| 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. In 2000, Saudi Arabia
and Yemen agreed to a delimitation of their border. |
| 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
references: |
Middle East |
| Area: |
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: |
slightly larger
than twice the size of Wyoming |
| Land
boundaries: |
total:
1,746 km
border countries: Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia
1,458 km |
| Maritime
claims: |
contiguous
zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the
continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| 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
extremes: |
lowest point:
Arabian Sea 0 m
highest point: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,760 m |
| Natural
resources: |
petroleum, fish,
rock salt, marble, small deposits of coal, gold, lead,
nickel, and copper, fertile soil in west |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
3%
permanent crops: 13%
permanent pastures: 33.5%
forests and woodland: 4%
other: 46.5% (1999) |
| Irrigated
land: |
5,674 sq km
(1999) |
| Natural
hazards: |
sandstorms and
dust storms in summer |
| Environment
- current issues: |
very limited
natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of
potable water; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban |
| 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 |
| Population: |
18,078,035 (July
2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
47.21% (male 4,340,436; female 4,195,076)
15-64 years: 49.79% (male 4,598,301; female
4,402,402)
65 years and over: 3% (male 274,202; female
267,618) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
3.38% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
43.36
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
9.58 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
68.53
deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 60.21 years
male: 58.45 years
female: 62.05 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
6.97 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
0.01% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Yemeni(s)
adjective: Yemeni |
| Ethnic
groups: |
predominantly
Arab; but also Afro-Arab, South Asians, Europeans |
| Religions: |
Muslim including
Shaf'i (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shi'a), small numbers of Jewish,
Christian, and Hindu |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 38%
male: 53%
female: 26% (1990 est.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: Republic of Yemen
conventional short form: Yemen
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah
local short form: Al Yaman |
| Government
type: |
republic |
| 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
note: there may be three more governorates: Al
Daleh, Shabwah, and the capital city of Sana'a |
| 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: |
Unification Day,
22 May (1990) |
| Constitution: |
16 May 1991;
amended 29 September 1994 and February 2001 |
| Legal
system: |
based on Islamic
law, Turkish law, English common law, and local tribal
customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age;
universal |
| Executive
branch: |
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
elections: president elected by direct, popular
vote for a five-year term (a new constitution amendment
extends the term by two years to a seven-year term);
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
election results: Ali Abdallah SALIH elected
president; percent of vote: Ali Abdallah SALIH 96.3%, Najeeb
Qahtan AL-SHAABI 3.7% |
| Legislative
branch: |
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)
elections: last held 27 April 1997 (next to be
held 27 April 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - GPC 189, Islah 52, Nasserite Unionist
Party 3, National Arab Socialist Baath Party 2, independents
54, election pending 1; latest seats by party: GPC 223,
Islah 64, Nasserite Unionist Party 3, National Arab
Socialist Baath Party 2, YSP 2, independents 7 |
| 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
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, boycotted the April 1997 legislative
election, but announced that it would participate in Yemen's
first local elections to be held in February 2001; these
local elections aim to decentralize political power and are
a key element of the government's political reform program |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| 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
(observer) |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Abd al-Wahhab Abdallah al-HAJRI
chancery: Suite 705, 2600 Virginia Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20037
telephone: [1] (202) 965-4760
FAX: [1] (202) 337-2017 |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Barbara K. BODINE
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 |
| 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 |
| 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 1999-2000, Yemen worked to maintain tight control
over spending and implement additional components of the IMF
program. A high population growth rate of nearly 3.4% and
internal political dissension complicate the government's
task. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $14.4 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
6% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $820 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
20%
industry: 42%
services: 38% (1998) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
19% (1992 est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
2.3%
highest 10%: 30.8% (1992) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
10% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
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: |
30% (1995 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$3 billion
expenditures: $3.1 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) |
| 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% |
| Electricity
- production: |
2.4 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
2.232 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
grain, fruits,
vegetables, pulses, qat (mildly narcotic shrub), coffee,
cotton; dairy products, livestock (sheep, goats, cattle,
camels), poultry; fish |
| Exports: |
$4.2 billion
(f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
crude oil,
coffee, dried and salted fish |
| Exports
- partners: |
Thailand 34%,
China 26%, South Korea 14%, Japan 3% (1999) |
| Imports: |
$2.7 billion
(f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
food and live
animals, machinery and equipment |
| Imports
- partners: |
Saudi Arabia 10%,
UAE 8%, US 7%, France 7%, Italy 6% (1999) |
| Debt
- external: |
$4.4 billion
(2000) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$176.1 million
(1995) |
| Currency: |
Yemeni rial (YER) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Yemeni rials per
US dollar - 164.590 (October 2000), 160.683 (2000), 155.718
(1999), 135.882 (1998), 129.281 (1997), 94.157 (1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
291,359 (1999) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
32,042 (2000) |
| Telephone
system: |
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: 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: |
AM 6, FM 1,
shortwave 2 (1998) |
| Radios: |
1.05 million
(1997) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
7 (plus several
low-power repeaters) (1997) |
| Televisions: |
470,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.ye |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
12,000 (2000) |
| Highways: |
total:
69,263 km
paved: 9,963 km
unpaved: 59,300 km (1999) |
| Pipelines: |
crude oil 644 km;
petroleum products 32 km |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Aden, Al Hudaydah,
Al Mukalla, As Salif, Mocha, Nishtun |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 15,075 GRT/23,562 DWT
ships by type: cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3
(2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
13
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
37
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 5 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Army, Navy, Coast
Guard, Air Force, Air Defense Forces, Presidential Guards,
paramilitary (includes Police) |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
14 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 4,103,093 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 2,303,257 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males:
238,690 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$414 million
(FY99) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
7.6% (FY99) |
| Disputes
- international: |
a June 2000
treaty delimited the boundary with Saudi Arabia, but final
demarcation requires adjustments based on tribal
considerations |
|
