| Countries |
22 states
 Algeria
 Bahrain
 Comoros
 Djibouti
 Egypt
 Iraq
 Jordan
 Kuwait
 Lebanon
 Arabic: العالم العربي al-ʿālam al-ʿarabī), formally the Arab homeland (الوطن العربي al-waṭan al-ʿarabī),[7][8][9] also known as the Arab nation (الأمة العربية al-ummah al-ʿarabīyyah), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states,[10] consists of the 22 Arab countries which are members of the Arab League.[6] A majority of these countries are located in Western Asia, North Africa, and the Horn of Africa; the southernmost member, the Comoros, is an island country off the coast of East Africa. The region stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Indian Ocean in the southeast.[6] The eastern part of the Arab world is known as the Mashriq, and the western part as the Maghreb. Arabic is used as the lingua franca throughout the Arab world.
Malta, an island country in Southern Europe whose national language also derives from Arabic (through Sicilian Arabic), is not included in the region. Similarly, Chad, Eritrea, and Israel recognize Arabic as one of their official or working languages but are not included in the region because they are not members of the Arab League (although Chad and Eritrea applied for full membership in 2014). The Arab world has a combined population of around 422 million inhabitants (as of 2012)[11] and a gross domestic product of $2.782 trillion (2018).
In post-classical history, the Arab world was synonymous with the historic Arab empires and caliphates. Arab nationalism arose in the second half of the 19th century along with other nationalist movements within the Ottoman Empire. The Arab League was formed in 1945 to represent the interests of Arab people and especially to pursue the political unification of the Arab countries; a project known as Pan-Arabism.[12][13]
Definition
The linguistic and political denotation inherent in the term Arab is generally dominant over genealogical considerations. In Arab states, Modern Standard Arabic is used by the government. The language of an individual nation is called Darija, which means "everyday/colloquial language"[14] or Aammiyya. The majority of Darija's cognates are shared with standard Arabic, but it also significantly borrows from Berber (Tamazight) substrates,[15] as well as extensively from French, the language of the historical colonial occupier of the Maghreb. Darija is spoken and, to various extents, mutually understood in the Maghreb countries, especially Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, but it is unintelligible to speakers of other Arabic dialects, mainly for those in Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula.[16]
Standard territorial definition
Although no globally accepted definition of the Arab world exists,[6] all countries that are members of the Arab League are generally acknowledged as being part of the Arab world.[6][17]
The Arab League is a regional organisation that aims (among other things) to consider in a general way the affairs and interests of the Arab countries and sets out the following definition of an Arab:
An Arab is a person whose language is Arabic, who lives in an Arabic country, and who is in sympathy with the aspirations of the Arabic people.[18] This standard territorial definition is sometimes seen to be inappropriate[19] or problematic,[20] and may be supplemented with certain additional elements (see ancillary linguistic definition below).[21]
Member states of the Arab League
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 Mauritania (Malta, an island country in Southern Europe whose national language also derives from Arabic (through Sicilian Arabic), is not included in the region. Similarly, Chad, Eritrea, and Israel recognize Arabic as one of their official or working languages but are not included in the region because they are not members of the Arab League (although Chad and Eritrea applied for full membership in 2014). The Arab world has a combined population of around 422 million inhabitants (as of 2012)[11] and a gross domestic product of $2.782 trillion (2018).
In post-classical history, the Arab world was synonymous with the historic Arab empires and caliphates. Arab nationalism arose in the second half of the 19th century along with other nationalist movements within the Ottoman Empire. The Arab League was formed in 1945 to represent the interests of Arab people and especially to pursue the political unification of the Arab countries; a project known as Pan-Arabism.[12][13]
The linguistic and political denotation inherent in the term Arab is generally dominant over genealogical considerations. In Arab states, Modern Standard Arabic is used by the government. The language of an individual nation is called Darija, which means "everyday/colloquial language"[14] or Aammiyya. The majority of Darija's cognates are shared with standard Arabic, but it also significantly borrows from Berber (Tamazight) substrates,[15] as well as extensively from French, the language of the historical colonial occupier of the Maghreb. Darija is spoken and, to various extents, mutually understood in the Maghreb countries, especially Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, but it is unintelligible to speakers of other Arabic dialects, mainly for those in Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula.[16]
Standard territorial definition
Although no globally accepted definition of the Arab world exists,[6] all countries that are members of the Arab League are generally acknowledged as being part of the Arab world.[6][17]
The Arab League is a regional organisation that aims (among other things) to consider in a general way the affairs and interests of the Arab countries and sets out the following definition of an Arab:
An Arab is a person whose language is Arabic, who lives in an Arabic country, and who is in sympathy with the aspirations of the Arabic people.[18] This standard territorial definition is sometimes seen to be inappropriate[19] or problematic,[20] and may be supplemented with certain additional elements (see ancillary linguistic definition below).[21]
Member states of the Arab League
- Algeria (Arabic: الجزائر al-Jazā’ir) (Tamazight is the other official language, French is used in education, daily life and business)
- Bahrain (Arabic: البحرين al-Baḥrayn)
- Comoros (Arabic: جزر القمر Juzur al-Qamar) (Comorian and French are the other official languages)
- Djibouti (Arabic: جيبوتي Jībūtī) (French is the other official language)
- Egypt (Arabic: مصر Miṣr)
- [6] all countries that are members of the Arab League are generally acknowledged as being part of the Arab world.[6][17]
The Arab League is a regional organisation that aims (among other things) to consider in a general way the affairs and interests of the Arab countries and sets The Arab League is a regional organisation that aims (among other things) to consider in a general way the affairs and interests of the Arab countries and sets out the following definition of an Arab:
An Arab is a person whose language is Arabic, who lives in an Arabic country, and who is in sympathy with the aspirations of the Arabic people.[18]
This standard territorial definition is sometimes seen to be inappropriate[19] or problematic,[20] and may be su This standard territorial definition is sometimes seen to be inappropriate[19] or problematic,[20] and may be supplemented with certain additional elements (see ancillary linguistic definition below).[21]
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