There are about 50 countries in the world home to roughly 1.3 billion people in which the population is predominantly Muslim. Which Muslim country had the highest volume of exports in 2006?
Answers:
A. Indonesia B. Saudi Arabia C. Malaysia D. Egypt
B. Saudi Arabia is correct.
Saudi Arabia's total exports of $209 billion make it the Muslim world's top exporter, accounting for 19 percent of the total. In 2006, it sold about $187 billion in oil around the world, representing 89 percent of its total exports. Saudi Arabia has 22 percent of the world's known oil reserves.
Saudi Arabia's export performance is heavily dependent on the price of oil. As recently as the late 1990s, when oil prices were near record lows, the country had annual exports of only $38 billion, according to the World Trade Organization. It reached $113 billion in the early 1980s, when oil prices were near then-record highs.
At $161 billion, Malaysia's exports currently rank second only to those of Saudi Arabia among Muslim countries. Indonesia's total annual exports of about $104 billion put it in third place. At $13.7 billion, Egypt ranked 15th in the Muslim world in 2006.
The Globalist Quiz is produced by The Globalist, a Washington-based research organization that promotes awareness of world affairs. © 2007 The Globalist, theglobalist.com.
