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Background:
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 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. |
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Location:
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Middle
East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea,
between Oman and Saudi Arabia |
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Geographic coordinates:
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15 00
N, 48 00 E |
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Map references:
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Middle
East |
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Area:
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total:
527,970 sq km
land: 527,970 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)
water: 0 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
larger than twice the size of Wyoming |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
1,746 km
border countries: Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km |
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Coastline:
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1,906
km |
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Climate:
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mostly
desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western
mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot,
dry, harsh desert in east |
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Terrain:
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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 |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Arabian Sea 0 m
highest point: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,760 m |
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Natural resources:
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petroleum,
fish, rock salt, marble, small deposits of coal, gold, lead,
nickel, and copper, fertile soil in west |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 2.75%
permanent crops: 0.21%
other: 97.04% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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4,900
sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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sandstorms
and dust storms in summer |
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Environment - current issues:
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very
limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of
potable water; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party
to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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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:
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20,024,867 (July
2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years:
46.6% (male 4,751,776; female 4,582,277)
15-64 years: 50.6% (male 5,166,437; female 4,973,543)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 273,199; female 277,635)
(2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
16.5 years
male: 16.5 years
female: 16.5 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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3.44% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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43.16
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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8.78 deaths/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
63.26 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 58.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 68.12 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 61.36 years
male: 59.53 years
female: 63.29 years (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.1% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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9,900 (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Yemeni(s)
adjective: Yemeni |
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Ethnic groups:
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predominantly
Arab; but also Afro-Arab, South Asians, Europeans |
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Religions:
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Muslim
including Shaf'i (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shi'a), small numbers of
Jewish, Christian, and Hindu |
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Languages:
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Arabic |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 50.2%
male: 70.5%
female: 30% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Republic of Yemen
conventional short form: Yemen
local short form: Al Yaman
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah |
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Government type:
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republic |
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Capital:
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Sanaa |
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Administrative divisions:
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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 |
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Independence:
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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) |
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National holiday:
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Unification Day,
22 May (1990) |
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Constitution:
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16 May 1991;
amended 29 September 1994 and February 2001 |
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Legal system:
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based on Islamic
law, Turkish law, English common law, and local tribal
customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Executive branch:
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chief of
state: President Field Marshall 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 Abd al-Qadir BA
JAMAL (since 4 April 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the
president on the advice of the prime minister
election results: Ali Abdallah SALIH elected president;
percent of vote - Ali Abdallah SALIH 96.3%, Najib Qahtan AL-SHAABI
3.7%
elections: president elected by direct, popular vote
for a seven-year term (recently extended from a five-year term
by constitutional amendment); election last held 23 September
1999 (next to be held NA 2006); vice president appointed by
the president; prime minister and deputy prime ministers
appointed by the president |
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Legislative branch:
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a new
constitutional amendment ratified on 20 February 2001 created
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)
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
elections: last held 27 April 2003 (next to be held NA
April 2009) |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court |
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Political parties and leaders:
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there are more
than 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 Ba'th
Party [Dr. Qassim SALAAM]; Nasserite Unionist Party [Abdel
Malik al-MAKHLAFI]; Yemeni Socialist Party or YSP [Ali Salih
MUQBIL]
note: President SALIH's General People's Congress or
GPC won a landslide victory in the April 1997 legislative
election and no longer governs in coalition with Shaykh
Abdallah bin Husayn al-AHMAR's Islamic Reform Grouping or
Islah - the two parties had been in coalition since the end of
the civil war in 1994; the YSP, a loyal opposition party,
represents the remnants of the former South Yemeni leadership;
leaders of the 1994 secessionist movement have been pardoned
by President SALIH and some are now returning to Yemen from
exile |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Abd al-Wahhab Abdallah al-HAJRI
FAX: [1] (202) 337-2017
telephone: [1] (202) 965-4760
chancery: Suite 705, 2600 Virginia Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20037 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Edmund J. HULL
embassy: Dhahar Himyar Zone, Sheraton Hotel District,
Sanaa
mailing address: P. O. Box 22347, Sanaa
telephone: [967] (1) 303-161
FAX: [967] (1) 303-182 |
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Economy - overview:
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Yemen, one of the
poorest countries in the Arab world, reported strong growth in
the mid-1990s with the onset of oil production, but has been
harmed by periodic declines in oil prices. Yemen has embarked
on an IMF-supported structural adjustment program designed to
modernize and streamline the economy, which has led to
substantial foreign debt relief and restructuring.
International donors, meeting in Paris in October 2002, agreed
on a further $2.3 billion economic support package. Yemen has
worked to maintain tight control over spending and to
implement additional components of the IMF program. A high
population growth rate and internal political dissension
complicate the government's task. Plans include a
diversification of the economy, encouragement of tourism, and
more efficient use of scarce water resources. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power
parity - $15.22 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3.1% (2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power
parity - $800 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
14.6%
industry: 42.3%
services: 43.1% (2001) |
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Population below poverty line:
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15.7% (2001) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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12.3% (2003 est.) |
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Labor force:
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3.7 million (2003
est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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most people are
employed in agriculture and herding; services, construction,
industry, and commerce account for less than one-fourth of the
labor force |
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Unemployment rate:
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35% (2003 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$3.78 billion
expenditures: $4.13 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2004 est.) |
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Industries:
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crude oil
production and petroleum refining; small-scale production of
cotton textiles and leather goods; food processing;
handicrafts; small aluminum products factory; cement |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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3% (2003 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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3.01 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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2.8 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Oil - production:
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438,500 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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74,000 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - production:
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0 cu m (2001
est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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0 cu m (2001
est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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grain, fruits,
vegetables, pulses, qat (mildly narcotic shrub), coffee,
cotton; dairy products, livestock (sheep, goats, cattle,
camels), poultry; fish |
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Exports:
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$3.92 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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crude oil,
coffee, dried and salted fish |
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Exports - partners:
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Thailand 19%,
India 16.7%, China 15.3%, South Korea 12.4%, Malaysia 6.1%, US
5.4% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$3.042 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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food and live
animals, machinery and equipment, chemicals |
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Imports - partners:
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UAE 16%, Saudi
Arabia 12.7%, China 6.2%, Kuwait 5.5%, US 4.7% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$6.9 billion
(2003) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$2.3 billion (to
be disbursed 2003-07) |
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Currency:
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Yemeni rial (YER) |
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Currency code:
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YER |
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Exchange rates:
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Yemeni rials per
US dollar - NA (2003), 175.63 (2002), 168.67 (2001), 161.72
(2000), 155.72 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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542,200 (2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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411,100 (2002) |
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Telephone system:
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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 |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 6, FM 1,
shortwave 2 (1998) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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7 (plus several
low-power repeaters) (1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.ye |
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Internet hosts:
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113 (2002) |
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Internet users:
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100,000 (2002) |
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Railways:
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0 km |
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Highways:
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total:
67,000 km
paved: 7,705 km
unpaved: 59,295 km (1999 est.) |
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Waterways:
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none |
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Pipelines:
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gas 88 km; oil
1,174 km (2003) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Aden, Al Hudaydah,
Al Mukalla, As Salif, Ras Issa, Mocha, Nishtun |
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Merchant marine:
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total: 6
ships (1,000 GRT or over) 19,766 GRT/24,794 DWT
by type: cargo 1, livestock carrier 1, petroleum tanker
3, roll on/roll off 1
foreign-owned: Hong Kong 2, Lebanon 1
registered in other countries: 5 (2003 est.) |
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Airports:
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44 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 16
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 28
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 4 (2003 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Army
(including Special Forces), Naval Forces and Coastal Defenses
(including Marines), Air Force (including Air Defense Forces),
Republican Guard |
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Military manpower - military age:
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14
years of age (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males
age 15-49: 4,617,064 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males
age 15-49: 2,590,720 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
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males:
255,426 (2004 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$885.6
million (2003) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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7.9%
(2003) |
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Military - note:
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establishment
of a Coast Guard, scheduled for May 2001, has been delayed |
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Disputes - international:
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Eritrea protests
Yemeni fishing around the Hanish Islands awarded to Eritrea by
the ICJ in 1999; nomadic groups in border region with Saudi
Arabia resist demarcation of boundary; Yemen protests Saudi
erection of a concrete-filled pipe as a security barrier in
2004 to stem illegal cross-border activities in sections of
the boundary |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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