Yemen

Republic of Yemen conventional short form: Yemen local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah local short form: Al Yaman

republic

Yemen as the 2001 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 116 fields, one of 35 editions from 1991 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalSanaa

Position15 00 N, 48 00 E

LocationMiddle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia

Populationas each edition published it

18.08 million July 2001 est. · 10.06m in 1991

Population growth% a year

3.38% 2001 est. · 3.31% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 16.4 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

60.21 years 2001 est. · 50.94 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

6.97 children per woman 2001 est. · 7.4 in 1991

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

68.53 deaths per 1,000 live births 2001 est. · 121 in 1991

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$820 2000 est. · $775 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

6% 2000 est. · 3.1% in 1994

Introduction

1 field

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.

Geography

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

18 fields

Coastline

1,906km

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

Irrigated land

5,674sq km

(1999)

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)

Land boundaries

total: 1,746 km border countries: Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km

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)

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

People

18 fields

Population

18,078,035

(July 2001 est.)growth rate: 3.38% (2001 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2001 est.)

Birth

43.36Death

9.58Net migration

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.01%

(1999 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.)

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 - people living with HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS - deaths

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

Languages

Arabic

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 38% male: 53% female: 26% (1990 est.)

Government

Republic; 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)

20 fields

Legislature, 592 seatsseats by party

GPC 189Islah 52independents 54election pending 1latest seats by party: GPC 223Islah 64YSP 2independents 7

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

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 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

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

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.

32 fields

Real growth rate

(2000 est.)industrial production growth: NA%

Inflation, consumer prices

10%

(2000 est.)

Unemployment rate

30%

(1995 est.)

Population below poverty line

19%

(1992 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

34%

Thailand

26%

China

14%

South Korea

Saudi Arabia

10%

UAE

France

Italy

Japan

Exports $4.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)Imports $2.7 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)(1999)

Electricity

Electricity production

2.4 billion (1999)Electricity consumption

2.232 billion (1999)

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 - per capita

purchasing power parity - $820 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 20% industry: 42% services: 38% (1998)

Labor force

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

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

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (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

Imports

$2.7 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities

food and live animals, machinery and equipment

Debt - external

$4.4 billion (2000)

Economic aid - recipient

$176.1 million (1995)

Currency

Yemeni rial (YER)

Currency code

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

Communications

10 fields

Mobile cellular

32,042

(2000)

Internet users

(2000)

Fixed lines

291,359

(1999) · country code .ye

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