Syria has the Mediterranean Sea to its west while the southwest areas border Lebanon and Israel. To the north is Turkey, Iraq on the east and Jordan to its south. The coastal area is a narrow plain behind which is a range of mountains. The Syrian desert is in the east while the Jebel Druze Range is in the south. Syria lost the Golan Heights to Israel in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.

Syria - Facts and Figures

• Official name is Syrian Arab Republic.
• Syria’s terrain is mostly desert plateau, semi-arid with a narrow coastal plain and mountains in the west.
• Its climate is mostly typical desert, hot and dry. Winters are rainy along the coast with snow sometimes affecting capital Damascus.
• Syria’s has 2,253 kilometers of land boundaries and 193 kilometers of coastline.
• Area: 185,180 sq km, of which 184,050 sq km is land and 1,130 sq km is water.
• Syria was administered by the French after the break-up of the Ottoman Empire until independence in 1946.
• Population is about 19 million with Arabs making up 90%. The rest comprise Kurds, Armenians and other races.
• The official language is Arabic. Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian, French, and English are also spoken.
• About 74% of Syrians are Muslims, mainly Sunni Alawites and Druze. Other religions are Christianity (10%) and a small community of Jews.
• Capital is Damascus. Other major cities include Aleppo, Homs, Latakia and Hama.
• Major exports are crude oil, petroleum products, fruits, vegetables, cotton fiber, clothing, meat, livestock and wheat.
• The local currency is the Syrian pound.
• Agricultural products are wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets, beef, mutton, eggs, poultry and milk.
• Major trading partners include Italy, France, Turkey, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, China, Russia, United States and South Korea.
• Government is based on a military republic.

Somalia is on the Horn of Africa along the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Djibouti lies to the northwest, Ethiopia is in the west and Kenya is to the southwest. Somalia also has two major rivers, the Shebelle and the Juba. Somalia has often been wracked by fighting among warlords and factions.

Somalia - Facts and Figures

• Official name is Soomaaliya.
• The terrain is mostly flat, undulating plateaus, becoming hills in the north.
• Somalia is mostly desert with moderate temperatures in the north and very hot in the south.
• Somalia’s land borders are 2,366 kilometers long while 3,025 is coastline.
• Area: 637,657 sq km, of which 627,337 sq km is land and 10,320 sq km is water.
• There was no working government between 1991 and 2000. A parliamentary government was replaced in 2004 by a transitional government.
• Somalia’s population is close to 9 million, 85% of which is Somali with Bantu and Arabs making up the rest.
• The official language is Somali. Arabic, English and Italian are also spoken.
• Islam is the dominant religion in Somalia.
• Capital is Mogadishu.
• Major exports are livestock, bananas, hides, fish, charcoal and scrap metal.
• The local currency is the Somali shilling.
• Agricultural products are bananas, sorghum, corn, coconuts, rice, sugarcane, mangoes, sesame seeds, beans, cattle, sheep, goats and fish.
• Major trading partners include United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Oman, Djibouti, Kenya, India and Brazil.

Saudi Arabia dominates the Arabian Peninsula with the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba to the west and the Persian Gulf to the east. Saudi Arabia is surrounded by neighbors with Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen and Bahrain sharing land and water borders. Saudi Arabia is also home to Islam’s two most important Holy places, the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina.

Saudi Arabia - Facts and Figures

• Official name is Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
• The terrain is mostly sandy desert. Much of it is uninhabited.
• Climate is harsh and dry, typical of a desert with extremes temperature. Hot at daytime and cold at nights.
• Its land boundaries are 4,415 kilometers, of which 2,640 is coastline.
• Area: 1,960,582 sq km.
• Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam in the seventh century. It became Saudi Arabia in the 20th Century with the Ottomans being overthrown by the Saud family.
• Population is 27 million with Arabs making up 90% and Afro-Asians comprising 10%.
• The official language is Arabic.
• Saudi Arabia is 100% Muslim.
• Capital is Riyadh. Other large cities include Jeddah and Mecca.
• Major exports are petroleum and petroleum products.
• The local currency is the riyal.
• Agricultural products are wheat, barley, tomatoes, melon, dates, citrus fruits, mutton, chickens, eggs and milk.
• Major trading partners include United States, Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Singapore and Germany.
• Sharia Law was introduced in 1992. Previously, it was an absolute monarchy.