ABSTRACT
The Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) of the World Health Organization (WHO) encompasses 21 countries and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The Region stretches from Morocco on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea in the west to Afghanistan in the east. The Region covers large part of North Africa, East Africa, and all the Arab countries in west Asia, as well as Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan. The EMR lies in an arid zone, the majority of which is barren land that includes large parts of the Great African Sahara and the Arabian Desert. With the exception of some mountainous areas, the rest of the Region receives little rainfall and precipitation; it has a fragile environment with scarce vegetation.
