Playing is Learning
The Countries of the MENA
October 11th, 2016
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Welcome to the World of PROFESsee™by seeCOSM™ PROFESsee™ is my title. I am the perpetual learner, in pursuit of knowledge, wisdom and truth. I derived my name from professor |
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There’s a friend of mine who coined these words “Cabal Alert”, and uttered it anytime he hears a group agitating for something. So, MENA Cabal Alert! MENA is an acronym for the countries in the Middle Eastern and North African region. Wherever you look though there are conflicting views about which countries should be on the list. That said, there are countries that are certain to be on most lists compiled. These countries are Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Yemen, United Arab Emirates, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Israel, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Tunisia. Others countries sometimes included in the list is Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Chad, Djibouti, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Somalia, Sudan, Turkmenistan (Never heard of that till now) and Turkey. According to the IMF, the region covers a land surface area of 15 million square kilometers and about 6% of the world’s population. Egypt (82 million), Iran (78.8 million), Algeria (40.5 million), Morocco (34.8 million) and Sudan (40.1 million), make up the bulk (about 70%) of the MENA population. With countries like Bahrain (almost 900,000 people), Qatar (2.4 million) and Djibouti (1.4 million people) accounting for the lowest percentages. So many numbers I feel dizzy already. The countries of the MENA have a very poor system of groundwater, experience very little rainfall and have very limited lands viable for cultivation. Despite all these, the region is blessed with abundant natural resources. First off, some of the biggest oil producing nations is in the MENA. The region is also home to two-thirds of the world’s known crude oil reserves with Saudi Arabia (of course!) having 25 percent of this. Also, after Russia, Iran and Bahrain have the next highest proven reserves of natural gas. Apart from crude oil, the countries of the region also have other mineral and non-mineral resources. Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Syria and Jordan produces almost a third of the world’s phosphate. Iran, Israel and Jordan have potash, Iran and Mauritania have iron ore, Iran had coal, Mauritania has copper and gypsum, Yemen has coffee and Syria has tobacco. Additionally, the region is not water-locked, and almost all countries in the region have coastal lines for fishing. Despite being blessed, some countries – Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen – are engrossed in civil wars causing instability, loss of lives and damage to infrastructure. This has caused people fleeing to neighboring MENA countries – Tunisia, Jordan, Lebanon and Djibouti – and Europe causing a human refugee headache – the biggest since the last World War. Coupled with the economic realities of the MENA countries they’re fleeing to, the outlook for the warring countries is bleak indeed. Can you Assemble the MENA countries? Image courtesy of: http://www.chicagonow.com/bronzeville-urban-green/2012/02/extra-extra-the-middle-east-has-taken-over-north-africa/ |
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