Arab World Studies

The Arab world (Arabic: العالم العربي‎ al-‘ālam al-‘arabī; formally: Arab homeland, الوطن العربي al-waṭan al-‘arabī), also known as the Arab nation (الأمة العربية al-ummah al-‘arabīyah) or the Arab states, currently consists of the 22 Arab countries of the Arab League. These Arab states occupy an area stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean in the southeast. The contemporary Arab world has a combined population of around 422 million inhabitants, over half of whom are under 25 years of age.

The world is the planet Earth and all life upon it, including human civilization. In a philosophical context, the "world" is the whole of the physical Universe, or an ontological world (the "world" of an individual). In a theological context, the world is the material or the profane sphere, as opposed to the celestial, spiritual, transcendent or sacred spheres. "End of the world" scenarios refer to the end of human history, often in religious contexts.