YEMEN

MARCH 25, 2009 BY RANG WHAM
   Introduction    Yemen Top of Page
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. Fighting in the northwest between the government and Huthi rebels, a group seeking a return to traditional Zaydi Islam, began in 2004 and has since resulted in six rounds of fighting - the last ended in early 2010 with a ceasefire that continues to hold. The southern secessionist movement was revitalized in 2008 when a popular socioeconomic protest movement initiated the prior year took on political goals including secession. Public rallies in Sana'a against President SALIH - inspired by similar demonstrations in Tunisia and Egypt - slowly built momentum starting in late January 2011 fueled by complaints over high unemployment, poor economic conditions, and corruption. By the following month, some protests had resulted in violence, and the demonstrations had spread to other major cities. By March the opposition had hardened its demands and was unifying behind calls for SALIH's immediate ouster. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in late April 2011, in an attempt to mediate the crisis in Yemen, proposed an agreement in which the president would step down in exchange for immunity from prosecution. SALIH's refusal to sign an agreement led to heavy street fighting and his injury in an explosion in June 2011. The UN Security Council passed Resolution 2014 in October 2011 calling on both sides to end the violence and complete a power transfer deal. In late November 2011, President SALIH signed the GCC-brokered agreement to step down and to transfer some of his powers to Vice President Abd al-Rabuh Mansur HADI. Following elections in February 2012, won by HADI, SALIH formally transferred his powers.
   Geography    Yemen Top of Page
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: 527,968 sq km
land: 527,968 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:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
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: 2.91%
permanent crops: 0.25%
other: 96.84% (2005)
Irrigated land:
6,800 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
4.1 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 6.63 cu km/yr (4%/1%/95%)
per capita: 316 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
sandstorms and dust storms in summer
volcanism: limited volcanic activity; Jebel at Tair (Jabal al-Tair, Jebel Teir, Jabal al-Tayr, Jazirat at-Tair) (elev. 244 m), which forms an island in the Red Sea, erupted in 2007 after awakening from dormancy; other historically active volcanoes include Harra of Arhab, Harras of Dhamar, Harra es-Sawad, and Jebel Zubair, although many of these have not erupted in over a century
Environment - current issues:
limited natural freshwater 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    Yemen Top of Page
Population:
24,771,809 (July 2012 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 43% (male 5,285,218/female 5,094,736)
15-64 years: 54.4% (male 6,666,600/female 6,459,414)
65 years and over: 2.6% (male 298,175/female 329,349) (2011 est.)
Median age:
total: 18.3 years
male: 18.3 years
female: 18.4 years (2012 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.575% (2012 est.)
Birth rate:
32.57 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)
Death rate:
6.82 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)
Urbanization:
urban population: 32% of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization: 4.6% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Major cities - population:
SANAA (capital) 2.229 million (2009)
Sex ratio:
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: 0.9 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2011 est.)
Maternal mortality rate:
200 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
Infant mortality rate:

total: 53.5 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 57.99 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 48.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 64.11 years
male: 62.05 years
female: 66.27 years (2012 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.45 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Health expenditures:
5.6% of GDP (2009)
Physicians density:
0.3 physicians/1,000 population (2009)
Hospital bed density:
0.7 beds/1,000 population (2009)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
12,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2009)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
43.1% (2003)
Nationality:
noun: Yemeni(s)
adjective: Yemeni
Ethnic groups:
predominantly Arab; but also Afro-Arab, South Asians, Europeans
Religions:
Muslim (Islam - official) including Shaf'i (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shia), small numbers of Jewish, Christian, and Hindu
Languages:
Arabic (official)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 63.9%
male: 81.2%
female: 46.8% (2010 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 9 years
male: 11 years
female: 7 years (2005)
Education expenditures:
5.2% of GDP (2008)
   Government    Yemen Top of Page
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]
Government type:
republic
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:
20 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah) and 1 municipality*; Abyan, 'Adan (Aden), Ad Dali', Al Bayda', Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Al Mahrah, Al Mahwit, Amanat al 'Asimah (Sanaa City)*, 'Amran, Dhamar, Hadramawt, Hajjah, Ibb, Lahij, Ma'rib, Raymah, Sa'dah, San'a' (Sanaa), Shabwah, Ta'izz
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]); 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)
National holiday:
Unification Day, 22 May (1990)
Constitution:
16 May 1991; amended 29 September 1994 and February 2001
Legal system:
mixed legal system of Islamic law, English common law, and customary law
International law organization participation:
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Abd Rabuh Mansur HADI (Field Marshal) (since 25 February 2012); vice president (vacant)
head of government: Prime Minister Muhammad Salim BA SINDWAH (since 27 November 2011)
cabinet: on 27 November 2011, Vice President HADI requested Interim Prime Minister Muhammad Salim BA SINDWAH to form a new government following the resignation of President SALIH on 24 November
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term based on constitution; however a special election was held on 21 February 2012 to remove Ali Abdallah SALIH based on a GCC-mediated deal during the political crisis of 2011 (next election to be held in 2014); vice president appointed by the president; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president
election results: Abd al-Rabuh Mansur HADI elected as a consensus president with about 50% popular participation; no other candidates
Legislative branch:
bicameral legislature consisting of a Shura Council (111 seats; members appointed by the president) and House of Representatives (301 seats; members elected by popular vote in single-member constituencies to serve six-year terms)
elections: last held on 27 April 2003 (scheduled April 2009 election postponed for two years)
election results: House of Representatives percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - GPC 238, Islah 47, YSP 6, Nasserite Unionist Party 3, National Arab Socialist Ba'th Party 2, independents 5
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
General People's Congress or GPC [Abdul-Kader BAJAMMAL]; Islamic Reform Grouping or Islah [Muhammed Abdallah AL-YADUMI]; Nasserite Unionist Party [Abd al-Malik al-MAKHLAFI]; National Arab Socialist Ba'th Party [Dr. Qasim SALAM]; Yemeni Socialist Party or YSP [Yasin Said NU'MAN]; note - there are at least seven more active political parties
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Muslim Brotherhood; Women National Committee
other: conservative tribal groups; Huthis, southern secessionist groups; al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
International organization participation:
AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Adel Ali Ahmed ALSUNAINI
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 Gerald M. FEIERSTEIN
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; the band colors derive from the Arab Liberation flag and represent oppression (black), overcome through bloody struggle (red), to be replaced by a bright future (white)
note: 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
National symbol(s):
golden eagle
National anthem:

name: "al-qumhuriyatu l-muttahida" (United Republic)
lyrics/music: Abdullah Abdulwahab NOA'MAN/Ayyoab Tarish ABSI
note: adopted 1990; the music first served as the anthem for South Yemen before unification with North Yemen in 1990
   Economy    Yemen Top of Page
Economy - overview:
Yemen is a low income country that is highly dependent on declining oil resources for revenue. Petroleum accounts for roughly 25% of GDP and 70% of government revenue. Yemen has tried to counter the effects of its declining oil resources by diversifying its economy through an economic reform program initiated in 2006 that is designed to bolster non-oil sectors of the economy and foreign investment. In October 2009, Yemen exported its first liquefied natural gas as part of this diversification effort. In January 2010, the international community established the Friends of Yemen group that aims to support Yemen's efforts toward economic and political reform, and in August 2010 the IMF approved a three-year $370 million program to further this effort. Despite these ambitious endeavors, Yemen continues to face difficult long term challenges, including declining water resources and a high population growth rate.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$58.71 billion (2011 est.)
$65.58 billion (2010 est.)
$60.89 billion (2009 est.)
note: data are in 2011 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$33.68 billion (2011 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
-10.5% (2011 est.)
7.7% (2010 est.)
3.9% (2009 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$2,300 (2011 est.)
$2,700 (2010 est.)
$2,600 (2009 est.)
note: data are in 2011 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 7.9%
industry: 42.2%
services: 49.9% (2011 est.)
Labor force:
7.03 million (2011 est.)
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
Unemployment rate:
35% (2003 est.)
Population below poverty line:
45.2% (2003)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.9%
highest 10%: 30.8% (2005)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
37.7 (2005) 33.4 (1998)
Investment (gross fixed):
17.2% of GDP (2011 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $7.304 billion
expenditures: $10.62 billion (2011 est.)
Taxes and other revenues:
21.7% of GDP (2011 est.)
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):
-9.9% of GDP (2011 est.)
Public debt:
39.4% of GDP (2011 est.) 36% of GDP (2010 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
20% (2011 est.) 11.2% (2010 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
NA%
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
25% (31 December 2011 est.) 25% (31 December 2010 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$4.645 billion (31 December 2011 est.) $3.679 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Stock of broad money:
$10.17 billion (31 December 2011 est.) $10.13 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Stock of domestic credit:
$6.637 billion (31 December 2011 est.) $6.183 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
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; natural gas production
Industrial production growth rate:
9% (2010 est.)
Electricity - production:
6.153 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
4.646 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2009 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2009 est.)
Oil - production:
258,800 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Oil - consumption:
157,000 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Oil - exports:
207,700 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Oil - imports:
64,610 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Oil - proved reserves:
3 billion bbl (1 January 2011 est.)
Natural gas - production:
520 million cu m (2009 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
100 million cu m (2009 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
420 million cu m (2009 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2009 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
478.5 billion cu m (1 January 2011 est.)
Current account balance:
-$1.708 billion (2011 est.) -$1.468 billion (2010 est.)
Exports:
$7.588 billion (2011 est.) $7.718 billion (2010 est.)
Exports - commodities:
crude oil, coffee, dried and salted fish, liquefied natural gas
Exports - partners:
China 27.3%, Thailand 12.4%, India 10.9%, South Korea 9.8%, Japan 5.6%, US 5.4%, South Africa 4.5%, UAE 4.3% (2011)
Imports:
$8.262 billion (2011 est.) $8.701 billion (2010 est.)
Imports - commodities:
food and live animals, machinery and equipment, chemicals
Imports - partners:
UAE 18.5%, China 11.6%, Saudi Arabia 8.7%, Kuwait 6.5%, India 6.4%, France 4.6%, US 4.1% (2011)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$4.37 billion (31 December 2011 est.) $5.942 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Debt - external:
$6.613 billion (31 December 2011 est.) $6.578 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$NA
Exchange rates:
Yemeni rials (YER) per US dollar -213.8 (2011 est.), 219.59 (2010 est.), 202.85 (2009), 199.76 (2008), 199.14 (2007)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
   Communications    Yemen Top of Page
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.046 million (2009)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
11.085 million (2009)
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, GSM and CDMA 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
Broadcast media:
state-run TV with 2 stations; state-run radio with 2 national radio stations and 5 local stations; stations from Oman and Saudi Arabia can be accessed (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 6, FM 1, shortwave 2 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
7 (plus several low-power repeaters) (1997)
Internet country code:
.ye
Internet hosts:
33,279 (2010)
Internet users:
2.349 million (2009)
   Transportation    Yemen Top of Page
Airports:
57 (2012)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 17
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2012)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 40
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 16
under 914 m: 9 (2012)
Pipelines:
gas 423 km; liquid petroleum gas 22 km; oil 1,367 km (2010)
Roadways:
total: 71,300 km
paved: 6,200 km
unpaved: 65,100 km (2005)
Merchant marine:
total: 5
by type: chemical tanker 2, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1
registered in other countries: 14 (Moldova 4, Panama 4, Sierra Leone 2, Togo 1, unknown 3) (2010)
Ports and terminals:
Aden, Al Hudaydah, Al Mukalla
Transportation - note:
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; the presence of several naval task forces in the Gulf of Aden and additional anti-piracy measures on the part of ship operators reduced the incidence of piracy in that body of water by more than half in 2010
   Military    Yemen Top of Page
Military branches:
Army, Navy (includes Marines), Yemen Air Force (includes Air Defense Force; Al Quwwat al Jawwiya al Yemeniya), Republican Guard Forces, Yemeni Special Operations Forces (YSOF) (2012)
Military service age and obligation:
voluntary military service program authorized in 2001; 2-year service obligation (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 5,652,256
females age 16-49: 5,387,160 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 4,056,944
females age 16-49: 4,116,895 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 287,141
female: 277,612 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
6.6% of GDP (2006)
Military-note:
a Coast Guard was established in 2002
   Transnational Issues    Yemen Top of Page
Disputes-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
Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 179,845 (Somalia)
IDPs: at least 550,000 (Sa'ada conflict; clashes between AQAP and Government forces) (2012)

This page was last updated on 14 May 2009


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