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جامعة الدول العربية Jāmiʻat ad-Duwal al-ʻArabiyya League of Arab States
Flag
Headquarters		Cairo, Egypt1
Official languages		Arabic
Membership		22 Arab states 3 observer states ---- 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 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)		2007 estimate
-	Total	$2,364,871 million (6th2)
-	Per capita	$11,013 (70th)
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.

Life in the Arab League
Culture Demographics Education Economy Enlargement Foreign relations Geography	History Government Transportation Military Politics Sport Lists

The Arab League (Arabic: الجامعة العربية‎ 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.

The main goal of the league is to:^[1]

“

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.

”

The Arab League is involved in political, economic, cultural, and social programs designed to promote the interests of its member states. 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. 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.

Contents 1 Members and dates 2 Geography 3 Governance 4 Economy 4.1 List of member states by GDP (PPP) 5 Status of Palestine 6 Demographics of the Arab League 7 Comparisons with other organizations 8 Secretaries General 9 Arab League Summits 10 See also 11 References 12 Further reading 13 External links

[edit] Members and dates

Main article: Enlargement of the Arab League

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 3 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. 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 and Arabic being an official language. Neither is Chad a member, although Arabic is in both official and vernacular use there.

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

Egypt[2]  Iraq[2]  Jordan[2]b  Lebanon[2]  Saudi Arabia[2]    Syria[2] March 22, 1945a  Yemen May 5, 1945  Libya March 28, 1953c  Sudan January 19, 1956  Moroccod  Tunisia October 1, 1958  Kuwait July 20, 1961  Algeria August 16, 1962

UAE June 12 1972  Bahrain  Qatar September 11, 1971  Oman September 29, 1971  Mauritania   November 26, 1973  Somalia February 14, 1974  Palestine[2]e September 9, 1976  Djibouti April 9, 1977  Comoros November 20, 1993  Eritrea observer since 2003[3]  Venezuela observer since 2006[4][5]  India observer since 2007[6]

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).

[edit] Geography

Main article: Geography of the Arab League

The area of members of the Arab League covers around 14 million km² 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.

[edit] Governance

Main article: Government of the Arab League

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^[7] and the committees^[8] were agreed in October 1951. Those of the Secretariat-General were agreed in May 1953.^[9]

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.

[edit] Economy

Main article: Economy of the Arab League

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, Lebanon, 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.^[10] 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.

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 Bahrain 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.

[edit] List of member states by GDP (PPP)

Further information: List of countries by GDP (PPP) and List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita

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 2007 data published by the International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database, in April 2008.^[11]

Country	GDP (PPP) US$M	GDP (PPP) US$ per capita
Arab Leaguea	2,340,427	6,844
Saudi Arabia	564,561	23,243
Egypt	403,961	5,491
Algeria	224,748	6,533
United Arab Emirates	167,296	37,293
Kuwait	130,113	39,306
Morocco	125,250	4,076
Iraqb	102,300	3,600
Syria	87,091	4,488
Sudan	80,706	2,172
Tunisia	76,999	7,473
Qatar	75,224	80,870
Libya	74,752	12,277
Oman	61,607	23,967
Yemen	52,050	2,335
Lebanon	42,271	11,300
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

[edit] Status of Palestine

Further information: Arab Peace Initiative

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.^[13] This was done by means of an annex that declared:^[1]

“

Even though Palestine was not able to control her own destiny, it was on the basis of the recognition of her independence that the Covenant of the League of Nations determined a system of government for her. Her existence and her independence among the nations can, therefore, no more be questioned de jure than the independence of any of the other Arab States. [...] Therefore, the States signatory to the Pact of the Arab League consider that in view of Palestine's special circumstances, the Council of the League should designate an Arab delegate from Palestine to participate in its work until this country enjoys actual independence

”

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,^[14] 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]}

[edit] Demographics of the Arab League

Main article: Demographics of the Arab League

The Arab League is a culturally and ethnically diverse association of 22 member states. 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 80 million. The least populated is Djibouti, with about 500,000 inhabitants. Most of the Gulf states have large populations of foreign laborers. The UAE's Arab population counts for less than 20% of its total population, while 50% originate from South- and Southeast Asia.^{[citation needed]} Some Gulf states also import cheap Arab labor, mainly from Egypt, Yemen, and Somalia.

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 cities are Cairo, followed by Baghdad, Khartoum, Damascus, Riyadh, Alexandria and Casablanca.

[edit] Comparisons with other organizations

The Arab League resembles the Organization of American States, 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.

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.

[edit] 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

[edit] Arab League Summits

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] 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

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: League of Arab States

• Arab League – official site in Arab, 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

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