Arab information graphics

(January 21, 2014)

The BBC Arabic did an interview with Amro El-Eraqi. That translates into "Amro The Iraqi," but he is not Iraqi. He is Egyptian.

The BBC Arabic interviewed him because he has started the first Arabic website on information graphics - the cool pictures side by side with the news that summarize an article in a colorful way, or point out interesting facts, like so:

This was, I think, the highlights of the life of a man who had just died.

Mr. El-Eraqi explained that he started a website in  December 2012, so that he can make these sorts of graphics, and encourage the Arab media at large to join the fun, as well (because so far, they don't.)

The lady doing the interview asked: but an information graphic takes a lot of time to make, so how do you keep up when the news is so fast these days?

Amro said: that doesn't bother us, because these graphics are more for analysis and go in-depth. They are meant for taking a step back and looking at the whole picture. So you are much more flexible when it comes to time.

The website, http://www.infotimes.org/, is all in Arabic, but you should go to it anyways, because it's pretty nifty, and because Norway's flag is on it. Just click on any of the rectangular exhibits, and the graphic will pop up. Some of them have glossy animation or interaction, so it's fun.

If you scroll down to the third row of exhibits, you get to the one with Norway's flag. It is entitled, "The ten richest countries in the world, per capita." (but in Arabic)

Open up that graphic, click on Norway's flag, and you get this:

It says:
Norway (El-Nurweej) (like Norwegian without the 'ian')
Lies in the north of Europe
Her capital is Oslo
Population size: 4.9 million (see if you can find 4.9 in the graphic!)
Average income per person: $51,959 annually

And here is the man himself, speaking to the BBC Arabic: