2003 Edition

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

there may be one additional governorate of the capital city of Sanaa

Age structure

0-14 years: 46.8% (male 4,606,110; female 4,446,229) 15-64 years: 50.4% (male 4,972,946; female 4,778,034) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 272,921; female 273,641) (2003 est.)

Agriculture - products

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

Airports

44 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m

3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1

total

16

under 914 m

1 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways

over 3,047 m

2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 11

total

28

under 914 m

4 (2002) Military Yemen

Area

land

527,970 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)

total

527,970 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming

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. Geography Yemen

Birth rate

43.23 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$3.1 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2001 est.)

revenues

$3 billion

Capital

Sanaa

Climate

mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east

Coastline

1,906 km

Constitution

16 May 1991; amended 29 September 1994 and February 2001

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Yemen

conventional short form

Yemen

local long form

Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah

local short form

Al Yaman

Currency

Yemeni rial (YER)

Currency code

YER

Death rate

9.04 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Debt - external

$6.2 billion (2002)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Edmund J. HULL

embassy

Dhahar Himyar Zone, Sheraton Hotel District, Sanaa

mailing address

P. O. Box 22347, Sanaa

telephone

[967] (1) 303-161

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Abd al-Wahhab Abdallah al-HAJRI

Disputes - international

Eritrea protests Yemeni fishing around the Hanish islands awarded to Eritrea by the ICJ in 1999; nomadic groups in border region with Saudi Arabia resist demarcation of boundary This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

Distribution of family income - Gini index

33.4 (1998)

Economic aid - recipient

$2.3 billion to be disbursed 2003-07 (2003-07 disbursements)

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 has been harmed by periodic declines in oil prices. Yemen has embarked on an IMF-supported structural adjustment program designed to modernize and streamline the economy, which has led to substantial foreign debt relief and restructuring. International donors, meeting in Paris in October 2002, agreed on a further $2.3 billion economic support package. Yemen has worked to maintain tight control over spending and implement additional components of the IMF program. A high population growth rate and internal political dissension complicate the government's task.

Electricity - consumption

2.8 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

3.01 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

100%

hydro

0%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,760 m

lowest point

Arabian Sea 0 m

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

Ethnic groups

predominantly Arab; but also Afro-Arab, South Asians, Europeans

Exchange rates

Yemeni rials per US dollar - NA (2002), 168.67 (2001), 161.72 (2000), 155.72 (1999), 135.88 (1998)

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister

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)

election results

Ali Abdallah SALIH elected president; percent of vote - Ali Abdallah SALIH 96.3%, Najib Qahtan AL-SHAABI 3.7%

elections

president elected by direct, popular vote for a seven-year term (recently extended from a five-year term by constitutional amendment); 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

head of government

Prime Minister Abd al-Qadir BA JAMAL (since 4 April 2001)

Exports

$3.4 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities

crude oil, coffee, dried and salted fish

Exports - partners

India 21.1%, Thailand 16.9%, South Korea 11.2%, China 11.1%, Malaysia 7.7%, US 6.7%, Singapore 4% (2002)

FAX

[1] (202) 337-2017

[967] (1) 303-182

chancery

Suite 705, 2600 Virginia Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037

telephone

[1] (202) 965-4760

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Yemen

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

GDP

purchasing power parity - $15.07 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

22%

industry

38%

services

40% (2001)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $800 (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

4.1% (2002 est.)

Geographic coordinates

15 00 N, 48 00 E

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

Government type

republic

Highways

paved

7,705 km

total

67,000 km

unpaved

59,295 km (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

9,900 (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

25.9% (1998)

lowest 10%

3%

Imports

$2.9 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities

food and live animals, machinery and equipment, chemicals

Imports - partners

US 10.4%, Saudi Arabia 9.5%, China 8.7%, UAE 6.9%, Russia 5.8%, France 4.7% (2002)

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)

Industrial production growth rate

4% (2002 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

Infant mortality rate

female

59.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)

male

69.98 deaths/1,000 live births

total

65.02 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

12.2% (2002 est.)

International organization participation

ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)

Internet country code

.ye

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (2000)

Internet users

17,000 (2002) Transportation Yemen

Irrigated land

4,900 sq km (1998 est.)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

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

Land boundaries

border countries

Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km

total

1,746 km

Land use

arable land

2.75%

other

97.04% (1998 est.)

permanent crops

0.21%

Languages

Arabic

Legal system

based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common law, and local tribal customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

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)

election results

percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - GPC 238, Islah 46, YSP 8, Nasserite Unionist Party 3, National Arab Socialist Baath Party 2, independents 4

elections

last held 27 April 2003 (next to be held NA April 2009)

Life expectancy at birth

female

62.87 years (2003 est.)

male

59.16 years

total population

60.97 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

30% (2003 est.) Government Yemen

male

70.5%

total population

50.2%

Location

Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia

Map references

Middle East

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

Median age

female

16.4 years (2002)

male

16.4 years

total

16.4 years

Merchant marine

convenience

Hong Kong 2 (2002 est.)

note

includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of

ships by type

cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 1

total

5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 18,623 GRT/23,752 DWT

Military - note

establishment of a Coast Guard, scheduled for May 2001, has been delayed Transnational Issues Yemen

Military branches

Army (includes Special Forces, established in 1999), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Forces, Republican Guard

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$482.5 million (FY01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

5.2% (FY01)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49

4,443,312 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49

2,493,612 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - military age

14 years of age (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males

249,292 (2003 est.)

National holiday

Unification Day, 22 May (1990)

Nationality

adjective

Yemeni

noun

Yemeni(s)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

480 billion cu m (37257)

Natural hazards

sandstorms and dust storms in summer

Natural resources

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

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption

74,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA (2001)

Oil - imports

NA (2001)

Oil - production

438,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

3.2 billion bbl (37257)

Pipelines

gas 88 km; oil 1,174 km (2003)

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, 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

Population

19,349,881 (July 2003 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA

Population growth rate

3.42% (2003 est.)

Ports and harbors

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

Radio broadcast stations

AM 6, FM 1, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios

1.05 million (1997)

Railways

0 km

Religions

Muslim including Shaf'i (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shi'a), small numbers of Jewish, Christian, and Hindu

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

1.04 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

under 15 years

1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1 male(s)/female

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Telephone system

domestic

the national network consists of microwave radio relay, cable, tropospheric scatter, and GSM cellular mobile telephone systems

general assessment

since unification in 1990, efforts have been made to create a national telecommunications network

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

Telephones - main lines in use

291,359 (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular

32,042 (2000)

Television broadcast stations

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

Televisions

470,000 (1997)

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

Total fertility rate

6.82 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate

30% (1995 est.)

Waterways

none