Yemen

Yemen 

Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia

Area

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)

Land Boundaries

Total 1,746 km, Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km

Coastline

1,906 km

Maritime Claims

International Disputes

Undefined section of boundary with Saudi Arabia; a treaty with Oman defining the Yemeni-Omani boundary was ratified in December 1992

Climate

Mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east

Terrain

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
lowest point: Arabian Sea 0
highest point: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,760 m

Natural Resources

Land Use

Irrigated Land

3,100 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment

Note: Controls Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes

PEOPLE

Population

13,483,178 (July 1996 est.)
14,728,474 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

48% (male 3,302,489; female 3,122,246) (July 1996 est.)
50% (male 3,776,358; female 3,551,953) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

50% (male 3,327,682; female 3,364,787) (July 1996 est.)
48% (male 3,508,229; female 3,505,735) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

2% (male 158,018; female 207,956) (July 1996 est.)
2% (male 169,989; female 216,210) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

3.56% (1996 est.)
4.02% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

45.22 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
44.85 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

9.59 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
8.01 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
3.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.01 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

71.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
58.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total Fertility Rate

7.29 children born/woman (1996 est.)
7.15 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic Divisions

Religions

Languages

Arabic

Literacy

Age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Labor Force

No reliable estimates exist, most people are employed in agriculture and herding or as expatriate laborers; services, construction, industry, and commerce account for less than half of the labor force

GOVERNMENT

Names

Digraph

YM

Type

Republic

Capital

Sanaa

Administrative Divisions

17 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Abyan, Adan, Al Bayda, Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Al Mahrah, Al Mahwit, Dhamar, Hadramaut, Hajjah, Ibb, Lahij, Marib, Sadah, Sana, Shabwah, Taizz

Note: There may be a new governorate for the capital city of Sanaa

Independence

Republic of Yemen was established on 22 May 1990 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}; previously North Yemen had become independent on NA November 1918 (from the Ottoman Empire) and South Yemen had become independent on 30 November 1967 (from the UK)

National Holiday

Proclamation of the Republic, 22 May (1990)

Constitution

16 May 1991

Legal System

Based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common law, and local tribal customary law; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive Branch

Legislative Branch

Unicameral

House of Representatives

Elections last held 27 April 1993 (next to be held NA 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (301 total) GPC 124, Islaah 61, YSP 55, others 13, independents 47, election nullified 1

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court

Political Parties and Leaders

Over 40 political parties are active in Yemen, but only three project significant influence; since the May-July 1994 civil war, President SALIH's General People's Congress (GPC) and Shaykh Abdallah bin Husayn al-AHMAR's Yemeni Grouping for Reform, or Islaah, have joined to form a coalition government; the Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP), headed by Ali Salih UBAYD, has regrouped as a loyal opposition

Other Political or Pressure Groups

NA

Member of

ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Anthem

Flag

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 symbolic eagle centered in the white band

ECONOMY

Overview

Whereas the northern city Sanaa is the political capital of a united Yemen, the southern city Aden, with its refinery and port facilities, is the economic and commercial capital. Future economic development depends heavily on Western-assisted development of the country's moderate oil resources. Former South Yemen's willingness to merge stemmed partly from the steady decline in Soviet economic support. The low level of domestic industry and agriculture has made northern Yemen dependent on imports for practically all of its essential needs. Once self-sufficient in food production, northern Yemen has become a major importer. Land once used for export crops - cotton, fruit, and vegetables - has been turned over to growing a shrub called qat, whose leaves are chewed for their stimulant effect by Yemenis and which has no significant export market. Economic growth in former South Yemen has been constrained by a lack of incentives, partly stemming from centralized control over production decisions, investment allocation, and import choices. Yemen's large trade deficits have been compensated for by remittances from Yemenis working abroad and by foreign aid. Since the Gulf crisis, remittances have dropped substantially. High inflation and political divisions hinder the development of a forward-looking economic policy.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $37.1 billion (1995 est.), $23.4 billion (1994 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

3.6% (1995 est.)
-1.4% (1994 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$2,520 (1995 est.)
$1,955 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

71.3% (1994 est.)

Unemployment Rate

30% (1995 est.)

Budget

Exports

$1.1 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)

Commodities:

Partners:

Imports

$1.8 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)

Commodities:

Partners:

External Debt

$8 billion (1996)
$7 billion (1993)

Industrial Production

Growth rate NA, accounts for 18% of GDP

Electricity

Industries

Agriculture

Accounts for 26% of GDP; products - grain, fruits, vegetables, qat (mildly narcotic shrub), coffee, cotton, dairy, poultry, meat, fish; not self-sufficient in grain

Economic Aid

Currency

Yemeni rial (new currency); 1 North Yemeni riyal (YR) = 100 fils; 1 South Yemeni dinar (YD) = 1,000 fils

Note: Following the establishment of the Republic of Yemen on 22 May 1990, the North Yemeni riyal and the South Yemeni dinar were replaced with a new Yemeni rial

Exchange Rates

Yemeni rials per US$1 - 12.010 (official fixed rate); 90 (market rate, December 1994)

Fiscal Year

Calendar year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

0 km

Highways

Pipelines

Crude oil 644 km; petroleum products 32 km

Ports

Aden, Al Hudaydah, Al Mukalla, Mocha, Nishtun

Merchant Marine

Airports

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

131,655 telephones (1992 est.); since unification in 1990, efforts are still being made to create a national domestic civil telecommunications network

Radio

Television

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary (includes Police)

Manpower Availability

Males age 15-49 2,985,764; males fit for military service 1,685,517; males reach military age (14) annually 145,161 (1996 est.)

Defense Expenditures

Exchange rate conversion - $1.65 billion, 7.1% of GDP (1993)

History
World Atlas

last updated: 28 november 1997