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

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

Currency: 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot

Population: 1,112,654

Natural Hazards: NA

Import: food, consumer goods, construction materials

Export: citrus

Industries: generally small family businesses that produce textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established
some small-scale modern industries in an industrial center

Transportation:
Railways:
total: NA km; note—one line, abandoned and in disrepair, little trackage remains

Highways:
total: NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
note: small, poorly developed road network

Ports & Harbors: Gaza

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

Language: Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English most commonly used foreign language

Currency: 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot

Population: 5,749,760

Natural Hazards: sandstorms may occur during spring and summer

Import: raw materials, military equipment, investment goods,
rough diamonds, oil, consumer goods

Export: machinery and equipment, cut diamonds, chemicals,
textiles and apparel, agricultural products, metals

Industries: food processing, diamond cutting and polishing, textiles and apparel, chemicals, metal products, military equipment, transport equipment, electrical equipment, potash mining, high-technology electronics, tourism

Transportation:
Railways:
total: 610 km
standard gauge: 610 km 1.435-m gauge (1996)

Highways:
total: 15,464 km
paved: 15,464 km (including 56 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1997 est.)

Ports & Harbors: Ashdod, Ashqelon, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa, Tel Aviv-Yafo

Location: Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia

Language: Arabic (official), English widely understood among upper and middle classes

Currency: 1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils

Population: 4,561,147

Natural Hazards: NA

Import: crude oil, machinery, transport equipment, food, live
animals, manufactured goods

Export: phosphates, fertilizers, potash, agricultural products,
manufactures

Industries: phosphate mining, petroleum refining, cement, potash, light manufacturing

Transportation:
Railways:
total: 677 km
narrow gauge: 677 km 1.050-m gauge; note—an additional 110 km stretch of the
old Hejaz railroad is out of use (1998 est.)

Highways:
total: 8,000 km
paved: 8,000 km
unpaved: 0 km (1998 est.)

Ports & Harbors: Al 'Aqabah

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

Language: Arabic (official), English widely spoken

Currency: 1 Kuwaiti dinar (KD) = 1,000 fils

Population: 1,991,115

Natural Hazards: sudden cloudbursts are common from October to April; they bring inordinate amounts of rain which can damage roads and houses; sandstorms
and dust storms occur throughout the year, but are most common between March and August

Import: food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing

Export: oil and refined products, fertilizers

Industries: petroleum, petrochemicals, desalination, food processing, construction materials, salt, construction

Transportation:
Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 4,450 km
paved: 3,587 km
unpaved: 863 km

Ports & Harbors: Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Kuwait, Mina' 'Abd Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi, Mina' Su'ud

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

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

Currency: 1 Lebanese pound (£L) = 100 piasters

Population: 3,562,699

Natural Hazards: dust storms, sandstorms

Import: foodstuffs 29%, machinery and transport equipment
28%, consumer goods 18%, chemicals 9%, textiles 5%, metals 5%, fuels 3%,
agricultural foods 3%

Export: foodstuffs and tobacco 20%, textiles 12%, chemicals
11%, metal and metal products 11%, electrical equipment and products 10%, jewelry 10%, paper and paper products 8%

Industries: banking; food processing; jewelry; cement; textiles; mineral and chemical products; wood and furniture products; oil refining; metal fabricating

Transportation:
Railways:
total: 222 km
standard gauge: 222 km 1.435-m (from Beirut to the Syrian border)

Highways:
total: 6,270 km
paved: 6,270 km
unpaved: 0 km

Ports & Harbors: Al Batrun, Al Mina', An Naqurah, Antilyas, Az Zahrani, Beirut,
Jubayl, Juniyah, Shikka, Sidon, Tripoli, Tyre

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

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

Currency: 1 Omani rial (RO) = 1,000 baiza

Population: 2,446,645

Natural Hazards: summer winds often raise large sandstorms and dust storms in interior; periodic droughts

Import: machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured
goods, food, livestock, lubricants

Export: petroleum, reexports, fish, metals, textiles

Industries: crude oil production and refining, natural gas production, construction, cement, copper

Transportation:
Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 32,800 km
paved: 9,840 km (including 550 km of expressways)
unpaved: 22,960 km

Ports & Harbors: Matrah, Mina' al Fahl, Mina' Raysut

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

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

Currency: 1 Qatari riyal (QR) = 100 dirhams

Population: 723,542

Natural Hazards: haze, dust storms, sandstorms common

Import: machinery and equipment, consumer goods, food,
chemicals

Export: petroleum products 80%, fertilizers, steel

Industries: crude oil production and refining, fertilizers, petrochemicals, steel reinforcing bars, cement

Transportation:
Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 1,230 km
paved: 1,107 km
unpaved: 123 km

Ports & Harbors: Doha, Halul Island, Umm Sa'id

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

Language: Arabic

Currency: 1 Saudi riyal (SR) = 100 halalah

Population: 21,504,613

Natural Hazards: frequent sand and dust storms

Import: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, motor vehicles, textiles

Export: petroleum and petroleum products 90%

Industries: crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals, cement, two small steel-rolling mills, construction, fertilizer, plastics

Transportation:
Railways:
total: 1,390 km
standard gauge: 1,390 km 1.435-m gauge (448 km double track)

Highways:
total: 162,000 km
paved: 69,174 km
unpaved: 92,826 km

Ports & Harbors: Ad Dammam, Al Jubayl, Duba, Jiddah, Jizan, Rabigh, Ra's al Khafji, Mishab, Ras Tanura, Yanbu' al Bahr, Madinat Yanbu' al Sinaiyah

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

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

Currency: 1 Syrian pound (£S) = 100 piastres

Population: 17,213,871

Natural Hazards: dust storms, sandstorms

Import: machinery and equipment 40%, foodstuffs/animals
15%, metal and metal products 15%, textiles 10%, chemicals 10%, consumer
goods 5%

Export: petroleum 65%, textiles 16%, food and live animals
13%, manufactures 6%

Industries: petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining

Transportation: Railways:
total: 1,998 km
broad gauge: 1,766 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 232 km 1.050-m gauge

Highways:
total: 41,451 km
paved: 9,575 km (including 877 km of expressways)
unpaved: 31,876 km

Waterways: 870 km; minimal economic importance

Ports & Harbors: Baniyas, Jablah, Latakia, Tartus

Location: Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia

Language: Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu

Currency: 1 Emirian dirham (Dh) = 100 fils

Population: 2,344,402

Natural Hazards: frequent sand and dust storms

Import: manufactured goods, machinery and transport
equipment, chemicals, food

Export: crude oil 45%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates

Industries: petroleum, fishing, petrochemicals, construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, pearling

Transportation:
Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 4,835 km
paved: 4,835 km
unpaved: 0 km

Ports & Harbors:
Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Das Island, Khawr Fakkan, Mina'
Jabal 'Ali, Mina' Khalid, Mina' Rashid, Mina' Saqr, Mina' Zayid, Umm al Qaywayn

Location: Middle East, west of Jordan

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

Currency: 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot; 1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils

Population: 1,611,109

Natural Hazards: NA

Import: food, consumer goods, construction materials

Export: olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone

Industries: generally small family businesses that produce cement, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established
some small-scale, modern industries in the settlements and industrial centers

Transportation:
Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 4,500 km
paved: 2,700 km
unpaved: 1,800 km

Ports & Harbors: none

Location: Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia

Language: Arabic

Currency: Yemeni rial (YRl) (new currency)

Population: 16,942,230

Natural Hazards: sandstorms and dust storms in summer

Import: food and live animals, machinery and equipment,
manufactured goods

Export: crude oil, cotton, coffee, dried and salted fish

Industries: crude oil production and petroleum refining; small-scale production of cotton textiles and leather goods; food processing; handicrafts; small aluminum
products factory; cement

Transportation:
Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 64,725 km
paved: 5,243 km
unpaved: 59,482 km

Ports & Harbors: Aden, Al Hudaydah, Al Mukalla, As Salif, Mocha, Nishtun