At a Glance

Official Name: Republic of Yemen

Continent: Asia

Area: 203,850 square miles (527,970 sq. km)

Population: 18,078,035

Capital City: Sana'a

Largest City: Sana'a (972,000)

Unit of Money: Yemeni rial

Major Languages: Arabic

Natural Resources: Petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble, small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper, fertile soil in west

The Place

Yemen is located in southwestern Asia on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. Yemen's coasts are formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. It is separated from Africa by the narrow strait of Bab el Mandeb. Saudi Arabia and Oman also border Yemen.

Yemen has several islands, including Socotra, located in the Indian Ocean; Perim, in the Bab el Mandeb; and Kamaran, in the Red Sea.

Yemen covers about 203,850 square miles (527,970 square kilometers) and Sana'a is Yemen's capital and largest city.

The Republic of Yemen was created in 1990 from the unification of the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR) and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY).

Average temperatures in Yemen range from about 80°F (27°C) in June to about 57°F (14°C) in January. During summer months, monsoons are common. The average rainfall in the highlands varies from 8 to 30 inches (303 to 762 mm), and on the coast it varies from 3 to 9 inches (76 to 229 mm). The west and south coasts are flat, while the inland areas have cliffs and hills. The Rub al Khali desert extends from Yemen into Saudi Arabia.

The People

Most of Yemen's people are ethnic Arabs, although there also small groups of Africans, South Asians, and Europeans living there. Thousands of refugees from the conflict in Somalia moved to Yemen in the early 1990s.

Virtually all inhabitants of northern Yemen have homes and do not move from place to place like nomads. Housing in Yemen varies from region to region, from African-style circular reed huts to stone or mud-brick houses with multiple stories. A small number of nomadic people live on the edge of the desert. Although Yemen society has traditionally been characterized by a social system with caste-like groups, this structure is breaking down.

Nearly all Yemenis speak Arabic. Because of Yemen's rugged terrain, widely separated population centers, and less-developed transportation and communications, however, several dialectical differences have formed.

Yemen's native population is almost entirely Muslim, with small communities of Christians, Jews, and Hindus. Life expectancy is 55 years.

Education

Yemen's constitution guarantees all citizens the right to an education, but the system still fails to reach a large part of the population, especially above the primary grades.

Public schools are located in larger towns and cities, while children in most rural areas attend Islamic religious schools.

Only 38% of Yemen's adult population is literate.

Secondary schools in Yemen put many students into Sana'a University and the University of Aden.

Popular Culture/Daily Life

Yemeni tribesmen a jambiyya, or curved dagger, in a scabbard on a wide belt. Men also often wear one of several types of skirts rather than pants, and a straw hat or headcloth. They sometimes wear Western-style clothing as well. Yemeni women wear robes, shawls, and veils, which vary greatly from region to region.

The most important Yemeni social custom is the "qat session," an afternoon gathering where men and women socialize separately while they chew mildly narcotic leaves from the qat plant. Most men and many women "chew qat" at least twice a week.

The Yemeni diet includes rice, bread, vegetables, fish, and lamb. A spicy green stew called salta is one of Yemen's most popular dishes.

Yemeni crafts workers have long been famous for their weaving, leatherwork, and ironwork.