Statistical information Yemen 1992

Yemen in the World
Yemen - Introduction 1992
top of pageBackground: 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.
top of pageLocationGeographic coordinatesMap referenceAreaTotal: 527,970 km²
Land:527,970 km²; 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)
Comparative: slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming
Land boundaries: 1,746 km total; Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km
Coastline: 1,906 km
Maritime claimsContiguous zone: North - 18 nm; South - 24 nm
Continental shelf: North - 200 meters (depth); South - edge of continental margin or 200 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes:undefined section of boundary with Saudi Arabia;
Administrative Line with Oman; there is a proposed treaty with Oman (which has not yet been formerly accepted) to settle the Yemeni-Omani boundary
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
ElevationNatural resources: crude oil, fish, rock salt, marble; small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper; fertile soil in west
Land use: arable land: 6%; permanent crops: NEGL%; meadows and pastures 30%; forest and woodland 7%; other 57%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Irrigated landMajor riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazardsGeographytop of pagePopulation: 10,394,749 (July 1992), growth rate 3.3% (1992)
Nationality: noun - Yemeni(s; adjective - Yemeni
Ethnic groups: North - Arab 90%, Afro-Arab (mixed) 10%; South - almost all Arabs; a few Indians, Somalis, and Europeans
Languages: Arabic
Religions:
North - Muslim almost 100% (45% Sunni and 55% Zaydi Shi`a);
NEGL Jewish; South - Sunni Muslim, some Christian and Hindu
Demographic profileAge structureDependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rateBirth rate: 51 births/1000 population (1992)
Death rate: 16 deaths/1000 population (1992)
Net migration rate: -3 migrants/1000 population (1992)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: subject to sand and dust storms in summer; scarcity of natural freshwater resources; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Current issues note:controls Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the Red Sea and the
Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes
Air pollutantsSex ratioMothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 118 deaths/1000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth: 49 years male, 52 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate: 7.3 children born/woman (1992)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracy: 38% (male 53%, female 26%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional long form: Republic of Yemen
Government type: republic
Capital: Sanaa
Administrative divisions:
17 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Abyan, `Adan, Al Bayda', Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Al Mahrah, Al
Mahwit, Dhamar, Hadramawt, Hajjah, Ibb, Lahij, Ma'rib, Sa`dah, San`a',
Shabwah, Ta`izz
Dependent areasIndependence:
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); the union is to be solidified during a 30-month transition period, which coincides with the remainder of the five-year terms of both legislatures
National holiday: Proclamation of the Republic, 22 May (1990)
Constitution: 16 April 1991
Legal system: based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common law, and local customary law; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: universal at age 18
House of Representatives:last held NA (next to be held NA November 1992); results - percent of vote NA; seats - (301); number of seats by party
NA; note - the 301 members of the new House of Representatives come from
North Yemen's Consultative Assembly (159 members), South Yemen's Supreme
People's Council (111 members), and appointments by the New Presidential
Council (31 members)
Communists: small number in North, greater but unknown number in South
Executive branch:
five-member Presidential Council (president, vice president, two members from northern Yemen and one member from southern
Yemen), prime minister
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives
Judicial branch: North - State Security Court; South - Federal High Court
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participation:
ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA,
IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM,
OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:Ambassador Muhsin Ahmad al-AYNI; Chancery at
Suite 840, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,037; telephone (202) 965-4,760 or 4,761; there is a Yemeni Consulate General in Detroit and a
Consulate in San Francisco
US:Ambassador Arthur H. HUGHES; Embassy at Dhahr Himyar Zone, Sheraton
Hotel District, Sanaa (mailing address is P. O. Box 22,347 Sanaa, Republic of
Yemen or Sanaa - Department of State, Washington, DC 20,521-6,330); telephone 967 (2) 238-842 through 238-852; FAX 967 (2) 251-563
Diplomatic representationFlag description
: 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
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy 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 promising oil resources. South
Yemen's willingness to merge stemmed partly from the steady decline in
Soviet economic support.
North: $606 million (f.o.b., 1989)
South: revenues and grants $435 million; expenditures $1.0 billion, including capital expenditure of $460 million (1988 est.)
GDP: exchange rate conversion - $5.3 billion, per capita $545; real growth rate NA% (1990 est.)
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rateReal gdp per capitaGross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture productsIndustries: crude oil production and petroleum refining; small-scale production of cotton textiles and leather goods; food processing; handicrafts; fishing; small aluminum products factory; cement
North: accounted for 26% of GDP and 70% of labor force; farm products - grain, fruits, vegetables, qat (mildly narcotic shrub), coffee, cotton, dairy, poultry, meat, goat meat; not self-sufficient in grain
South: accounted for 17% of GNP and 45% of labor force; products - grain, qat (mildly narcotic shrub), coffee, fish, livestock; fish and honey major exports; most food imported
Industrial production growth rateLabor force: North - NA number of workers with agriculture and herding 70%, and expatriate laborers 30% (est.); South - 477,000 with agriculture 45.2%, services 21.2%, construction 13.4%, industry 10.6%, commerce and other 9.6% (1983)
Organized labor:North - NA; South - 348,200 and the General
Confederation of Workers of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen had 35,000 members
Unemployment rateYouth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudgetTaxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: calendar year
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExportsCommodoties: crude oil, cotton, coffee, hides, vegetables
Partners: FRG 29%, US 26%, Netherlands 12%
Partners South: $113.8 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.)
ImportsCommodoties: grain, consumer goods, crude oil, machinery, chemicals
Partners: USSR, UK, Ethiopia
Partners North: $1.3 billion (f.o.b., 1988)
Partners South: $553.9 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt externalStock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: North Yemeni riyals (YR) per US$1 - 12,1000 (June 1992), 12.0000 (1991), 9.7600 (1990), 9.7600 (January 1989), 9.7717 (1988), 10.3417 (1987; South Yemeni dinars (YD) per US$1 - 0.3454 (fixed rate)
top of pageElectricityProduction: 700,000 kW capacity; 1,200 million kWh produced, 120 kWh per capita (1991)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitaYemen - Communication 1992
top of pageTelephonesTelephone systemBroadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresPercent of gdp:exchange rate conversion - $1.06 billion, 20% of
GDP (1990)
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupsYemen - Transportation 1992
top of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports:
46 total, 40 usable; 10 with permanent-surface runways; none
with runways over 3,659 m; 20
with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 11
with runways 1,220-2,439 m
HeliportsPipelines: crude oil 644 km, petroleum products 32 km
RailwaysRoadwaysWaterwaysMerchant marine:
3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,309 GRT/6,568
DWT; includes 2 cargo, 1 petroleum tanker
Civil air: 11 major transport aircraft
Ports and terminalsYemen - Transnational issues 1992
top of pageDisputes internationalRefugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs