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 YEMEN

 

  

 

  

 PROFILE
 

Official Name
 

Geography
  People
  Government
  Economy
  History
  Principal Government Officials
  Travel & Business Information
  Useful Links
     
 

OFFICIAL NAME:

Republic of Yemen

 

GEOGRAPHY:

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.

 

PEOPLE:

Nationality: Noun and adjective--Yemeni(s).
Population (2004 est.): 19.8 million.
Annual growth rate: 3%.
Ethnic group: Predominantly Arab.
Religions: Islam, small numbers of Jews, Christians, and Hindus.
Language: Arabic.
Education: 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.)--49% overall, including 30% of females.
Health: Infant mortality rate--82/1,000 live births. Life expectancy--58 years.
Work force (by sector): Agriculture--53%; public services--17%; manufacturing--4%; construction--7%; percentage of total population--25%.

 

GOVERNMENT:

Type: Republic; unification (of former south and north Yemen): May 22, 1990.
Constitution: Adopted May 21, 1990 and ratified May 1991.
Branches: Executive--president, and prime minister with cabinet. Legislative--bicameral legislature with 111-seat Shura Council and 301-seat House of Representatives. Judicial--the constitution calls for an independent judiciary. The former northern and southern legal codes have been unified. The legal system includes separate commercial courts and a Supreme Court based in Sanaa.
Administrative subdivisions: 18 governorates subdivided into districts.
Main political parties: General People's Congress (GPC), Yemeni Grouping for Reform (Islah), Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP)
Suffrage: Universal over 18.
National holiday: May 22 (Unity Day).

 

ECONOMY:

GDP (2004 est.): $12.8 billion.
Per capita GDP (2004 est.): $646.46.
Natural resources: Oil, natural gas, fish and seafood, rock salt, minor deposits of coal and copper.
Agriculture (est. 14.3% of GDP): Products--qat (a shrub containing a natural amphetamine), coffee, cotton, fruits, vegetables, cereals, livestock and poultry. Arable land (est.)--3%.
Industry (est. 66% of GDP): Types--petroleum refining, mining, wholesale and retail trade, transportation, manufacturing, and construction.
Trade: Exports (2004)--$3.9 billion: crude petroleum, refined oil products, seafood, fruits, vegetables, hides, tobacco products. Major markets--China, Thailand, India South Korea, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates. Imports (2004)--$3.9 billion: petroleum products, cereals, feed grains, foodstuffs, machinery, transportation equipment, iron, sugar honey. Major suppliers--United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United States, India, China, France, Switzerland.
Exchange rate (4th quarter, 2005): Market rate 182.55 rials per U.S. $1. The Yemeni rial (YR) floats freely based on an average of foreign currencies. Since the floating of the YR, the market usually reflects the official rate of exchange.

 

HISTORY:
  Yemen was one of the oldest centers of civilization in the Near East. Between the 12th century BC and the 6th century AD, it was part of the Minaean, Sabaean, and Himyarite kingdoms, which controlled the lucrative spice trade, and later came under Ethiopian and Persian rule. In the 7th century, Islamic caliphs began to exert control over the area. After this caliphate broke up, the former north Yemen came under control of Imams of various dynasties usually of the Zaidi sect, who established a theocratic political structure that survived until modern times. (Imam is a religious term. The Shi’ites apply it to the prophet Muhammad's son-in-law Ali, his sons Hassan and Hussein, and subsequent lineal descendants, whom they consider to have been divinely ordained unclassified successors of the prophet.)

Egyptian Sunni caliphs occupied much of north Yemen throughout the 11th century. By the 16th century and again in the 19th century, north Yemen was part of the Ottoman Empire, and in some periods its Imams exerted control over south Yemen.

 

PRINCIPAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS:

President--Ali Abdullah Saleh
Vice President--Abd Al-Rab Mansur Hadi
Prime Minister--Abd al-Qadir Bajjamal
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance--Alawi Salah al-Salami
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning and International Cooperation--Ahmad Muhammed Abdullah al-Sofan

 

TRAVEL & BUSINESS INFORMATION:

 

Following are are the top 10 tips you need to make your trip easier:


1. Make sure you have a signed, valid passport and visas, if required. Also, before you go, fill in the emergency information page of your passport!

2. Read the Consular Information Sheets (and Public Announcements or Travel Warnings, if applicable) for the countries you plan to visit.

3. Familiarize yourself with local laws and customs of the countries to which you are travelling. While in a foreign country, you are subject to its laws.

4. Make 2 copies of your passport identification page. This will facilitate replacement if your passport is lost or stolen. Leave one copy at home with friends or relatives. Carry the other with you in a separate place from your passport.

5. Leave a copy of your itinerary with family or friends at home so that you can be contacted in case of an emergency.

6. Do not leave your luggage unattended in public areas. Do not accept packages from strangers.

7. You should register with the nearest embassy or consulate of your country. Registration will make your presence and whereabouts known in case it is necessary to contact you in an emergency. Remember to leave a detailed itinerary and the numbers or copies of your passport or other citizenship documents with a friend or relative in your own country.

8. To avoid being a target of crime, try not to wear conspicuous clothing and expensive jewelry and do not carry excessive amounts of money or unnecessary credit cards.

9. In order to avoid violating local laws, deal only with authorized agents when you exchange money or purchase art or antiques.

10. If you get into trouble, contact the nearest embassy of your country.

 

USEFUL LINKS:

 
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