Yemen
republic
Yemen as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 122 fields, one of 35 editions from 1991 to 2025.
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Geography
Middle East, along the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, south of Saudi | Arabia
26 fieldstotal area
527,970 sq km
land area
527,970 sq km
comparative area
slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming
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)
contiguous zone
18 nm in the North; 24 nm in the South
continental shelf
200-m depth in the North; 200 nm in the South or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone
200 nm
territorial sea
12 nm
International disputes
undefined section of boundary with Saudi Arabia; a treaty with Oman defining the Yemeni-Omani boundary was ratified in December 1992
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
Natural resources
petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble, small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper, fertile soil in west
arable land
6%
permanent crops
0%
meadows and pastures
30%
forest and woodland
7%
other
57%
current issues
- scarcity of natural freshwater resources (shortages of potable water);
- overgrazing;
- soil erosion;
- desertification
natural hazards
subject to sandstorms and dust storms in summer
international agreements
party to - Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change
Note
controls Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes
People
20 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1994 est.)
total population
51.47 years
male
50.34 years
female
52.65 years (1994 est.)
noun
Yemeni(s)
adjective
Yemeni
Ethnic divisions
- 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
total population
38%
male
53%
female
26%
Labor force
- no reliable estimates exist, most people are employed in agriculture and herding or as expatriate laborers;
- services, construction, industry, and commerce account for less than half of the labor force
Government
Republic
34 fieldsLegislature, 301 seatsone dot, one seat
conventional long form
Republic of Yemen
conventional short form
Yemen
local long form
Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah
local short form
Al Yaman
Administrative divisions
- 17 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah);
- Abyan, Adan, Al Bayda, Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Al Mahrah, Al Mahwit, Dhamar, Hadramaut, Hajjah, Ibb, Lahij, Marib, Sadah, Sana, Shabwah, Taizz
note
there may be a new capital district of Sana
Independence
- 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)
Legal system
based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common law, and local customary law; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
chief of state and head of government
- President Ali Abdallah SALIH (since 22 May 1990, the former president of North Yemen);
- note - Sanaa dismissed Vice President Ali Salim al-BIDH, Prime Minister Haydar Abu Bakr al-ATTAS (the former president of South Yemen), and 14 other southern officials following the outbreak of civil war on 4 May 1994
five-member Presidential Council
president, vice president, two members from General People's Congress party, two members from Yemeni Socialist Party, and one member from Yemeni Grouping for Reform, or Islaah party
cabinet
Council of Ministers
House of Representatives
- elections last held 27 April 1993 (next to be held NA);
- results - percent of vote NA;
- seats - (301 total) GPC 124, YSP 55, Islaah 61, Ba'thist parties 7, Nasserist parties 4, Hizb al-Haqq 2, Independents 47, election nullified 1
Political parties and leaders
- Ba'thist parties;
- General People's Congress (GPC), Ali Abdallah SALIH;
- Hizb al Haqq, Ibrahim al-WAZIR, Sheikh Ahmad ibn Ali SHAMI (Secretary General);
- Nasserist parties;
- Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP), Ali Salim al-BIDH;
- Yemeni Grouping for Reform or Islaah, Shaykh Abdallah bin Husayn al-AHMAR
Member of
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
chief of mission
Ambassador Muhsin Ahmad AL-AYNI
chancery
Suite 705, 2600 Virginia Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037
consulate general(s)
Detroit
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
Flag
- 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
Economy
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.
26 fieldsOverview
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 its moderate oil resources.
Former South Yemen's willingness to merge stemmed partly from the steady decline in Soviet economic support. The low level of domestic industry and agriculture have made northern Yemen dependent on imports for practically all of its essential needs. Large trade deficits have been compensated for by remittances from Yemenis working abroad and by foreign aid.
Because of the Gulf crisis, remittances have dropped substantially. Once self-sufficient in food production, northern Yemen has become a major importer. Land once used for export crops - cotton, fruit, and vegetables - has been turned over to growing a shrub called qat, whose leaves are chewed for their stimulant effect by Yemenis and which has no significant export market.
Economic growth in former South Yemen has been constrained by a lack of incentives, partly stemming from centralized control over production decisions, investment allocation, and import choices. Nominal growth in 1994-95 is apt to be under 3% annually because of low oil prices and political deadlock that is causing a lack of economic cooperation and leadership.
revenues
$NA
expenditures
$NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
commodities
crude oil, cotton, coffee, hides, vegetables, dried and salted fish
partners
Italy 55%, US 32%, Jordan 5% (1991)
commodities
textiles and other manufactured consumer goods, petroleum products, sugar, grain, flour, other foodstuffs, cement, machinery, chemicals
partners
UAE 6%, Japan 6%, Saudi Arabia 6%, Kuwait 6%, US 6% (1991)
capacity
714,000 kW
production
1.224 billion kWh
consumption per capita
120 kWh (1992)
Industries
- crude oil production and petroleum refining;
- small-scale production of cotton textiles and leather goods;
- food processing;
- handicrafts;
- small aluminum products factory;
- cement
Agriculture
- accounted for 26% of GDP;
- products - grain, fruits, vegetables, qat (mildly narcotic shrub), coffee, cotton, dairy, poultry, meat, fish;
- not self-sufficient in grain
recipient
- US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $389 million;
- Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $2 billion;
- OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $3.2 billion;
- Communist countries (1970-89), $2.4 billion
Currency
- 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
Communications
13 fieldstotal
15,500 km
paved
4,000 km
unpaved
natural surface 11,500 km
total
46
usable
40
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
Telecommunications
- 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
Defense Forces
Army, Navy, Air Force, Police
3 fieldsManpower availability
- males age 15-49 2,142,519;
- fit for military service 1,219,985;
- reach military age (14) annually 137,497 (1994 est.)
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Yemen.” The World Factbook 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/yemen/1994.