1.   The Agaw people have inhabited that region since time immemorial.

2.   Western reports say that troops have been massing in the region since December.

3.   American troops have been stationed in the region since then.

4.   A severe dry spell has gripped the metropolitan region since the fall.

5.   Across Western Europe the recovery is gathering steam, bringing an end to one of the bleakest economic periods in the region since World War II.

6.   Clinton expressed sensitivity to Central American complaints that the United States has ignored the region since the end of the civil wars.

7.   Fighting had all but ended in the Kurdish region since the captured guerrilla leader Abdullah Ocalan called on his followers to press their demands by peaceful means.

8.   Fighting in the region since last December has destroyed wide swathes of the southern republic and killed or wounded thousands of people.

9.   The enormous potential for trade is the main reason Clinton has focused more attention on opening new markets in the region since becoming president.

10.   The financial crisis that swept the region since August is finally fraying the nerves of many ordinary people here -- among the biggest investors in small-capitalization stocks.