CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Forty-eight people from around the world were sworn in as new American citizens this week in Charleston.

After meeting all the requirements for U.S. citizenship, the 48 were naturalized at a ceremony Monday at the Robert C. Byrd U.S. Courthouse. Chief U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the ceremony, and state Commerce Secretary Keith Burdette welcomed the new citizens.

The names and countries of origin of the new citizens are:

Ahmed Mostafa Abdelwahed, Egypt; Rolando Arredondo Diaz, Cuba; Elias Berhanu Assefa, Ethiopia; Aleksandra Culyer, Russia; Van Thi Thu Dang, Vietnam; Mark Christopher Patric Darey, United Kingdom; Pauline Darey, United Kingdom; Annie Dooley, Taiwan; Kejal Anand Doshi, India; Amr Hussein Aly Elassal, Egypt; Pierfrancesco Farinetti, Mexico; Mansour Farshidmehr, Iran; Mostafa Emad Gabr, Egypt; Jin Wei Gao, China; Tigist Arefayne Geberehiwot, Ethiopia; Manijeh Khalaj Ghodsi, Iran; Rosario Maria Gil, Bolivia;

Xin Li Guo, China; Yared Asgedom Hailom, Ethiopia; Eyad Akram Hamad, Jordan; Maria Cristina Hamilton, Romania; Verbieann Emelda Heyliger, United Kingdom; Wadih Mohamad Wadih Kabbara, Lebanon; Sang Ah Koh, South Korea; Lidia Larkin, Mexico; Suk Cha Lett, South Korea; Bryan Ronald Lewin, Jamaica; Margaret Robertson Williams McGarrett, United Kingdom; Adnan Mohamed Nahla, Libya; Arig Bahlul Yaghobi, Libya; Roberto Carlo Nunez Rodriguez, Dominican Republic; Dan Onyango Odero, Kenya; Brenda Ndanu Onyango, Kenya;

Elena Kim Pardue, Kyrgystan; Dipti Rohit Patel, India; Linajati Kartorahardjo Ramey, Indonesia; Khaled Saad Eid Rashwan, Egypt; Lamia Skaf Mitias, Syria; Tania Patricia Soto, Nicaragua; Hari Thapa, Nepal; Atulkumar Jashvantlal Tripathi, India; Rita Atulkumar Tripathi, India; Hiral Jayakrishna Kukkillaya, India; Cuong Tan Vo, Vietnam; Wayne Cherran Wallace, Trinidad and Tobago; Ana Maria Wentz, Colombia; Pa Xiong, Thailand; Arnold Timothy David Yosuico, Philippines.