 |
 Harun al-Rashid
was the hero in many of the stories collectively
known as The Tales of the Arabian Nights. |
 Archbishop
Makarios III was a leader of the
Greek Cypriot movement for independence and the
first President of the Republic of Cyprus. |
 Rashid Karami
served as Prime Minister of Lebanon a total of
eight terms, each time serving during a period of
major crisis. |
 The Dead
Sea is the saltiest body of water in
the world, with almost six times more salt than
the ocean. At more than 1,300 feet below sea
level, it is also the lowest point on earth. |
 King Hussein
oversaw major improvements in the standard of
living for Jordanians. He was very popular with
his subjects, but not always well liked by his
fellow world leaders. |
 State
of Qatar: Facts and Figures
Local Name Dawlat Qatar. Area 4,247
sq mi. Population 833,285. Capital
Doha. Independence from Great Britain
Achieved September 3, 1971. |
 Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini dedicated many
years to overthrowing the rule of the Shah of
Iran, which was finally accomplished in 1979; he
subsequently led the country until 1989. |
 Mohammed
Zahir Shah became King of
Afghanistan upon the assassination of his father
in 1933, and reigned until being peacefully
overthrown in 1973. |
 Islamic
Republic of Pakistan: Facts and Figures
Local Name: Islami Jamhuriyah e Pakistan. Area:
310,404 sq. mi. Population: 164,741,924. Capital:
Islamabad. |
 People's
Republic of Bangladesh: Facts and Figures
Local Name: Gana Prajatantri Bangladesh. Area:
55,598 sq mi. Population: 153,546,896. Capital:
Dhaka. |
 Mohandas
Karamchand Gandhi began his campaign of civil disobedience
(satyagraha) that was to become his
trademark in South Africa, and then carried it
into India. It was this campaign that ultimately
led to India gaining its independence in 1947. |
 Union
of Burma: Facts and Figures Local
Name Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw. Area
261,218 sq mi. Population 47,373,954. Capital
Rangoon. Independence Achieved
January 4, 1948. |
 Federation
of Malaysia: Facts and Figures
Total Area 127,316 sq mi. Population
25,715,819. Capital Kuala Lumpur. Independence
from Great Britain Achieved August 13, 1957. |
 Corazon
Cojuangco Aquino was propelled into
politics by the murder of her husband in 1983.
She replaced Ferdinand Marcos as President in
1986, and served until 1992. During her
administration, the Philippines adopted a new
Constitution. |
 Macau
Special Administrative Region Area:
10.9 sq mi. Population: 559,846. |
 Shigenobu
Okuma was a powerful voice in the
movement that led to the overthrow of the
Tokugawa Shogunate in 1868. He subsequently
served Japan as Finance Secretary, Foreign
Minister (twice), and as Prime Minister (twice). |
