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Republic of Yemen

الجُمهورية اليَمَنية
al-Jumhūrīyah al-Yamanīyah
Emblem of Yemen
Emblem
Motto: الله، الوَطَن، الثَورة، الوَحدة   (Arabic)
"Allah, al-Watan, ath-Thawrah, al-Wahdah"  (transliteration)
"God, Country, Revolution, Unity"
Anthem: "United Republic"
Location of Yemen
Capital Sana‘a
Official languages Arabic
Demonym(s) Yemeni, Yemenite
Government Unitary parliamentary republic
Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi
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
• Per capita
$2,306
GDP (nominal) 2011 estimate
• Total
$33.675 billion
• Per capita
$1,340
HDI (2011) Increase 0.462
low · 154th
Currency Yemeni rial (YER)
Time zone UTC+3
Driving side right
Calling code 967
ISO 3166 code YE
Internet TLD .ye

The Republic of Yemen or 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

Yemen-map
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".

Division Capital City Population
2004 Census
Population
2006 est.
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 Kosmah 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. Arabic is the official language.

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

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

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.

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Yemen para niños

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