ARAB FORUM Archive 2007
Algeria’s population is one of the youngest in the north of the African continent. Africa’s second largest state after the Sudan with an area of 2,381,741 sq km was conquered by France in 1830 and granted independence on July 5, 1962. Most Algerians – with few exceptions, Sunni Muslims – are Arabs under 30 years of age. Close to a fifth are Berber.
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Algiers is the 12th Cultural Capital after Cairo, Tunis, Sharjah, Beirut, Riyadh, Kuwait City, Amman, Rabat, Sana’a, Khartoum and Muscat since 1996 when the ALECSO (Arab League Education, Cultural and Scientific Organization) in Cairo began determining the Cultural Capital of the Arab world.
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The People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria is located in North Africa. It has vast mountain ranges that rise in a series of ridges and plateaux to the magnificent Atlas mountains in the far south, whilst a large part of the country is Saharan desert. The name “Algeria” is derived from the name of the city of Algiers from the Arabic word Al-jaza’ir, which translated means “the islands“. more...
Interview with the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of Algeria, H.E. Hocine Meghar.
Sustainable economic development and a policy of national reconciliation is the program of Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the President of the People’s Republic of Algeria. His plans, supported by great oil and gas deposits responsible for 75% of the state revenues, are successful and effective.
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Not everyone immediately associates the Orient with symphonic music. The assumption is simply too strong that it is a feature of Western culture.
Two concerts this late summer offered the opportunity for an East-West synthesis.
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The predominantly flat, semi-arid desert state of Qatar began oil production at the end of the 1940s – up to that point, it was just a poor producer of pearls like many of its neighbors. As a member of OPEC, founded on September 14, 1960, in Baghdad, the state of Qatar, with its immense oil and natural gas reserves, is today one of the richest countries on earth.
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This low lying state is on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula and comprises Qatar and numerous offshore islands. The Qatari Peninsula juts 160 kilometres into the Arabian Gulf from Saudi-Arabia with much of the country consisting of low, barren plains covered with sand.
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Interview with the Ambassador of the Emirate of Qatar H. E. Saleh Bin Mohamed Al Nesef.
At the latest since the World Trade Organization met in Qatar’s capital Doha in 2001 and created the Doha Round, the name of the small state on the Arabian Peninsula has become known worldwide. But Qatar is only small in respect to its population (ca. 900,000 inhabitants) and size (11,437 km2).
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The 10th German-Arab Economic Forum scored a record with over800 participants. And for good reason, the bilateral economic relations are experiencing an enormous up-swing. In 2006, imports from Arab countries grew about 15 % to over 12 billion euros, the German export there rose around 16 % to 22 billion euros and exceeded exports to the ASEAN countries and to Latin America.
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Oman was known to the Sumerians in Mesopotamia as early as 3,000 B.C. Archaeological finds have proven that the ancient Omanis knew of the copper deposits in their settlement area and worked it into various objects. Copper spearheads have been found in Mesopotamia, and other objects even in some ancient Indian kingdoms. All of these objects were handwork products from Oman.more...
The Sultanate of Oman has confirmed its abilities through its cultural associations and clubs, theater groups, 46 music bands as well as traditional folk music groups, state libraries particularly the Library for Manuscripts and Documents that has gathered over 4,300 manuscripts since its founding, the oldest dating back to the year 1228.
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One of the oldest civilisations on the Arabian Peninsula, Oman is a beautiful country steeped in history where it is thought that man first appeared after the ice age in about 12,000 B.C. Many fascinating discoveries have also been made about the pre-Islamic past and archaeological sites have been found dating back to the third millennium B.C. showing a definite connection with that cradle of ancient civilisation, Mesopotamia. more...
Interview with H. E. Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman: Mr. Khalifa Bin Ali Al-Harthy. Was Sinbad the Sailor an Omani? There is no direct evidence, but this legend is gladly believed in the Sultanate of Oman. The Omanis have always been sailors, who have crossed the Indian Ocean in all directions.
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Right after independence from England on June 19, 1961, Kuwait appeared on the regional and international stages as an important financial and economic factor of the free global economy. The tiny Arab land of 17,820 km2, sandwiched between Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the Arabian Gulf, had previously lived mainly from fishing and pearl diving. more...
Throughout its history, Kuwait has largely been left alone to manage its own affairs and the Kuwaiti have developed their own unique social characteristics. The battle to just survive in the harshness of the desert and sea created a lasting Impression on the society of Kuwait. A tight social net-work was developed based on family, clan and tribe to provide the economic and political support necessary.
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Interview with his Exellency the Ambassador of the State of Kuwait, Mr. Abdulhamid Abdullah AI-Awadhi.
ARAB FORUM: Mr. Ambassador, the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, recently visited Kuwait. Are you satisfied with the results of this visit?
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Kuwait became an independent state in 1961 with the capital being Kuwait City. It consists of the mainland as well as nine offshore Islands. Terrain is mainly flat or gently rising. The climate is hot and dry with sumnier temperatures often above 45 degrees centigrade. Oil was discovered in 1938, providing a substantial sum of government revenue. However, there are active diversification programmes with offshoot industries from oil that are proving to be very successful.
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