Yemen (Source of information on this page credited to the CIA's - The World Factbook)

Background:

Yemen

Geography

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)

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming

Land boundaries:

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

Coastline:

1,906 km

Maritime claims:

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

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)

Irrigated land:

5,674 sq km (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

Yemen

People

Population:

18,078,035 (July 2001 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.)

Population growth rate:

3.38% (2001 est.)

Birth rate:

43.36 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate:

9.58 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate:

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (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 - adult prevalence rate:

0.01% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

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.)

Yemen

Government

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:

NA

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

Yemen

Economy

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 - real growth rate:

6% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita:

purchasing power parity - $820 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

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

Population below poverty line:

19% (1992 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%:  2.3% highest 10%:  30.8% (1992)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

10% (2000 est.)

Labor force:

NA

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

Unemployment rate:

30% (1995 est.)

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

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

2.4 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel:  100% hydro:  0% nuclear:  0% other:  0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption:

2.232 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (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

Exports - partners:

Thailand 34%, China 26%, South Korea 14%, Japan 3% (1999)

Imports:

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

Imports - commodities:

food and live animals, machinery and equipment

Imports - partners:

Saudi Arabia 10%, UAE 8%, US 7%, France 7%, Italy 6% (1999)

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

Yemen

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:

291,359 (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

32,042 (2000)

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

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 6, FM 1, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios:

1.05 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

7 (plus several low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:

470,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.ye

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

12,000 (2000)

Yemen

Transportation

Railways:

0 km

Highways:

total:  69,263 km paved:  9,963 km unpaved:  59,300 km (1999)

Waterways:

none

Pipelines:

crude oil 644 km; petroleum products 32 km

Ports and harbors:

Aden, Al Hudaydah, Al Mukalla, As Salif, Mocha, Nishtun

Merchant marine:

total:  4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 15,075 GRT/23,562 DWT ships by type:  cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3 (2000 est.)

Airports:

50 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:

total:  13 over 3,047 m:  2 2,438 to 3,047 m:  8 1,524 to 2,437 m:  1 914 to 1,523 m:  1 under 914 m:  1 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total:  37 over 3,047 m:  2 2,438 to 3,047 m:  9 1,524 to 2,437 m:  8 914 to 1,523 m:  13 under 914 m:  5 (2000 est.)

Yemen

Military

Military branches:

Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, Air Defense Forces, Presidential Guards, paramilitary (includes Police)

Military manpower - military age:

14 years of age

Military manpower - availability:

males age 15-49:  4,103,093 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:

males age 15-49:  2,303,257 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:

males:  238,690 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:

$414 million (FY99)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:

7.6% (FY99)

Yemen

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:

a June 2000 treaty delimited the boundary with Saudi Arabia, but final demarcation requires adjustments based on tribal considerations