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Libya

Libya

Libya

On Tuesday September 11, 2012, U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens was killed in a rocket attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. The U.S. and Libya exchanged ambassadors for the first time since 1973 in January 2009. Unrest that began in several Near Eastern and North African countries in late December 2010 spread to several Libyan cities in early 2011. After several months of fighting, anti-Qadhafi forces in August 2011 captured the capital, Tripoli.  Read More

Iraq

Iraq country profile

Iraq country profile

Iraq, slightly larger than twice the US state of Idaho, has a total area of 438,317 sq km. Its climate is mostly desert with mild to cool winters and dry, hot summers. The northern mountainous regions experience cold winters with heavy snows that melt in early spring. Iraq's terrain is mostly broad plains, mountains along the borders with Iran and Turkey and marshes along the Iranian border in the south.  Read More

Syria

Syria

Syria

Syria, about the size of North Dakota, encompasses 185,180 sq. km.; it is located in the Middle East along the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey. The capital, Damascus, has an approximate population of 1.7 million; it is situated at the Ghouta oasis, fed by the Barada River, and thought to be one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Other major cities include: Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Idleb, al-Hasakeh, Dayr al-Zur, Latakia, and Dar'a.  Read More

Afghanistan

Afghanistan, physiography

Afghanistan, physiography

Kabul

Kabul

Afghanistan, slightly smaller than the state of Texas, is a landlocked country in southern Asia. With an estimated population of 29,835,392 (July 2011); Afghanistan is ethnically diverse: Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, and other. The two official languages are Afghan Persian (or Dari) and Pashto; thirty other languages are also recognized and many Afghanis are bilingual. Religiously, the country is 80% Sunni Muslim, 19% Shia Muslim, and 1% other.  Read More