Yemen

• 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

• petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble;
• small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper;
• fertile soil in west

total:

6.63 cu km/yr (4%/1%/95%)

per capita:

316 cu m/yr (2000)

• limited natural fresh water resources;
• inadequate supplies of potable water;
• overgrazing;
• soil erosion;
• desertification

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

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.94 male(s)/female

total population:

1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

degree of risk:

high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

dengue fever and malaria

water contact disease:

schistosomiasis (2008)

noun:

Yemeni(s)

adjective:

Yemeni

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]

name:

Sanaa

geographic coordinates:

15 21 N, 44 12 E

time difference:

UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

• 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

• 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]);
• note - previously North Yemen became independent in November 1918 (from the Ottoman Empire) and became a republic with the overthrow of the theocratic Imamate in 1962;
• South Yemen became independent on 30 November 1967 (from the UK)

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)

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%

• General People's Congress or GPC [Abdul-Kader BAJAMMAL];
• Islamic Reform Grouping or Islah [Mohammed Abdullah AL-YADOUMI (acting)];
• 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

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

chief of mission:

Ambassador Stephen A. SECHE

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

• three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black;
• similar to the flag of Syria, which has two green stars in the white band, and of Iraq, which has an Arabic inscription centered in the white band;
• also similar to the flag of Egypt, which has a heraldic eagle centered in the white band

lowest 10%:

3%

highest 10%:

25.9% (2003)

• grain, fruits, vegetables, pulses, qat, coffee, cotton;
• dairy products, livestock (sheep, goats, cattle, camels), poultry;
• fish

• 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

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 mobile-cellular telephone systems;
• fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity remains low by regional standards

international:

• country code - 967;
• landing point for the international submarine cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG);
• 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

total:

71,300 km

paved:

6,200 km

unpaved:

65,100 km (2005)

total:

4

by type:

cargo 1, chemical tanker 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1

registered in other countries:

13 (North Korea 2, Moldova 1, Panama 6, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Sierra Leone 2, unknown 1) (2008)

• the International Maritime Bureau reports offshore waters in the Gulf of Aden are high risk for piracy;
• numerous vessels, including commercial shipping and pleasure craft, have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway;
• crew, passengers, and cargo are held for ransom

males age 16-49:

5,080,038

females age 16-49:

4,852,555 (2008 est.)

males age 16-49:

3,585,947

females age 16-49:

3,619,195 (2008 est.)

male:

268,468

female:

258,196 (2008 est.)