Map of Yemen | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: 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.


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

Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N 48 00 E

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Comparative: slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming

Land boundaries

Coastline: 1906 km

Maritime claims

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

Elevation

Natural resources: petroleum fish rock salt marble small deposits of coal gold lead nickel and copper fertile soil in west

Land use

Irrigated land: 3,600 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: sandstorms and dust storms in summer

Geography
Note: 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


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Population: 17,479,206 (July 2000 est.)
Growth rate: 3.36% (2000 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality

Ethnic groups: predominantly Arab; but also Afro-Arab South Asians Europeans

Languages: Arabic

Religions: Muslim including Shaf'i (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shi'a) small numbers of Jewish Christian and Hindu

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 3.36% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 43.44 births/1000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 9.86 deaths/1000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2000 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: very limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 70.28 deaths/1000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total fertility rate: 7.05 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type: republic

Capital: Sanaa

Administrative divisions: 17 governorates (muhafazat singular - muhafazah); Abyan 'Adan Al Bayda' Al Hudaydah Al Jawf Al Mahrah Al Mahwit 'Ataq Dhamar Hadhramawt Hajjah Ibb Lahij Ma'rib Sa'dah San'a' Ta'izz

Dependent areas

Independence: 22 May 1990 Republic of Yemen was 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]; 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; amended 29 September 1994

Legal system: based on Islamic law Turkish law English common law and local tribal customary law; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives (301 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: there are over 12 political parties active in Yemen some of the more prominent are: General People's Congress or GPC [President Ali Abdallah SALIH]; Islamic Reform Grouping or Islah [Shaykh Abdallah bin Husayn al-AHMAR]; National Arab Socialist Baath Party [Dr. Qassim SALAAM]; Nasserite Unionist Party [Abdel Malik al-MAKHLAFI]; Yemeni Socialist Party or YSP [Ali Salih MYQBIL]

International organization participation: 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 IOM ITU NAM OAS (observer) OIC OPCW UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation

Flag 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 heraldic eagle centered in the white band

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Yemen one of the poorest countries in the Arab world reported strong growth in the mid-1990s with the onset of oil production but was harmed by low oil prices in 1998. Yemen has embarked on an IMF-supported structural adjustment program designed to modernize and streamline the economy which has led to foreign debt relief and restructuring. Aided by higher oil prices in 1999 Yemen worked to maintain tight control over spending and implement additional components of the IMF program. The high population growth rate of 3.4% and internal political dissension complicate the government's task.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 4% (1999 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $750 (1999 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: grain fruits vegetables qat (mildly narcotic shrub) coffee cotton; dairy products poultry beef; fish

Industries: crude oil production and petroleum refining; small-scale production of cotton textiles and leather goods; food processing; handicrafts; small aluminum products factory; cement

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: NA
By occupation: most people are employed in agriculture and herding or as expatriate laborers; services construction industry and commerce account for less than one-half of the labor force

Unemployment rate: 30% (1995 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 10% (1999 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $2 billion (f.o.b. 1999 est.)
Commodities: crude oil cotton coffee dried and salted fish
Partners: China 31% South Korea 25% Thailand 22% Japan 5% (1998 est.)

Imports: $2.3 billion (f.o.b. 1999 est.)
Commodities: food and live animals machinery and equipment manufactured goods
Partners: US 9% UAE 8% France 8% Italy 7% Saudi Arabia 7% (1998 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $4.5 billion (1999)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Yemeni rials (YER) per US$1 - 159.70 (January 2000) 160.700 (first quarter 1999) 135.882 (1998) 129.281 (1997) 94.157 (1996) 40.839 (1995)


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Electricity
Production: 2.24 billion kWh (1998)
Consumption: 2.083 billion kWh (1998)
Exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Imports: 0 kWh (1998)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 188,000 (1998)
Mobile cellular: 8,250 (1995)

Telephone system: since unification in 1990 efforts have been made to create a national telecommunications network

Broadcast media

Internet
Service providers isps: 1 (1999)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $414 million (FY99)
Percent of gdp: 7.6% (FY99)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 50 (1999 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil 644 km; petroleum products 32 km

Railways: 0 km

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: a large section of boundary with Saudi Arabia is not defined

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs