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Djibouti,
on the other hand, has been performing well,
in terms of economic growth. Without much
in the way of natural resources for themselves,
it has managed to position itself as a hub
for the region, in much the same way that
Singapore and Hong Kong have historically
done in the Far East.
Jeddah
is the leading port in the region, as it
not only serves as a key hub for the east-west
trades, where cargoes may be discharged
on services to both Europe and the Mediterranean,
but it is also a gateway port for Islam's
two holiest cities¡XMecca and Medina.
This
is important as Muslim pilgrims from all
around the world descend on these cities
in large numbers every year for the Hajj,
which means that Jeddah sees the import
of a great amount of consumer goods, foodstuffs
and construction related materials at that
time of the year.
In
terms of trade we can see from the below
table that petroleum and petroleum products
are a major export commodity for the economies
of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Sudan.
 click image
to enlarge
Egypt
and Sudan both also export cotton as one
of their major commodities, as is agricultural
products. Egypt is also a large textile
exporter.
Jordan
is a leading exporter of fertilizer, potash,
clothing and vegetables, while Djibouti
exports hides and skin and re-exported goods.
It also exports coffee, as does Yemen.
Yemen
also counts oil and dried fish among its
chief export commodities.
For
imports all countries in the region include
foodstuffs as one of their primary import
items, excluding Jordan, which lists machinery,
textiles and manufactured goods.
Machinery
is a major import item for all countries,
excluding Djibouti, while chemicals are
another important commodity for Egypt, Sudan
and Djibouti.
Saudi
Arabia is clearly the largest trading nation
among the group, based on the latest available
data for both imports and exports, followed
by Egypt. Then there is a significant gap
between these nations and the rest with
Jordan coming in third, in terms of total
trade value; then followed by Yemen, Sudan
and finally Djibouti.
Saudi
Arabia is clearly more of an exporting nation
than it is an importer. Both Sudan and Yemen,
while clearly more export nations than import
nations, are far more balanced in terms
of total trade value than Saudi Arabia.
Egypt
is clearly more of an importer, with its
import value almost doubling that of its
exports. Jordan is another importing nation,
with its import value more than doubling
its exports, as is Djibouti, albeit at a
far smaller value.
So
we can see that there is a degree of diversity
in the region, both rich and poor, importers
and exporters, big and small. It is an interesting
region, one with plenty of potential, yet
there is cause for genuine concern about
its future stability too.
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