The Palestine state as forged by various agreements with Israel and Palestinian officials is made up of two parts, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The West Bank is surrounded by Israel except for the eastern side, which borders Jordan and the Mediterranean coast. The Gaza Strip is in west of Israel bordering Egypt. Parts of Palestine are still occupied by Israel. Jerusalem is home to Masjid al-Aqsa, Islam’s third holiest site.

Palestine - Facts and Figures

• The Palestine State is made up of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
• The terrain is a mix of desert, dry coastal plains and highlands.
• Climate is typical of the region, dry and hot in the summers.
• Palestine’s land borders are never constant. Historically, the region between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River in the West Bank is about 225 kilometers long and up to 115 kilometers wide. Official stats have the West Bank land area at 5,860 square kilometers while the Gaza Strip is 360 sq km.
• The population in the West Bank is around 2.5 million while the Gaza Strip has about 1.4 million people. Palestinian Arabs make up 83% of the West Bank with 17% being Jews. In the Gaza Strip, Palestinian Arabs comprise almost 99% of the population.
• Languages spoken in Palestine include Arabic, Hebrew and English.
• About 75% of the West Bank population is Sunni Muslim. Jews comprise 17% with the rest being Christian and other religions. In the Gaza Strip, close to 99% are Sunni Muslims.
• The capital of Palestine is yet to be finalized though former PLO leader, the late Yasir Arafat, insisted it should be East Jerusalem.
• Major exports are citrus fruits, flowers, textiles, olives, vegetables and limestone.
• Currencies in use are New Israeli shekels, Jordanian dinars and US dollars.
• Agricultural products are olives, citrus, vegetables, beef and dairy products.
• Major trading partners are Israel and Jordan.
• Government is the Palestinian Authority.

 

Oman is a slender, long piece of flat land that juts out from the southeast tip of the Arabian Peninsula and into the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman. The sultanate is 1,700 kilometers long and is bordered by the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. While its borders with the Emirates and Yemen are clear, its frontier with Saudi Arabia is yet to be defined. All of its eastern side is coastline.

Oman - Facts and Figures

• Official name is Sultanate of Oman.
• Oman’s terrain is mostly flat desert plain with rugged mountains in the north and south.
• Climate is dry desert, being hot and humid in coastal areas while hot and dry in the interior and far south areas.
• Its land boundaries total 1,374 kilometers while its coastline is 2,092 kilometers.
• Area: 212,460 sq km, all of it land. It is slightly smaller than Kansas.
• Islam arrived in Oman around the seven century AD. The country was occupied by Portugal from 1508 to 1648 before being seized the Ottomans, who were ousted in 1741 by Ahmad ibn Sa’id.
• Population is around 3.1 million. Races include Arab, Baluchi, African, Indian, Pakistani and Sri Lankan.
• Official Language is Arabic. English, Baluchi, Urdu and several Indian dialects are also spoken.
• Islam is the majority religion with Ibadhi’s comprising 75% and Sunnis, Shiites and Hindus the rest.
• Capital city is Muscat.
• Oman’s major exports include petroleum, fish, metals and textiles. Its major natural resources are petroleum, copper, asbestos, marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum and natural gas.
• The local currency is the Omani rial.
• Agricultural products are dates, lime, bananas, alfalfa, vegetables, camels, cattle and fish.
• Major trading partners include China, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany and the United States.
• Government is an absolute monarchy.

Jordan shares its borders with four territories – Israel in the west, Syria in the north, Iraq in the east and Saudi Arabia in the south. To the west, there is also the Dead Sea. Most of the country is made up of hills and mountains while the southern part of the Jordan River flows through the country.

Jordan - Facts and Figures

• Official name is The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
• The terrain in Jordan is mostly desert plateau in the east and higher land in the west. The East and West Banks of the Jordan River are separated by the Great Rift Valley.
• Jordan’s climate is mainly arid desert. From November to April is the rainy season.
• Its land boundaries total 1,619 kilometers. Coastline consists of only 26 kilometers.
• Area: 92,300 sq km in total, 91,971 sq km of land and 329 sq km of water.
• Islam arrived in Oman around the seventh century AD after being conquered by the Arabs. It has since been administered by the Ottomans and the British.
• Population is around 6 million. Arabs make up 98% while other races include Circassian and Armenian.
• Official Language is Arabic. English is also spoken.
• Islam is the majority religion with 92% being Sunnis while 6% are mainly Greek Orthodox Christians.
• Capital city is Amman. Other cities are Zarka, Irbid and As-Salt.
• Jordan’s major exports are clothing, phosphates, fertilizer, potash, vegetables and pharmaceuticals. Natural resources include phosphates, potash and shale oil.
• The local currency is the Jordanian dinar.
• Agricultural products include wheat, barley, citrus fruits, tomatoes, melons, olives, sheep, goats and poultry.
• Major trading partners are United States, Iraq, India, Saudi Arabia, China and Germany.
• Government is a constitutional hereditary monarchy.