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NAVIGATION
Republic of Yemen
Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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North Yemen became independent of the Ottoman Empire in 1918. The British, who had set up a protectorate area around the southern port of Aden in the 19th century, withdrew in 1967 from what became South Yemen. Three years later, the southern government adopted a Marxist orientation. The massive exodus of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis from the south to the north contributed to two decades of hostility between the states. The two countries were formally unified as the Republic of Yemen in 1990. A southern secessionist movement in 1994 was quickly subdued. In 2000, Saudi Arabia and Yemen agreed to a delimitation of their border. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia |
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Geographic coordinates:
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15 00 N, 48 00 E |
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Map references:
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Middle East |
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Area:
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total: 527,970 sq km
land: 527,970 sq km note: includes Perim, Socotra, the former Yemen Arab Republic (YAR or North Yemen), and the former People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY or South Yemen) water: 0 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 1,746 km
border countries: Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km |
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Coastline:
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1,906 km |
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Maritime claims:
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contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 NM |
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Climate:
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mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east |
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Terrain:
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narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged mountains; dissected upland desert plains in center slope into the desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m
highest point: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,760 m |
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Natural resources:
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petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble, small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper, fertile soil in west |
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Land use:
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arable land: 2.75%
permanent crops: 0.21% other: 97.04% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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4,900 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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sandstorms and dust storms in summer |
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Environment - current issues:
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very limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban |
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Geography - note:
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strategic location on Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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19,349,881 (July 2003 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 46.8% (male 4,606,110; female 4,446,229)
15-64 years: 50.4% (male 4,972,946; female 4,778,034) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 272,921; female 273,641) (2003 est.) |
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Median age:
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total: 16.4 years
male: 16.4 years female: 16.4 years (2002) |
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Population growth rate:
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3.42% (2003 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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43.23 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Death rate:
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9.04 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 65.02 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 59.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) male: 69.98 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 60.97 years
male: 59.16 years female: 62.87 years (2003 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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6.82 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.1% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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9,900 (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA |
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Nationality:
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noun: Yemeni(s)
adjective: Yemeni |
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Ethnic groups:
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predominantly Arab; but also Afro-Arab, South Asians, Europeans |
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Religions:
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Muslim including Shaf'i (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shi'a), small numbers of Jewish, Christian, and Hindu |
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Languages:
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Arabic |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 50.2% male: 70.5% female: 30% (2003 est.) |