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1. General Situation The Tunisian Republic, located in North Africa between Algeria in the west and Libya in the southeast, borders the Mediterranean. Mountains in the north overlook a hot, dry central plain that merges into the Saharan desert in the south. In the 12th century b.c., the Tunisian coast was colonized by the Phoenicians. They built the city of Carthage (near the modern capital, Tunis), from where the brilliant general Hannibal invaded Italy in 218 b.c. Carthage eventually fell to the Romans in 146 b.c., and the area, the “Province of Africa,” became one of the gran…

1. General Situation Few countries have undergone the dramatic changes experienced by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the last quarter of the 20th century. Located between Saudi Arabia and Oman on the northeast part of the Arabian Peninsula, its seven constituent emirates (Arab. emir, “prince”), or states, are Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain. They have undergone remarkable economic and social development, being transformed from a population of indigent nomads into prosperous modern communiti…

Located in the southwest part of the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen is unique among its Arab near neighbors in geography, climate, and poverty. A backbone of mountain ranges in the western highlands runs from north to south, including Jebel an-Nabi Shuʾayb (3,760 m. / 12,336 ft.), the highest peak on the peninsula. The cooler temperatures allow extensive agriculture, which earned Yemen the accolade “Arabia Felix” (happy Arabia) from the ancient Romans. Other landforms include the coastal plains of the Tihama, the eastern highlands of the Hadram…