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This page was last updated on 17 January, 2008


Map of Yemen
Legend: DefinitionDefinition Field ListingField Listing Rank OrderRank Order
   Introduction    Yemen Top of Page
Background:
Definition Field Listing
North Yemen became independent of the Ottoman Empire in 1918. The British, who had set up a protectorate area around the southern port of Aden in the 19th century, withdrew in 1967 from what became South Yemen. Three years later, the southern government adopted a Marxist orientation. The massive exodus of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis from the south to the north contributed to two decades of hostility between the states. The two countries were formally unified as the Republic of Yemen in 1990. A southern secessionist movement in 1994 was quickly subdued. In 2000, Saudi Arabia and Yemen agreed to a delimitation of their border.
   Geography    Yemen Top of Page
Location:
Definition Field Listing
Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates:
Definition Field Listing
15 00 N, 48 00 E
Map references:
Definition Field Listing
Middle East
Area:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 527,970 sq km
land: 527,970 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Perim, Socotra, the former Yemen Arab Republic (YAR or North Yemen), and the former People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY or South Yemen)
Area - comparative:
Definition Field Listing
slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing
total: 1,746 km
border countries: Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km
Coastline:
Definition Field Listing
1,906 km
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate:
Definition Field Listing
mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east
Terrain:
Definition Field Listing
narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged mountains; dissected upland desert plains in center slope into the desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula
Elevation extremes:
Definition Field Listing
lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m
highest point: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,760 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing
petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble; small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper; fertile soil in west
Land use:
Definition Field Listing
arable land: 2.91%
permanent crops: 0.25%
other: 96.84% (2005)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing
5,500 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
Definition Field Listing
4.1 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
Definition Field Listing
Total: 6.63 cu km/yr (4%/1%/95%)
Per capita: 316 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing
sandstorms and dust storms in summer
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing
very limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Environment - international agreements:
Definition Field Listing
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
Definition Field Listing
strategic location on Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes
   People    Yemen Top of Page
Population:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
22,230,531 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing
0-14 years: 46.3% (male 5,239,003/female 5,047,301)
15-64 years: 51.1% (male 5,781,491/female 5,585,152)
65 years and over: 2.6% (male 281,121/female 296,463) (2007 est.)
Median age:
Definition Field Listing
total: 16.7 years
male: 16.6 years
female: 16.7 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing
3.461% (2007 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
42.67 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
8.05 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.038 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.035 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.948 male(s)/female
total population: 1.034 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 57.88 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 62.48 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 53.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total population: 62.52 years
male: 60.61 years
female: 64.54 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
6.49 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
12,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing
noun: Yemeni(s)
adjective: Yemeni
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing
predominantly Arab; but also Afro-Arab, South Asians, Europeans
Religions:
Definition Field Listing
Muslim including Shaf'i (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shi'a), small numbers of Jewish, Christian, and Hindu
Languages:
Definition Field Listing
Arabic
Literacy:
Definition Field Listing
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 50.2%
male: 70.5%
female: 30% (2003 est.)
   Government    Yemen Top of Page
Country name:
Definition Field Listing
conventional long form: Republic of Yemen
conventional short form: Yemen
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah
local short form: Al Yaman
former: Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]
Government type:
Definition Field Listing
republic
Capital:
Definition Field Listing
name: Sanaa
geographic coordinates: 15 21 N, 44 12 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
Definition Field Listing
19 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Abyan, 'Adan, Ad Dali', Al Bayda', Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Al Mahrah, Al Mahwit, 'Amran, Dhamar, Hadramawt, Hajjah, Ibb, Lahij, Ma'rib, Sa'dah, San'a', Shabwah, Ta'izz
note: for electoral and administrative purposes, the capital city of Sanaa is treated as an additional governorate
Independence:
Definition Field Listing
22 May 1990 (Republic of Yemen established with the merger of the Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and the Marxist-dominated People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]); note - previously North Yemen had become independent in November 1918 (from the Ottoman Empire) and South Yemen became independent on 30 November 1967 (from the UK)
National holiday:
Definition Field Listing
Unification Day, 22 May (1990)
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing
16 May 1991; amended 29 September 1994 and February 2001
Legal system:
Definition Field Listing
based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common law, and local tribal customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
Definition Field Listing
chief of state: President Ali Abdallah SALIH (since 22 May 1990, the former president of North Yemen, assumed office upon the merger of North and South Yemen); Vice President Maj. Gen. Abd al-Rab Mansur al-HADI (since 3 October 1994)
head of government: Prime Minister Ali Muhammad MUJAWWAR (since 31 March 2007); Deputy Prime Minister Rashad Muhammad al-ALIMI
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 20 September 2006 (next to be held in September 2013); vice president appointed by the president; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president
election results: Ali Abdallah SALIH elected president; percent of vote - Ali Abdallah SALIH 77.2%, Faysal BIN SHAMLAN 21.8%
Legislative branch:
Definition Field Listing
a bicameral legislature consisting of a Shura Council (111 seats; members appointed by the president) and a House of Representatives (301 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: last held on 27 April 2003 (next to be held in April 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - GPC 228, Islah 47, YSP 7, Nasserite Unionist Party 3, National Arab Socialist Ba'th Party 2, independents 14
Judicial branch:
Definition Field Listing
Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
General People's Congress or GPC [Abdul-Kader BAJAMMAL]; Islamic Reform Grouping or Islah [Shaykh Abdallah bin Husayn al-AHMAR]; Nasserite Unionist Party [Abdal Malik al-MAKHLAFI]; National Arab Socialist Ba'th Party [Dr. Qasim SALAM]; Yemeni Socialist Party or YSP [Ali Salih MUQBIL]; note - there are at least seven more active political parties
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
NA
International organization participation:
Definition Field Listing
AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Abd al-Wahab Abdallah al-HAJRI
chancery: 2319 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 965-4760
FAX: [1] (202) 337-2017
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas C. KRAJESKI
embassy: Sa'awan Street, Sanaa
mailing address: P. O. Box 22347, Sanaa
telephone: [967] (1) 755-2000 ext. 2153 or 2266
FAX: [967] (1) 303-182
Flag description:
Definition Field Listing
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; similar to the flag of Syria, which has two green stars, and of Iraq, which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription), in a horizontal line centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt, which has a heraldic eagle centered in the white band
   Economy    Yemen Top of Page
Economy - overview:
Definition Field Listing
Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arab world, reported average annual growth in the range of 3-4% from 2000 through 2007. Its economic fortunes depend mostly on declining oil resources, but the country is trying to diversify its earnings. In 2006 Yemen began an economic reform program designed to bolster non-oil sectors of the economy and foreign investment. As a result of the program, international donors pledged about $5 billion for development projects. In addition, Yemen has made some progress on reforms over the last year that will likely encourage foreign investment. Oil revenues probably increased in 2007 as a result of higher prices.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$52.61 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
Definition Field Listing
$16.05 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.2% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$2,400 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 12.4%
industry: 40.9%
services: 46.7% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
6.316 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing
note: most people are employed in agriculture and herding; services, construction, industry, and commerce account for less than one-fourth of the labor force
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
35% (2003 est.)
Population below poverty line:
Definition Field Listing
45.2% (2003)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing
lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 25.9% (2003)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
Definition Field Listing
33.4 (1998)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
10.7% (2007 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
19.1% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing
revenues: $7.902 billion
expenditures: $8.167 billion (2007 est.)
Public debt:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
32.9% of GDP (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing
grain, fruits, vegetables, pulses, qat, coffee, cotton; dairy products, livestock (sheep, goats, cattle, camels), poultry; fish
Industries:
Definition Field Listing
crude oil production and petroleum refining; small-scale production of cotton textiles and leather goods; food processing; handicrafts; small aluminum products factory; cement; commercial ship repair
Industrial production growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.2% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.456 billion kWh (2005 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.381 billion kWh (2005 est.)
Electricity - exports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2005)
Oil - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
402,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
128,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
320,600 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
58,100 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4 billion bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2005)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
459 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$178 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$7.586 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
crude oil, coffee, dried and salted fish
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
China 31.4%, India 17.4%, Thailand 16.7%, South Korea 7%, US 6.7%, UAE 4.1% (2006)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$6.592 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
UAE 16.4%, China 12.8%, Saudi Arabia 7.7%, Kuwait 5.8%, Brazil 4.5%, Malaysia 4.2%, US 4% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
Definition Field Listing
$2.3 billion (2003-07 disbursements)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$7.871 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$6.122 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$NA
Currency (code):
Definition Field Listing
Yemeni rial (YER)
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing
Yemeni rials per US dollar - 199.14 (2007), 197.18 (2006), 192.67 (2005), 184.78 (2004), 183.45 (2003)
Fiscal year:
Definition Field Listing
calendar year
   Communications    Yemen Top of Page
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
968,400 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2 million (2006)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing
general assessment: since unification in 1990, efforts have been made to create a national telecommunications network
domestic: the national network consists of microwave radio relay, cable, tropospheric scatter, and GSM cellular mobile telephone systems
international: country code - 967; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 2 Arabsat; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and Djibouti
Radio broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
AM 6, FM 1, shortwave 2 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
7 (plus several repeaters) (1997)
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing
.ye
Internet hosts:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
5 (2007)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
270,000 (2006)
   Transportation    Yemen Top of Page
Airports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
50 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 17
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 33
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 4 (2007)
Pipelines:
Definition Field Listing
gas 71 km; liquid petroleum gas 22 km; oil 1,284 km (2006)
Roadways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 71,300 km
paved: 6,200 km
unpaved: 65,100 km (2005)
Merchant marine:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 4 ships (1000 GRT or over) 15,474 GRT/18,072 DWT
by type: cargo 1, chemical tanker 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1
registered in other countries: 12 (Bolivia 1, Cambodia 3, North Korea 2, Panama 5, St Kitts and Nevis 1) (2007)
Ports and terminals:
Definition Field Listing
Aden, Hudaydah, Mukalla
   Military    Yemen Top of Page
Military branches:
Definition Field Listing
Army (includes Republican Guard), Navy (includes Marines), Yemen Air Force (includes Air Defense Force) (2007)
Military service age and obligation:
Definition Field Listing
voluntary military service program authorized in 2001; 2-year service obligation (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 4,058,223
females age 18-49: 3,868,112 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 2,790,705
females age 18-49: 2,792,406 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 236,517
females age 18-49: 230,641 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
6.6% (2006)
Military - note:
Definition Field Listing
a Coast Guard was established in 2002
   Transnational Issues    Yemen Top of Page
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing
Saudi Arabia has reinforced its concrete-filled security barrier along sections of the fully demarcated border with Yemen to stem illegal cross-border activities
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
Definition Field Listing
refugees (country of origin): 78,582 (Somalia) (2006)

This page was last updated on 17 January, 2008


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