Member States of the Arab League
The Arab League is an alliance of states that currently has 22 member states in Northern Africa and on the Arabian Peninsula, which belongs geographically to Asia.All member countries together cover an area of 13.15 million km² (8.7% of the world's inhabitable area). Significant parts are desert regions such as the Sahara and the Rub al-Chali sand desert. With about 456.52 million inhabitants, the area is home to about 5.8 percent of the world population.
| Country | Population | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Algeria | 44.18 M | 2,382,000 km² |
| Bahrain | 1.46 M | 778 km² |
| Comoros | 0.82 M | 1,861 km² |
| Djibouti | 1.11 M | 23,000 km² |
| Egypt | 109.26 M | 1,001,000 km² |
| Iraq | 43.53 M | 435,000 km² |
| Jordan | 11.15 M | 89,000 km² |
| Kuwait | 4.25 M | 18,000 km² |
| Lebanon | 5.59 M | 10,000 km² |
| Libya | 6.74 M | 1,760,000 km² |
| Mauritania | 4.61 M | 1,031,000 km² |
| Morocco | 37.08 M | 447,000 km² |
| Oman | 4.52 M | 310,000 km² |
| Palestine | 4.92 M | 6,020 km² |
| Qatar | 2.69 M | 12,000 km² |
| Saudi Arabia | 35.95 M | 2,150,000 km² |
| Somalia | 17.07 M | 638,000 km² |
| Sudan | 45.66 M | 1,879,000 km² |
| Syria | 21.32 M | 185,000 km² |
| Tunisia | 12.26 M | 164,000 km² |
| United Arab Emirates | 9.37 M | 84,000 km² |
| Yemen | 32.98 M | 528,000 km² |
Foundation and aims of the Arab League
The origins of the Arab League go back to the Second World War. Large parts of the founding members belonged to the Ottoman Empire. The aims of the Arab League were very similar to those of NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Its primary tasks were to strengthen the region in political, economic, cultural and social terms. At the end of the war, the region was to be stabilized and its independence secured. Egypt was the driving force and thus played a decisive role in its foundation.On October 7, 1944, a "Protocol of Alexandria" was signed as a loose union. After elaborating on the ideas, the Arab League was founded the following year on 11 May 1945. The first member states were the kingdoms of Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, as well as Lebanon, Syria and the then Emirate of Transjordan.
The history of the Arab League since then has been marked by numerous political and military conflicts in the region. In the immediate post-war period, the growing Jewish population in Palestine played a major role. This led to the division of Palestine into a Jewish and an Arab state in 1949. With the withdrawal of the British Allies, there was also a lack of an overarching protective power and serious and recurrent conflicts with Israel arose. In the 1980s, the Islamic Revolution led to further military conflicts with Iran and Iraq, which ultimately led to the first Gulf War.
Administration
The chairmanship is elected every five years, but the seat of the Arab League has been in Cairo (Egypt) since the beginning. Other sub-organizations are:- the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF)
- Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD)
- Arab Economic Development Bank (BADEA)
- Arab Air Carriers Organization