On March 22, 1945, six countries came together in Cairo, Egypt, to form the Arab League. Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Saudi Arabia were the founding members. Today, the league has 22 members spread across the Middle East and North Africa. What connects these countries is the Arabic language and shared cultural heritage. The Arab world stretches from Morocco on the Atlantic coast of Africa to Oman on the Arabian Sea. This is a huge area covering roughly 13 million square kilometers. The geography varies wildly. The Sahara Desert, the largest hot desert on Earth, covers much of North Africa. The Nile River, the longest river in the world, flows through Sudan and Egypt. The Arabian Peninsula contains some of the world's largest oil reserves. Saudi Arabia and Iraq together sit on top of roughly 30 percent of the world's known oil. The Persian Gulf states, including Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, have used oil wealth to build modern cities. The Arab League was created to promote cooperation in trade, culture, and politics among its members.