Who's Who in the Arab World, 1999-2000

Few regions in the world are distinguished by such cultural diversity, strategic importance, or pure economic power as the Middle East and North Africa. Who's Who in the Arab World not only compiles relevant, current data on thousands of notable Arab personalities, it also provides historical background information and analyses regarding each of the 19 Arab states.Part 1 introduces over 6,000 eminent individuals from every sphere of Arab life: royalty ... politics ... military ... science ... finance ... arts ... entertainment ... and more. Entrants are additionally indexed by country and profession for easy access.Part 2 offers a country-by-country survey of each nation's geography, history, constitution, economy, and culture. Part 3 takes a closer look at the development of the Arab world, discussing the differences among the radical factions, languages, ancient cultures, and religions. A series of essays treats such varied topics as the history of the Arabian Gulf, the rise of Islam, the Palestinian problem, and the development of Arab banks. Further supplementing coverage is a select bibliography of secondary material on the Middle East.