1.   A. Artichokes are the unopened flower buds of Cynara scolymus, a tender perennial thistle native to the Mediterranean basin.

2.   First in an occasional series on the Mediterranean basin.

3.   From the Straits of Gibraltar to southeastern Turkey, the Mediterranean basin has become one of the most unstable regions on Earth.

4.   Pax Romana, or the peace of Rome, provided stability around the diverse Mediterranean basin.

5.   Sickle cell anemia most commonly strikes people whose ancestors come from Africa, the Middle East, the Mediterranean basin and India.

6.   The aromatic seeds coriander, fenugreek, fennel, poppy and mustard come from the Mediterranean basin.

7.   The region is one of three main sources of copper in the southeast Mediterranean basin.

8.   Papoulias and al-Sharaa also discussed the situation in the Balkans and the Mediterranean basin.

9.   As long as the promise of material support remains mere rhetoric, the causes of instability would remain with all the countries in and around the Mediterranean basin.

10.   Egypt on Friday proposed a Cairo-based center of information to fight crime in the Mediterranean basin.