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Who is an Arab?
 "Arab" is a cultural and linguistic term. It refers to those who
speak Arabic as their first language. Arabs are united by culture
and by history. Arabs are not a race. Some have blue eyes and red
hair; others are dark skinned; many are somewhere in between. Most
Arabs are Muslims but there are also millions of Christian Arabs and
thousands of Jewish Arabs, just as there are Muslim, Christian, and
Jewish Americans.
What is the Arab World?
The Arab World consists of 22 countries in the Middle East and North
Africa: Algeria, Bahrain, the Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Egypt,
Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman,
Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the
United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Arab countries have a rich
diversity of ethnic, linguistic, and religious communities. These
include Kurds, Armenians, Berbers and others. There are over 300
million Arabs. Detailed information about each Arab country is
listed below (see flags). Note that Iran and Turkey are not Arab
countries and their primary languages are Farsi and Turkish
respectively.
What is the Muslim World?
There are an estimated 1.2 billion Muslims in the world. The
Organization of Islamic Countries has 57 member states. Most Arabs are
Muslims, but most Muslims are not Arabs.
Who is a Muslim?
A Muslim is a follower of Islam.
What is the Middle East?
The Middle East is a loose term, not always used to describe the
same territory. It usually includes the Arab countries from Egypt
east to the Persian Gulf, plus Israel and Iran. Turkey is sometimes
considered part of the Middle East, sometimes part of Europe.
Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh are usually described
as South Asia.
Arab Civilization: An Introduction to the Arab World
Arab
Culture and Civilization
Country Information from the CIA World Factbook:
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