2005 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: for electoral and administrative purposes, the capital city of Sanaa is treated as an additional governorate

Age structure

0-14 years: 46.5% (male 4,905,831/female 4,727,177) 15-64 years: 50.8% (male 5,364,711/female 5,172,811) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 274,166/female 282,367) (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products

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

Airports

44 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

16 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 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

28 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 under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.) Military Yemen

Area

land

527,970 sq km

total

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

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

43.07 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$4.568 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)

revenues

$4.251 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

former

Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]

local long form

Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah

local short form

Al Yaman

Currency (code)

Yemeni rial (YER)

Currency code

YER

Current account balance

$369.9 million (2004 est.)

Death rate

8.53 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$5.4 billion (2004 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Thomas C. KRAJESKI

embassy

Saawan Street, Sanaa

FAX

[967] (1) 303-160/161/162/164/165

mailing address

P. O. Box 22347, Sanaa

telephone

[967] (1) 303-151 through 159

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

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

chief of mission

Ambassador Abd al-Wahab Abdallah al-HAJRI

FAX

[1] (202) 337-2017

telephone

[1] (202) 965-4760

Disputes - international

Yemen protests Eritrea fishing around the Hanish Islands awarded to Yemen by the ICJ in 1999; despite resistance from nomadic groups, the demarcation of the Saudi Arabia-Yemen boundary established under the 2000 Jeddah Treaty is almost complete; Yemen protests Saudi erection of a concrete-filled pipe as a security barrier in 2004 to stem illegal cross-border activities in sections of the boundary

Distribution of family income - Gini index

33.4 (1998)

Economic aid - recipient

$2.3 billion (2003-07 disbursements) (2003-07 disbursements)

Economy - overview

Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arab world, has reported strong growth since 2000, but its economic fortunes depend mostly on oil. 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. Yemen has worked to maintain tight control over spending and to implement additional components of the IMF program, but a high population growth rate and internal political dissension complicate the government's task. Plans include a diversification of the economy, encouragement of tourism, and more efficient use of scarce water resources.

Electricity - consumption

2.827 billion kWh (2002 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - production

3.04 billion kWh (2002 est.)

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, 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

Ethnic groups

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

Exchange rates

Yemeni rials per US dollar - 184.78 (2004), 183.45 (2003), 175.63 (2002), 168.67 (2001), 161.72 (2000)

Executive branch

cabinet

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

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)

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

$4.468 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

crude oil, coffee, dried and salted fish

Exports - partners

Thailand 33.8%, China 30.3%, Singapore 7.8% (2004)

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 - composition by sector

agriculture

15.5%

industry

44.7%

services

39.7% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $800 (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

1.9% (2004 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$16.25 billion (2004 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

12,000 (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 3% highest 10%: 25.9% (2003)

Imports

$3.734 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities

food and live animals, machinery and equipment, chemicals

Imports - partners

UAE 12.2%, Saudi Arabia 9.7%, China 8.8%, France 7.3%, India 4.4%, US 4.4%, Kuwait 4.2% (2004)

Independence

22 May 1990 (Republic of Yemen 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 had become independent in November of 1918 (from the Ottoman Empire) and South Yemen had become independent on 30 November 1967 (from the UK)

Industrial production growth rate

3% (2003 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; commercial ship repair

Infant mortality rate

female

56.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

male

66.26 deaths/1,000 live births

total

61.5 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

12.2% (2004 est.)

International organization participation

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

Internet country code

.ye

Internet hosts

138 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (2000)

Internet users

100,000 (2002) Transportation Yemen

Investment (gross fixed)

16.1% of GDP (2004 est.)

Irrigated land

4,900 sq km (1998 est.)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Labor force

5.98 million (2004 est.)

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

2.78%

other

96.98% (2001)

permanent crops

0.24%

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 228, Islah 47, YSP 7, Nasserite Unionist Party 3, National Arab Socialist Ba'th Party 2, independents 14

elections

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

Life expectancy at birth

female

63.71 years (2005 est.)

male

59.89 years

total population

61.75 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

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49: 4,058,223 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49: 2,790,705 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually

males

236,517 (2005 est.)

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

16.56 years (2005 est.)

male

16.53 years

total

16.54 years

Merchant marine

by type

cargo 1, chemical tanker 1, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1

registered in other countries

2 (2005)

total

5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 19,766 GRT/24,794 DWT

Military - note

a Coast Guard was established in 2002 Transnational Issues Yemen

Military branches

Army (includes Special Forces), Naval Forces and Coastal Defenses (includes Marines), Air Force (includes Air Defense Forces), Republican Guard (2002)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$885.5 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

7.8% (2003)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2004)

National holiday

Unification Day, 22 May (1990)

Nationality

adjective

Yemeni

noun

Yemeni(s)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

480 billion cu m (2004)

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 (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption

78,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports

370,300 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - imports

NA

Oil - production

417,500 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

4 billion bbl (2004 est.)

Pipelines

gas 88 km; oil 1,174 km (2004)

Political parties and leaders

there are more than 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]; Nasserite Unionist Party [Abdel Malik al-MAKHLAFI]; National Arab Socialist Ba'th Party [Dr. Qassim SALAAM]; 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, represents the remnants of the former South Yemeni leadership; leaders of the 1994 secessionist movement have been pardoned by President SALIH and some are now returning to Yemen from exile

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Population

20,727,063 (July 2005 est.)

Population below poverty line

45.2% (2003)

Population growth rate

3.45% (2005 est.)

Ports and harbors

Aden, Nishtun

Public debt

46.4% of GDP (2004 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 6, FM 1, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios

1.05 million (1997)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin)

60,901 (Somalia) (2004) This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005 ======================================================================

Religions

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

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$5.3 billion (2004 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female

total population

1.04 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

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

country code - 967; 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

542,200 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular

411,100 (2002)

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

6.67 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate

35% (2003 est.)