1990 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1990 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
desert; extraordinarily hot and dry
Coastline
1,383 km
Comparative area
slightly larger than New Mexico
Contiguous zone
24 nm;
Continental shelf
edge of continental margin or 200 nm;
Disputes
sections of boundary with YAR indefinite or undefined; Administrative Line with Oman; no defined boundary with Saudi Arabia
Environment
scarcity of natural freshwater resources; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Extended economic zone
200 nm;
Land boundaries
1,699 km total; Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 830 km, YAR 581 km
Land use
1% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 27% meadows and pastures; 7% forest and woodland; 65% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Natural resources
fish, oil, minerals (gold, copper, lead)
Note
controls southern approaches to Bab el Mandeb linking Red Sea to Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes
Terrain
mostly upland desert plains; narrow, flat, sandy coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged mountains
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
332,970 km2; land area: 332,970 km2; includes Perim, Socotra
People and Society
Birth rate
48 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate
14 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Ethnic divisions
almost all Arabs; a few Indians, Somalis, and Europeans
Infant mortality rate
110 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Labor force
477,000; 45.2% agriculture, 21.2% services, 13.4% construction, 10.6% industry, 9.6% commerce and other (1983)
Language
Arabic
Life expectancy at birth
50 years male, 54 years female (1990)
Literacy
25%
Nationality
noun--Yemeni(s); adjective--Yemeni
Net migration rate
- 2 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Organized labor
348,200; the General Confederation of Workers of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen has 35,000 members
Population
2,585,484 (July 1990), growth rate 3.2% (1990)
Religion
Sunni Muslim, some Christian and Hindu
Total fertility rate
7.0 children born/woman (1990)
Government
Administrative divisions
6 governorates (muhafazat, singular--muhafazah); Abyan, Adan, Al Mahrah, Hadramawt, Lahij, Shabwah
Capital
Aden
Communists
NA
Constitution
31 October 1978
Diplomatic representation
none; the UK acts as the protecting power for the US in the PDRY
Elections
Supreme People's Council--last held 28-30 October 1986 (next to be held NA); results--YSP is the only party; seats--(111 total) YSP or YSP approved 111
Executive branch
president, prime minister, two deputy prime ministers, Council of Ministers
Flag
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a light blue, isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bearing a red five-pointed star
Independence
30 November 1967 (from UK)
Judicial branch
Federal High Court
Leaders
Chief of State--President Haydar Abu Bakr al-ATTAS (since 8 February 1986); Head of Government--Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) Dr. Yasin Said NUMAN (since 8 February 1986); Deputy Prime Minister Salih Abu Bakr bin HUSAYNUN (since 8 February 1986); Deputy Prime Minister Salih Munassir al-SIYAYLI (since 8 February 1986)
Legal system
based on Islamic law (for personal matters) and English common law (for commercial matters)
Legislative branch
unicameral Supreme People's Council
Long-form name
People's Democratic Republic of Yemen; abbreviated PDRY
Member of
Arab League, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, ITU, NAM, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
National Day, 14 October
Other political or pressure groups
NA
Political parties and leaders
only party--Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP) is a coalition of National Front, Bath, and Communist Parties
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
republic
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 13% of GNP and 45% of labor force; products--grain, qat (mildly narcotic shrub), coffee, fish, livestock; fish and honey major exports; most food imported
Aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-80), $4.5 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $241 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $279 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $2.2 billion
Budget
revenues $429 million; expenditures $976 million, including capital expenditures of $402 million (1988 est.)
Currency
Yemeni dinar (plural--dinars); 1 Yemeni dinar (YD) = 1,000 fils
Electricity
245,000 kW capacity; 600 million kWh produced, 240 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
Yemeni dinars (YD) per US$1--0.3454 (fixed rate)
Exports
$82.2 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--cotton, hides, skins, dried and salted fish; partners--Japan, YAR, Singapore
External debt
$2.25 billion (December 1989 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GNP
$1.2 billion, per capita $495; real growth rate 5.2% (1988 est.)
Imports
$598.0 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--grain, consumer goods, crude oil, machinery, chemicals; partners--USSR, Australia, UK
Industrial production
growth rate NA%
Industries
petroleum refinery (operates on imported crude oil); fish
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
2.8% (1987)
Overview
The PDRY is one of the poorest Arab countries, with a per capita GNP of about $500. A shortage of natural resources, a widely dispersed population, and an arid climate make economic development difficult. The economy has grown at an average annual rate of only 2-3% since the mid-1970s. The economy is organized along socialist lines, dominated by the public sector. Economic growth has been constrained by a lack of incentives, partly stemming from centralized control over production decisions, investment allocation, and import choices.
Unemployment rate
NA%
Communications
Airports
42 total, 29 usable; 7 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 11 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 10 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
8 major transport aircraft
Highways
11,000 km; 2,000 km bituminous, 9,000 km natural surface (est.)
Merchant marine
3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,309 GRT/6,568 DWT; includes 2 cargo, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker
Pipelines
refined products, 32 km
Ports
Aden, Al Khalf, Nishtun
Telecommunications
small system of open-wire, radio relay, multiconductor cable, and radio communications stations; 15,000 telephones (est.); stations--1 AM, no FM, 5 TV; satellite earth stations--1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Intersputnik, 1 ARABSAT; radio relay and tropospheric scatter to YAR
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy, Air Force, People's Militia, People's Police
Defense expenditures
NA
Military manpower
males 15-49, 544,190; 307,005 fit for military service