Islamic countries

Islamic countries

REPUBLIC OF YEMEN
AL JUMHURIYAH AL YAMANIYAH

General Information

Total Land Area:	527,970 km²
Land Boundaries:	1,746 km
Coastline:	1,906 km
Capital:	Sanaa
Other Large Cities:	Aden, Ta’izz, Al-Hudaydah
Official Language:	Arabic
National Currency Unit:	Yemeni Riyal (YER)
National Day:	May 22

Location and Geography

Yemen is located in the Southwestern part of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia in the North, Oman in the East, the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea in the South and the Red Sea in the West. To the East of the highland interior, the terrain slopes down to the sandy wastes of the deserts of inner Arabia, the “Empty Quarter”. The mountain nearby is the highest between East Africa and Iran. The terrain is made up of a narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged mountains. The climate is mostly desert, hot and humid along the West coast and temperate on the mountains as a result of seasonal monsoons.

Demography

Population:	19.90 million (2002)
Crude Birth Rate:	41 per thousand people (2002)
Crude Death Rate:	10 per thousand people (2002)
Infant Mortality Rate:	83 per thousand (2002)
Life Expectancy:	Male: 56 years, Female: 58 years (2002)
Urban Population:	25.0 percent (2002)
Adult Literacy:	47.70 percent (2001)

Economy

The economy is based on agriculture, fishing and mining. Main agricultural products are millet, corn, cotton, wheat, barley and sorghum. The fishing industry is being encouraged. The natural resources of the country are crude oil, rock salt, marble, lead, zinc, and nickel. The discovery of oil is the most significant development. There is also a traditional handicraft industry of fine textiles, jewellery, leatherwork, carpets and glass in Yemen.

GDP at Current Market Prices:	10270 million US$ (2002)
Per Capita GDP:	516 US$ (2002)
Share of Sectors in GDP:	15.0% Agriculture, 40.0% Industry, 45.0% Services, (2002)
Total Exports:	3025 million US$ (2002)
Total Imports:	2870 million US$ (2002)
Major Exports Items:	Crude oil, hides, skins, cotton, coffee, dried and salted fish
Major Imports Items:	Machinery and equipment, manufactured goods, live animals, wheat and sugar
Major Trading Partners:	China, Thailand, UAE, Saudi Arabia and South Korea