particular having nearly twice the Lebanese population of Lebanon itself^{[citation needed]}).

The current members and observers of the Arab League are listed below along with their admission dates.

Joining dates of member states; the Comoros (circled) joined in 1993.
     40s      50s      60s      70s

Members Admission date  Egypt[6] March 22, 1945a  Iraq[7]  Jordanb[8]  Lebanon[9]  Saudi Arabia[10]  Syria[11]  Yemen[12] May 5, 1945  Sudan[12] January 19, 1956  Libya[12] March 28, 1956c  Moroccod[12] October 1, 1958  Tunisia[12]  Kuwait[12] July 20, 1961  Algeria[12] August 16, 1962  Bahrain[12] September 11, 1971  Qatar[12]  Oman[12] September 29, 1971  United Arab Emirates[12] December 6, 1971  Mauritania[12] November 26, 1973  Somalia[12] February 14, 1974  Palestinee[13] September 9, 1976  Djibouti[12] September 4, 1977  Comoros[citation needed] November 20, 1993

Observers Admission date  Eritrea[14] observer since 2003  Brazil[15][16][17][18][19]  Venezuela[17][20] observer since 2006  India[citation needed] observer since 2007

Notes: Note a: Date of foundation. Note b: As Transjordan. Note c: Libya announced its withdrawal on October 24, 2002, which would have been effective one year later; however, Libya then retracted its decision to withdraw on January 16, 2003, reaffirmed it on April 3, 2003, before retracting it again on May 25, 2003. Note d: The sovereignty of Western Sahara is disputed between Morocco and the Polisario Front's Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic government. The Arab League recognizes it as a part of Morocco. Note e: Representatives from the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

Geography

Administrative divisions in the Arab League

The area of members of the Arab League covers around 14,000,000 km² (5,400,000 sq mi) and straddles two continents: Western Asia as well as Northern and Northeastern Africa. The area consists of large arid deserts, namely the Sahara. Nevertheless, it also contains several very fertile lands, such as the Nile Valley, the High Atlas Mountains, and the Fertile Crescent which stretches from Iraq over Syria and Lebanon to Palestine. The area comprises also deep forests in southern Arabia and southern Sudan as well as the major parts of the world's longest river—the Nile.

The area has witnessed the rise and fall of many ancient civilizations: Ancient Egypt, Rome, Ancient Israel, Assyria, Babylon, Phoenicia, Carthage, Kush, and Nabateans.

Governance

Arab League

This article is part of the series: Life in the Arab League

Government Secretary General Amr Moussa administrative management Economic and Social Council Arab Parliament Chamber of Commerce-foreign joint Technical Advisory Committees Arab Council Legislative procedure Ministerial Resolutions Summits

Arab Issues Arab–Israeli conflict Arab-Israeli relations WMD Israel Iran Arab solidarity Human Rights

Foreign Relations Multilateral European Union ASEAN Spain South America Bilateral China India Pakistan United States Russia Turkey Iran Non-Aligned Movement

Arab Unity Arab Leaders Sharif Hussein ibn Ali Constantin Zureiq Zaki al-Arsuzi Michel Aflaq Abdullah I of Jordan Sharif Hussein ibn Ali Ideologies Arab Nationalism Nasserism Arab socialism Ba'athism Jamahiriya Attempts of union Arab Federation Arab Islamic Republic Federation of Arab Republics United Arab Republic Organizational Union GCC Arab Maghreb Union Arab Union

Economy Economic Integration CAEU Arab Monetary Fund Arab Economic Development Euromediterranean Partnership GAFTA Arab Trade Unions General Union of Chambers Arab Customs Union ICATU FATULS QIZ

Culture Media Arab-SAT Nile-SAT Arab Media Group Arabian Television Network Arab International Media Services Al-Arabiya Al-Jazeera Arab Capital of Culture Jerusalem Damascus Doha Culture Arabic Cuisine Art Literature Muallaqat Dress Sports Pan Arab Games Arab Champions League Arab Cup Winners' Cup Arab-African Super Cup Gulf Cup of Nations Arab Nations Cup

Demographics Religion Muslims Christians Jews Ethnicities Arabs Berbers Economic area Economic area Economic area Others Arab Diaspora Arab American Arab Argentine Arab Australian Arab Brazilian Arab Britons Arab Bulgarians Arab Canadian Arab Chilean Arab Haitian Arab French Arab Mexican Arab Pakistanis Arab Singaporean Arab Turks Arab Venezuelan Iranian Arabs Arab Colombians Arab Sri Lankans Lifestyles Bedouin Marsh Arabs other non-Official Languages Kurdish Berber Dialects Somali Afar Nubian Persian Armenian Hebrew

Geography Sub-Regions Maghrib Mashriq Nile Valley Gulf States Bab-el-Mandeb Major Deserts Sahara Libyan Desert Nubian Desert White Desert Bayuda Desert Arabian Rub' al Khali Syrian Desert An Nafud Negev Ad-Dahna Desert

Transportation Aviation Railways Baghdad Railway line ONCF Palestine Railways Hejaz Railway Bridges Dubai Smile Qatar Bahrain Causeway King Fahd Causeway Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Crossing Saudi–Egypt Causeway Bridge of the Horns

Military Expenditure Arab Revolt; Islamism Hizbullah Hamas Fatah al-Islam Armed Islamic Group Arab Joint Defence Peninsula Shield Arab Organization for Industrialization

The Charter of the Arab League^[1] endorsed the principle of an Arab homeland while respecting the sovereignty of the individual member states. The internal regulations of the Council of the League^[21] and the committees^[22] were agreed in October 1951. Those of the Secretariat-General were agreed in May 1953.^[23]

Since then, governance of the Arab League has been based on the duality of supra-national institutions and the sovereignty of the member states. Preservation of individual statehood derived its strengths from the natural preference of ruling elites to maintain their power and independence in decision making. Moreover, the fear of the richer that the poorer may share their wealth in the name of Arab nationalism, the feuds among Arab rulers, and the influence of external powers that might oppose Arab unity can be seen as obstacles towards a deeper integration of the league.

Economy

The Arab League is rich in resources, with enormous oil and natural gas resources; it also has great fertile lands in South of the Sudan, usually referred to as the food basket of the Arab World. The region's instability has not affected its tourism industry, that is considered the fastest growing industry in the region, with Egypt, UAE, Algeria, Tunisia, and Jordan leading the way. Another industry that is growing steadily in the Arab League is telecommunications. Within less than a decade, local companies such as Orascom and Etisalat have managed to compete internationally.

Economic achievements initiated by the League amongst member states have been less impressive than those achieved by other smaller Arab organizations such as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). However, several promising major economic projects are set to be completed soon.^[24] Among them is the Arab Gas Pipeline, scheduled to be accomplished in 2010. It will transport Egyptian and Iraqi gas to Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey. The Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA), planned to come into effect on January 1, 2008, will render 95% of all Arab products free of customs.^{[citation needed]}

Economic development in the Arab League is very disparate. Significant difference in wealth and economic conditions exist between the rich oil states of UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Algeria on the one hand, and poor countries like the Comoros, Mauritania, and Djibouti on the other hand. Arab economic funding is under development. As an example, the Arab League agreed to support the Sudanese region of Darfur with 500 million dollars, and Egyptian and Libyan companies are planning to build several wells in this dry area.

List of member states by GDP (PPP)

Arab League HQ building in Cairo, Egypt

This following table lists the gross domestic product (GDP) of the Arab League and its member states based on purchasing power parity (PPP) and measured in US dollar. If not indicated otherwise, the figures are based on the 2008 data published by the International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database, in April 2008.^[25]

Country	GDP (PPP) US$M	GDP (PPP) US$ per capita
Arab Leaguea	2,604,639	7,671
Saudi Arabia	592,886	23,814
Egypt	443,430	5,896
Algeria	233,479	6,709
United Arab Emirates	185,287	38,893
Morocco	138,250	4,433
Kuwait	137,450	38,857
Iraqb	114,151	3,652
Syria	94,563	4,756
Qatar	94,404	86,008
Sudan	88,037	2,309
Libya	88,133	14,192
Tunisia	82,636	8,002
Oman	68,331	24,674
Yemen	52,050	2,335
Lebanon	51,474	13,374
Jordan	27,986	4,886
Bahrain	24,499	32,064
Mauritania	5,818	1,800
Somaliab	5,575	600
Palestineb	5,034	1,100
Djibouti	1,738	2,271
Comoros	719	1,125

Education

Arab League map indicating literacy by country (2009 Human Development Report) Grey = no data

In collecting literacy data, many countries estimate the number of literate people based on self-reported data. Some use educational attainment data as a proxy, but measures of school attendance or grade completion may differ. Because definitions and data collection methods vary across countries, literacy estimates should be used with caution.| United Nations Development Programme Report 2009.^[1][2]

Rank	Country	Literacy rate [b]
1	Kuwait	94.5
2	Palestine	93.8
3	Qatar	93.1
4	Jordan	91.1
5	United Arab Emirates	90.0 [l]
6	Lebanon	89.6 [j]
7	Bahrain	88.8
8	Libya	84.2 [l]
9	Saudi Arabia	82.9
10	Oman	81.4
11	Syria	80.8
12	Tunisia	74.3
13	Egypt	71.4
14	Djibouti	70.3 [j]
15	Algeria	69.9
16	Sudan	60.9 [aa]
17	Comoros	56.8 [j]
18	Yemen	54.1 [l]
19	Morocco	52.3
20	Mauritania	51.2
x	Iraq	No info Submitted
x	Somalia	No info Submitted

Status of Palestine

Mindful of their previous announcements in support of the Arabs of Palestine the framers of the Pact were determined to include them within the league from its inauguration.^[27] This was done by means of an annex that declared:^[1]

At the Cairo Summit of 1964, the Arab League initiated the creation of an organization representing the Palestinian people. The first Palestinian National Council convened in East Jerusalem on May 29, 1964. The Palestinian Liberation Organization was founded during this meeting on June 2, 1964.

At the Beirut Summit on March 28, 2002 the league adopted the Arab Peace Initiative,^[28] a Saudi-inspired peace plan for the Arab–Israeli conflict. The initiative offered full normalization of the relations with Israel. In exchange, Israel was demanded to withdraw from all occupied territories, including the Golan Heights, to recognize an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital, as well as a "just solution" for the Palestinian refugees.

The Peace Initiative was again endorsed at 2007 in the Riyadh Summit. In July 2007, the Arab League sent a mission, consisting of the Jordanian and Egyptian foreign ministers, to Israel to promote the initiative. The mission was welcomed with reservations by Israel.^{[citation needed]}

Following Venezuela's move to expel the resident Israeli diplomats amid the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict, Kuwaiti member of parliament Waleed al-Tabtabai made a public plea to move the Arab League headquarters from Cairo to Caracas, Venezuela.^[29]

Demographics

The Arab League is a culturally and ethnically diverse association of 22 member states, although a vast majority of the league consist of Arab people. As of January 1, 2007, about 314,000,000 people live in the states of the Arab League. Its population grows faster than in most other global regions. This threatens to diminish the slow economic expansion expected in the league's developing countries.^{[citation needed]}

The most populous member state is Egypt, with a population of about 77.5 million. The least populated is Djibouti, with about 0.5 million inhabitants.

Since large parts of the Arab League are deserts, the population is concentrated in and around cities where most the trade and industry are located. The largest Arab city is Cairo, followed by Baghdad, Khartoum, Giza, Damascus, Riyadh, and Casablanca.

Pos	Country	Population
1	Egypt	77,500,000
2	Sudan	39,154,490
3	Algeria	34,895,000
4	Morocco	31,649,000
5	Iraq	30,747,000
6	Saudi Arabia	25,721,000
7	Yemen	23,580,000
8	Syria	21,906,000
9	Tunisia	10,327,800
10	Somalia	9,133,000
11	Libya	6,420,000
12	Jordan	6,316,000
13	United Arab Emirates	4,599,000
14	Lebanon	4,224,000
15	Palestine	4,136,540
16	Mauritania	3,291,000
17	Kuwait	2,985,000
18	Oman	2,845,000
19	Qatar	1,409,000
20	Djibouti	864,000
21	Bahrain	791,000
22	Comoros	676,000
Total	Arab League	360,029,936

Comparisons with other organizations

Size comparison of the Arab League with Russia, Contiguous USA, and Europe (without Russia)

The Arab League resembles the Organization of American States, Celtic League, the Council of Europe, and the African Union, in that it has primarily political aims. However, membership in the league is based on culture rather than geographical location. In this respect, the Arab League resembles organizations such as the Latin Union or the Caribbean Community.

The Arab League differs notably from the European Union, in that it has not achieved a significant degree of regional integration and the organization itself has no direct relations with the citizens of its member states. However, the Arab League is based on principles that support and promote a unified Arab nationalism and a common position among Arabic states on various issues.

All Arab League members are also members of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference. In turn, the memberships of the smaller GCC and Arab Maghreb Union organizations are subsets of that of the league.

Secretaries-General

Abdul Rahman Azzam	1945 to 1952
Abdul Khalek Hassouna	1952 to 1972
Mahmoud Riad	1972 to 1979
Chedli Klibi	1979 to 1990
Assad al-Assad	1990 to 1991
Ahmad Esmat Abd al Meguid	1991 to 2001
Amr Moussa	2001 to date

Summits

Summits Held in Arab Cities

See also

References

Further reading

• Ankerl, Guy: Coexisting Contemporary Civilizations: Arabo-Muslim, Bharati, Chinese, and Western. Geneva, INU Press, 2000. ISBN 2-88155-0044-5
• Geddes, Charles L: A Documentary History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict. Greenwood Press, 1991. ISBN 0-275-93858-1

External links

• Arab League – official site in Arabic, English version under construction
• Arab Gateway – The League of Arab states
• World Statesmen – Arab League
• Winthrop University – Arab League General Information
• Jewish Virtual Library – The Arab League
• Looklex Encyclopedia – Arab League

Members of the Arab League Members Algeria · Bahrain · Comoros · Djibouti · Egypt · Iraq · Jordan · Kuwait · Lebanon · Libya · Mauritania · Morocco · Oman · Palestine · Qatar · Saudi Arabia · Somalia · Sudan · Syria · Tunisia · United Arab Emirates · Yemen Observers Brazil · Eritrea · India · Venezuela Diplomacy Arab Peace Initiative

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

English

Proper noun

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Arab League

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Arab Leaue

1. an international organization of Arabic-speaking nations, established to coordinate political, cultural, health and communications activities