Algeria Flag

On January 11, over 5,000 persons held a protest in front of Tilos Radio against anti-Christian statements made on the air by an inebriated disk jockey on Christmas Eve 2003. After the demonstration, approximately 100 to 200 persons remained and burnt an Israeli flag. Although police witnessed the event, no arrests were made until after it received widespread media coverage. Two defendants were ultimately convicted and fined under the Hate Speech Law. ... [Read More]

Background Notes Archive - Near East and North Africa

U.S. Department of State Background Notes: Saudi Arabia, March 1995 Bureau of Public Affairs March 1995 Official Name: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia PROFILE Geography Area: 1,960,582 sq. km. (1,176,349 mi.), about one-fourth the size of the continental United States. Cities: Capital--Riyadh (pop. 2.5 million). Other cities--Jeddah (1.6 million), Makkah, (1.5 million), Dammam/Khobar/Dhahran, (1 million). Terrain: Primarily desert with rugged mountains in the southwest. Climate: Arid, with great extremes of temperature in the interior; humidity and temperature are both high along the coast. People Nationality: Noun--Saudi(s). Adjective--Saudi Arabian or Saudi. Population (1992 est.): 16.9 million (12.3 million Saudis, 4.6 million foreign nationals). Annual growth rate: 3.8%. Ethnic groups: Arab (90% of native pop.), Afro-Asian (10% of native pop.). Religion: Muslim. Language: Arabic (official). Education: Literacy--male 73%, female 48%. ... [Read More]

Local Holidays (International) - Complete List

Local Holidays (International)APIANew Year's Day    Monday, 3 JanGood Friday    Friday, 25 MarEaster    Monday, 28 MarAnzac Day    Monday, 25 AprMother's of Samoa Day    Monday, 9 MaySamoan Independence Day    Wednesday, 1 JunSamoan ... [Read More]

Once you touch upon the flag, and upon the concept of thenation, we know what the reaction is everywhere. It is a humanreaction. So basically, we had to move beyond what one couldcall the economic approach. The Barcelona Process haspromised to move beyond the unilateral approach by providinga more comprehensive approach. You have three baskets orthree dimensions. While we are happy to see the threedimensions, we are more pleased to have everyone recognizethe interconnectedness of the three dimensions -- thepolitical/security, the economic dimension, and the culturaldimension. Having said that, I don't wish to imply that if one isnot moving on one dimension there is a total paralysis orcollapse. I only mean that we cannot ignore developments inone at the expense of the others. ... [Read More]

Background Notes Archive - Near East and North Africa

U.S. Department of State______________________________________________________ The State Department does not guarantee the authenticity of documents on the Internet. If for legal or other reasons you require the original version of a document in hard copy, please contact the Office of Public Communication, Bureau of Public Affairs.Note that State Department information is not copyrighted unlessindicated and can be reproduced without consent. Citation of source isappreciated. Permission to reproduce any copyrighted material(including photos or graphics) must be obtained from the originalsource.______________________________________________________BACKGROUND NOTES: IRAN PUBLISHED BY THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS U.S.DEPARTMENT OF STATEJULY 1994 Official Name: Islamic Republic of IranPROFILEGeography Area: 1.6 million sq. km. (636, 294 sq. mi.); slightlylarger than Alaska.Cities: Capital--Tehran. Other cities--Isfahan, Tabriz, Mashhad,Shiraz.Terrain: Desert and mo ... [Read More]

US Embassy Cameroon: Ambassador's Interviews

11United States Embassy, Yaounde, Cameroon1 11 Home >> Ambassador's Page >> Ambassador's Interviews [Read More]

Daily Press Briefing December 11 - Transcript

At first, one couldn't verify the nationality of the ship because the ship's name and the indications of nationality on the hull and the funnel were obscured. It was flying no flag. When the Spanish got on board and we got on board, the inspections revealed irregularities in the cargo and the documentation, and the SCUDS were found on board the ship. So, a ship like this acting suspiciously in a sensitive part of the world, carrying what might be missiles from North Korea, is obviously going to get a lot of attention. And it did. And we boarded it. ... [Read More]

Background Notes Archive - Near East and North Africa

U.S. Department of State ______________________________________________________ The State Department does not guarantee the authenticity of documents on the Internet. If for legal or other reasons you require the original version of a document in hard copy, please contact the Office of Public Communication, Bureau of Public Affairs. Note that State Department information is not copyrighted unless indicated and can be reproduced without consent. Citation of source is appreciated. Permission to reproduce any copyrighted material (including photos or graphics) must be obtained from the original source. ______________________________________________________BACKGROUND NOTES: TUNISIAPUBLISHED BY THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRSU.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATEJULY 1994Official Name: Republic of TunisiaPROFILEGeographyArea: 163,610 sq. km. (63,378 sq. mi.), slightly smaller than Missouri. Cities: Capital--Tunis (pop. about 1 million). Other city--Sfax (500, ... [Read More]