Country Overview (Yemen)

Location

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

Gography

• Formerly divided into two nations, the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen and the Yemen Arab Republic. The Republic of Yemen occupies the southwest tip of the Arabian Peninsula on the Red Sea opposite Ethiopia and extends along the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula on the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Saudi Arabia is to the north and Oman is to the east. The country is about the size of France. A 700-mile narrow coastal plain in the south gives way to a mountainous region and then a plateau area.

• Area: 527,970 sq. km. (203,796 sq. mi.); about the size of California and Pennsylvania combined.

• Cities: Capital--Sanaa. Other cities--Aden, Taiz, Hodeida, and al-Mukalla.

• Terrain: Mountainous interior bordered by desert with a flat and sandy coastal plain.

• Climate: Temperate in the mountainous regions in the western part of the country, extremely hot with minimal rainfall in the remainder of the country. Humid on the coast.

Population

• 23,822,783 (July 2009 est.)

•  Population growth rate: 3.453% (2009 est.) 

• 23,495,361 (growth rate: 2.7%); infant mortality rate: 56.7/1000; life expectancy: 63.4; density per sq mi: 109(2010 est.)

• 22,230,531.(July 2007 est.)

 

Current Government Type

•  republic

 Political state

• Takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic , where the President of Yemen  is the head state, while the Prime Minister of Yemen  is the head of government.

Education and Literacy rates

• Education in Yemen was very much biased as because of the gender difference, which was prevalent in Yemen. Education was mostly imparted to boys at the religious schools where children were only asked to remember the Koran. However, the education system in Yemen started to improve only after the northern and southern regions of Yemen united.

• Education in Yemen consists of basic education (9 years) and secondary education (9 years). There were about 2,699,788 students and 90,478 teachers in Yemen in the year 1997. The students received Intermediate School Certificate after nine years of their schooling. Secondary schooling continues for 3 years. After passing the Secondary school examination.
• Yemen education provides scope for higher studies as well. Students enroll themselves at the universities, which takes a total of 4 years for completion. However, the time taken to complete medical studies and engineering is about 5 to 6 years.

• Attendance (2004 est.)--80% for boys at the primary level and 50% for girls. Attendance was 55% for boys at the secondary level and 22% for girls. Literacy (2004 est.)--50% overall, including 70% of males, 30% of females.

• Yemen’s illiteracy rate is set to decrease substantially in the coming years, particularly because the number of adults attending literacy classes has risen over the past few years.

• The rate of illiteracy has decreased from 56 percent in 1994 to 45.7 percent in 2004,” said Ahmed Abdullah, head of the Department for Erasing Illiteracy at the Ministry of Education. “In 2006, there were 128,080 people attending literacy classes nationwide, while in 2001 the number was only 66, 151.” 

• The study period at the literacy centres is two years, which is equivalent to reaching grade four at primary school. Students can also study for a third year, after which they can immediately join grade seven at school, according to Abdullah. 

 Languages

• Arabic 

Religions 

• The dominating religion is Islam.

• Among the religious groups in Yemen, majority of the population is comprised of Muslims. Other religions in Yemen are Christianity and Hinduism.

• Shaf’i (Sunni), Zaydi (Shia), and a small but growing number of Salafi (Sunni). Additionally, there are a small number of Jews, Christians, and Hindus.

 Birth rates

• Birth rate: 42.42 births/1,000 population (2008 est.) 

• Birth rate: 34.3/1000

Death rates

• Death rate: 7.83 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Life expectancy

• Total population: 63.74 years

• Male: 61.7 years

• Female: 65.87 years (2011 est. )

Ethnic groups

• Arab

• Afro-Arab, South Asians, European

Legal  system

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

Suffrage (Voting rights)

• 18 years of age; universal

Unemployment rate

• 35% (2003 est.)

Population below poverty line

• 45.2% (2003)

• Rank:35 

Industries

• Basically aim at the maximization  profits. In the northern part of Yemen, the key industry is based on food processing. Apart from this, the other major Yemen Industries are based on textiles, jewelry, building materials and glass making. It is assumed that the tea suppliers occupy a significant position in the market of Yemen and the Yementon Tea is the most popular one among the residents of Yemen. It has acquired a high reputation in the Yemeni market.

• The food companies and factories of Yemen are situated around 20 Km south of the Yemen capital city of Sana. While talking about the industries in Yemen, their traditional handicraft industry also needs to be mentioned. In the past, this industry gained high popularity for its quality products. Leatherwork, utensils, swords, carpets, daggers and decorative materials are also produced here for the domestic and commercial purposes.

•  Cotton industry tried to enhance the economic growth of the country. Recently the tourism industry is also flourishing in Yemen.

Communications

• Telephones - main lines in use: 968,300 (2006)

• Telephones - mobile cellular: 2.978 million (2006)

• Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 1, shortwave 2 (1998)

• Internet

• Television broadcast stations

• 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

Military service

• Military branches: Army (includes Republican Guard), Navy (includes Marines), Yemen Air Force (Al Quwwat al Jawwiya al Jamahiriya al Yemeniya; includes Air Defense Force) (2008)

• 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: 5,080,038 and females age 16-49: 4,852,555 (2008 est.)

• Manpower fit for military service: males age 16-49: 3,733,704 and females age 16-49: 3,773,626 (2009 est.)

• Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually: male: 273,624 and female: 263,402 (2009 est.)

• Military expenditures: 6.6% of GDP (2006)

• Military - note: a Coast Guard was established in 2002

 

Transnational issues

• 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): 91,587 (Somalia) (2007)

Yemen

• Yemen is a country in the middle-east surrounded by Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea. The country is mostly covered with deserts.

Flag

• Three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; 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.

Transportation

• Airports: 50 (2007)

•  Airports - with paved runways: total: 17

• Pipelines: gas 96 km; liquid petroleum gas 22 km; oil 1,367 km (2008)

•  Roadways: total: 71,300 km

• paved: 6,200 km and  unpaved: 65,100 km (2005)

• Merchant marine: total: 4

•  Registered in other countries: 13

• 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.

Culture

• Yemen is a culturally rich country with influence from many civilizations, such as the early civilization of Sheba.

Economy

• Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arab world, reported average annual growth in the range of 3-4% from 2000 through 2007. In 2008, growth dropped below 3% as the price of oil declined and the slowing global economy reduced demand for oil. Yemen's economic fortunes depend mostly on declining oil resources, but the country is trying to diversify its earnings. In 2006 Yemen began an economic reform program designed to bolster non-oil sectors of the economy and foreign investment. As a result of the program, international donors pledged about $5 billion for development projects. A liquefied natural gas facility is scheduled to open in 2009. Yemen has limited exposure to the international financial system and no capital markets, however, the global financial crisis probably will reduce international aid in 2009.

If you need more information you can go to this link: 

www.CIA World Factbook.com 

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