Yemen
Republic of YemenAl Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah
republic
Yemen as the 2007 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 127 fields, one of 35 editions from 1991 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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 fieldsLand useshare of 527,970 sq km
Location
Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
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
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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
- signed, but not ratified:
- none of the selected agreements
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
19 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2007 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2007 est.)
Male · female
Government
Republic; President Ali Abdallah SALIH (since 22 May 1990, the former president of North Yemen, assumed office upon the merger of North and South Yemen); Prime Minister Ali Muhammad MUJAWWAR (since 31 March 2007)
18 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Legislature, 296 seats, elected 27 April 2003one dot, one seat
Country name
- conventional long form:
- Republic of Yemen
- conventional short form:
- Yemen
- local long form:
- Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah
- local short form:
- Al Yaman
- former:
- Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]
Capital
- name:
- Sanaa
- geographic coordinates:
- 15 21 N, 44 12 E
- time difference:
- UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions
- 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
Independence
- 22 May 1990 (Republic of Yemen 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]);
- note - previously North Yemen had become independent in November 1918 (from the Ottoman Empire) and South Yemen became independent on 30 November 1967 (from the UK)
Legal system
based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common law, and local tribal customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President 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 Ali Muhammad MUJAWWAR (since 31 March 2007); Deputy Prime Minister Rashad Muhammad al-ALIMI
- cabinet:
- Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister
- elections:
- president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term;
- election last held 20 September 2006 (next to be held in September 2013);
- 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 77.2%, Faysal BIN SHAMLAN 21.8%
Legislative branch
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 on 27 April 2003 (next to be held in April 2009)
- 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
Political parties and leaders
- General People's Congress or GPC [Abdul-Kader BAJAMMAL];
- Islamic Reform Grouping or Islah [Shaykh Abdallah bin Husayn al-AHMAR];
- Nasserite Unionist Party [Abdal Malik al-MAKHLAFI];
- National Arab Socialist Ba'th Party [Dr. Qasim SALAM];
- Yemeni Socialist Party or YSP [Ali Salih MUQBIL];
- note - there are at least seven more active political parties
International organization participation
AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Abd al-Wahab Abdallah al-HAJRI
- chancery:
- 2319 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 965-4760
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 337-2017
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Thomas C. KRAJESKI
- embassy:
- Sa'awan Street, Sanaa
- mailing address:
- P. O. Box 22347, Sanaa
- telephone:
- [967] (1) 755-2000 ext. 2153 or 2266
- 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 average annual growth of 3.5% from 2000 through 2006.
47 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2006 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arab world, reported average annual growth of 3.5% from 2000 through 2006. Its economic fortunes depend mostly on oil. Oil revenues probably increased in 2006 as a result of higher prices. Yemen was on an IMF-supported structural adjustment program designed to modernize and streamline the economy, which led to substantial foreign debt relief and restructuring.
However, government dedication to the program waned in 2001 for political reasons. Yemen is struggling to control excessive spending and rampant corruption. Yemen is dependent on foreign aid to finance its budget deficits and development projects. In November, Yemen secured $4.7 billion in assistance from Arabian Gulf and Western donors.
Labor force - by occupation
note: most people are employed in agriculture and herding; services, construction, industry, and commerce account for less than one-fourth of the labor force
Agriculture - products
- grain, fruits, vegetables, pulses, qat, coffee, cotton;
- dairy products, livestock (sheep, goats, cattle, camels), poultry;
- fish
Industries
- crude oil production and petroleum refining;
- small-scale production of cotton textiles and leather goods;
- food processing;
- handicrafts;
- small aluminum products factory;
- cement;
- commercial ship repair
Exchange rates
Yemeni rials per US dollar - 197.18 (2006), 192.67 (2005), 184.78 (2004), 183.45 (2003), 175.63 (2002)
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone 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:
- 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
Transportation
7 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Merchant marine
- total:
- 4 ships (1000 GRT or over) 15,474 GRT/18,072 DWT
- by type:
- cargo 1, chemical tanker 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1
- registered in other countries:
- 12 (Bolivia 1, Cambodia 3, North Korea 2, Panama 5, St Kitts and Nevis 1) (2007)
Military
Army (includes Republican Guard), Navy (includes Marines), Yemen Air Force (includes Air Defense Force) (2007)
7 fieldsMilitary branches
Army (includes Republican Guard), Navy (includes Marines), Yemen Air Force (includes Air Defense Force) (2007)
Military service age and obligation
voluntary military service program authorized in 2001; 2-year service obligation (2006)
Manpower available for military service
- males age 18-49:
- 4,058,223
- females age 18-49:
- 3,868,112 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
- males age 18-49:
- 236,517
- females age 18-49:
- 230,641 (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes - international
Saudi Arabia has reinforced its concrete-filled security barrier along sections of the fully demarcated border with Yemen to stem illegal cross-border activities
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Yemen.” The World Factbook 2007. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/yemen/2007.