Yemen

Republic of Yemen
الجُمهورية اليَمَنية
*al-Jumhūrīyah al-Yamanīyah*
Republic of Yemen الجُمهورية اليَمَنية ; al-Jumhūrīyah al-Yamanīyah
	Flag Emblem
	Motto: الله، الوَطَن، الثَورة، الوَحدة (Arabic); "Allah, al-Watan, ath-Thawrah, al-Wahdah" (transliteration); "God, Country, Revolution, Unity"
	Anthem: الجمهورية المتحدة ; al-Jomhuriyah al-Mottaḥedah; "United Republic"
Capital and largest city	Sana'a
Official languages	Arabic
Demonym(s)	Yemeni, Yemenite
Government	Unitary parliamentary republic
• President	Rashad al-Alimi
• Prime Minister	Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed
Legislature	Assembly of Representatives
Establishment
• North Yemen independence from the Ottoman Empire	1 November 1918
• South Yemen independence from the United Kingdom	30 November 1967
• Unification	22 May 1990
• The Yemeni Revolution	27 January 2011
Area
• Total	527,970 km2 (203,850 sq mi) (50th)
• Water (%)	negligible
Population
• 2011 estimate	25,130,000 (46th)
• April 2011 census	25,130,000
• Density	44.7/km2 (115.8/sq mi) (160th)
GDP (PPP)	2011 estimate
• Total	$57.966 billion[1]
• Per capita	$2,306[1]
GDP (nominal)	2011 estimate
• Total	$33.675 billion[1]
• Per capita	$1,340[1]
HDI (2011)	0.462[2]; low · 154th
Currency	Yemeni rial (YER)
Time zone	UTC+3
Driving side	right[3]
Calling code	967
ISO 3166 code	YE
Internet TLD	.ye

Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen is a nation in the Middle East. It is the old North Yemen and South Yemen, in the south of the Arabian Peninsula. It borders Saudi Arabia and Oman on the north and the east. To the south is the Guardafui Channel and Gulf of Aden, and to the west is the Red Sea. Yemen owns the island of Socotra (217 miles) to the south off the coast of East Africa. A person or thing from Yemen is called Yemeni. Yemen's capital city is Sana'a.

Yemen is the origin land of all Arabs in the Middle East. In ancient times, Yemen was an important center of trade and power. Many powerful kingdoms were in Yemen, including the Sabaeans. Yemen was important in the trade of spices as well. It was known to the ancient Romans as Arabia Felix ("Happy Arabia" in Latin). They called it Happy Arabia because the area was so beautiful and powerful.

In the 700s, Yemenis were among the first to join the new religion Islam. Since then, Yemenis have been staunch Muslims who were in the forefront of all Islam conquests. Men whose ancestors came from Yemen ruled Al-Andalus (Muslim Spain) for centuries. The Ottoman Empire took control of North Yemen, and the British Empire took South Yemen, in the early 20th century. The two parts were united in 1990 and later fought civil wars. The latest one started in 2015. Some famous people including former President Ali Abdullah Saleh were killed, and thousands died of hunger.

Today, Yemen has over 20 million people. Most of them speak Arabic.

Geography

Map of Yemen

Yemen is in Western Asia. It is on the southern half of the Arabian Peninsula. A number of Red Sea islands, including the Hanish Islands, Kamaran, and Perim, as well as Socotra in the Arabian Sea, belong to Yemen. Many of the islands are volcanic. For example, Jabal al-Tair had a volcanic eruption in 2007 and before that in 1883. The highest point in Yemen is Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb.

Economy

Yemen is one of the poorest and least developed countries in the Arab World. There is a 35% unemployment rate, which means only 35 out of every 100 people in the labor force don't have a job.

Government

As a result of the 2011–2012 Yemeni uprising, the constitution of Yemen was rewritten. New elections were to be held in 2014. Some areas are controlled by armed militant groups. On 23 January 2015, the President, Prime Minister and Cabinet resigned. War continued, with Saudi Arabia and Iran supporting different sides.

Governorates

As of February 2004, Yemen is divided into twenty governorates and one municipality called "Amanat Al-Asemah".[4]

Division	Capital City	Population 2004 Census [5]	Population 2006 est.[6]	Key
'Aden	Aden	589,419	634,710	1
'Amran	'Amran	877,786	909,992	2
Abyan	Zinjibar	433,819	454,535	3
Ad-Dali'	Ad Dali'	470,564	504,533	4
Al Bayda'	Al Bayda'	577,369	605,303	5
Al Hudaydah	Al-Hudaydah	2,157,552	2,300,179	6
Al Jawf	Al-Jawf	443,797	465,737	7
Al-Mahrah	Al-Ghaydah	88,594	96,768	8
Al-Mahwit	Al-Mahweet	494,557	523,236	9
Amanat Al-Asemah	Sana'a	1,747,834	1,947,139	10
Dhamar	Dhamar	1,330,108	1,412,142	11
Hadhramaut	Al-Mukalla	1,028,556	1,092,967	12
Hajjah	Hajjah	1,479,568	1,570,872	13
Ibb	Ibb	2,131,861	2,238,537	14
Lahij	Lahij	722,694	761,160	15
Ma'rib	Ma'rib	238,522	251,668	16
Raymah	ElJabeen	394,448	418,659	17
Sa'dah	Sa`dah	695,033	746,957	18
Sana'a	Sana'a	919,215	957,798	19
Shabwah	Ataq	470,440	494,638	20
Taiz	Taiz	1,121,000	2,513,003	21

The governorates are divided into 333 districts. The districts are divided into 2,210 sub-districts, and then into 38,284 villages (as of 2001).

Demographics

Yemen has about 24 million people according to June 2011 estimates. 46% of the people are under 15 years old. Yemenis are mainly of Arab origin.[7] Arabic is the official language.

Religion in Yemen is mostly of two main Islamic religious groups; 53% of the Muslim population is Sunni[8] and 45% is Shiite according to the UNHCR.[8][9]

According to 2009 estimates, life expectancy in Yemen is 63.27 years.[7]

Sport

Football is the most popular sport in Yemen. The Yemen national football team competes in the FIFA and the AFC leagues. The country also hosts many football clubs that compete in the national or international leagues.

Yemen's mountains have many opportunities for outdoor sports, such as rock climbing, hill climbing, skiing, and hiking. The coast of Yemen and Socotra island have opportunities for water sports, such as surfing, sailing, swimming, and scuba diving. Socotra island is one of the best surfing places in the world.

Yemen's biggest sports event was hosting the 2010 Gulf Cup of Nations.

References

"Yemen". International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
"Human Development Report 2011" (PDF). The United Nations. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
"Yemen". International News Safety Institute. Archived from the original on 5 May 2010. Retrieved 14 October 2009.
Governorates of Yemen.
Central Statistical Organisation of Yemen. General Population Housing and Establishment Census 2004 Final Results Archived 2013-05-21 at the Wayback Machine, Statistic Yearbook 2005 of Yemen Archived 2010-06-20 at the Wayback Machine
"Statistic Yearbook 2006 of Yemen". Archived from the original on 26 February 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
"CIA World Factbook". CIA. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2008.
UNHRC – Yemen: The conflict in Saada Governorate – analysis
Merrick, Jane; Sengupta, Kim (20 September 2009). "Yemen: The land with more guns than people". London: independent.co.uk. Retrieved 21 March 2010.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[imf2-1] "Yemen". International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 24 April 2012.

[HDI-2] "Human Development Report 2011" (PDF). The United Nations. Retrieved 18 October 2011.

[3] "Yemen". International News Safety Institute. Archived from the original on 5 May 2010. Retrieved 14 October 2009.

[4] Governorates of Yemen.

[5] Central Statistical Organisation of Yemen. General Population Housing and Establishment Census 2004 Final Results Archived 2013-05-21 at the Wayback Machine, Statistic Yearbook 2005 of Yemen Archived 2010-06-20 at the Wayback Machine

[6] "Statistic Yearbook 2006 of Yemen". Archived from the original on 26 February 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2010.

[CIA-7] "CIA World Factbook". CIA. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2008.

[UNHRC-8] UNHRC – Yemen: The conflict in Saada Governorate – analysis

[9] Merrick, Jane; Sengupta, Kim (20 September 2009). "Yemen: The land with more guns than people". London: independent.co.uk. Retrieved 21 March 2010.