Yemen

• undefined section of boundary with Saudi Arabia;
• Administrative Line with Oman;
• a treaty with Oman to settle the Yemeni-Omani boundary was ratified in December 1992

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

• 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

• subject to sand and dust storms in summer;
• scarcity of natural freshwater resources;
• overgrazing;
• soil erosion;
• desertification

noun:

Yemeni(s)

adjective:

Yemeni

• predominantly Arab;
• Afro-Arab concentrations in coastal locations;
• South Asians in southern regions;
• small European communities in major metropolitan areas;
• 60,000 (est.) Somali refugees encamped near Aden

North:

NA

by occupation:

agriculture and herding 70%, expatriate laborers 30% (est.)

South:

477,000

by occupation:

agriculture 45.2%, services 21.2%, construction 13.4%, industry 10.6%, commerce and other 9.6% (1983)

conventional long form:

Republic of Yemen

conventional short form:

Yemen

local long form:

Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah

local short form:

Al Yaman

• 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

note: there may be a new capital district of San'a'

• 22 May 1990 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)

• General People's Congress, 'Ali 'Abdallah SALIH;
• Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP; formerly South Yemen's ruling party - a coalition of National Front, Ba'th, and Communist Parties), Ali Salim al-BIDH;
• Yemen Grouping for Reform or Islaah, Abdallah Husayn AHMAR

• conservative tribal groups;
• Muslim Brotherhood;
• Islamist parties;
• pro-Iraqi Ba'thists;
• Nasirists

House of Representatives:

• last held NA (next to be held 27 April 1993);
• 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)

Chief of State and Head of Government:

• President 'Ali 'Abdallah SALIH (since 22 May 1990, the former president of North Yemen);
• Vice President Ali Salim al-BIDH (since 22 May 1990);
• Presidential Council Member Salim Salih MUHAMMED;
• Presidential Council Member Kadi Abdul-Karim al-ARASHI;
• Presidential Council Member Abdul-Aziz ABDUL-GHANI;
• Prime Minister Haydar Abu Bakr al-'ATTAS (since 22 May 1990, the former president of South Yemen)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Muhsin Ahmad al-AYNI

chancery:

Suite 840, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037

telephone:

(202) 965-4760 or 4761

consulate general:

Detroit

consulate:

San Francisco

chief of mission:

Ambassador Arthur H. HUGHES

embassy:

Dhahr Himyar Zone, Sheraton Hotel District, Sanaa

mailing address:

P. O. Box 22347 Sanaa or Sanaa, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-6330

telephone:

[967] (2) 238-842 through 238-852

FAX:

[967] (2) 251-563

• 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

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

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

• US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $389 million;
• Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $2.0 billion;
• OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $3.2 billion;
• Communist countries (1970-89), $2.4 billion

• 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 are to be replaced with a new Yemeni rial

• Yemeni rials per US$1 - 12.0 (official);
• 30-40 (unofficial) (est.);
• 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)

note: following the establishment of the Republic of Yemen on 22 May 1990, the North Yemeni riyal and the South Yemeni dinar are to be replaced with a new Yemeni rial

total:

45

usable:

39

with permanent-surface runways:

10

with runways over 3,659 m:

0

with runways 2,440-3,659 m:

18

with runways 1,220-2,439 m:

11

• since unification in 1990, efforts are still being made to create a national domestic civil telecommunications network;
• the network consists of microwave radio relay, cable and troposcatter;
• 65,000 telephones (est.);
• broadcast stations - 4 AM, 1 FM, 10 TV;
• satellite earth stations - 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Intersputnik, 2 ARABSAT;
• microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia, and Djibouti

• males age 15-49 2,060,124;
• fit for military service 1,172,633;
• reach military age (14) annually 133,727 (1993 est.)