May 2011
The Republic of Yemen, located on the Arabian Peninsula, is 527,970 sq. km. (slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming). North Yemen became independent of the Ottoman Empire in 1918. South Yemen was created when the British withdrew in 1967. The two countries were formally unified as the Republic of Yemen in 1990.
Yemen has an estimated population of 22,230,531 (July 2007). It's capital city, Sanaa has an estimated 2.229 million residents; other major cities include: Aden, Taiz, Hodeida, and al-Mukalla. The overall population of Yemen is predominantly Arab, but also includes: Afro-Arab, South Asians, and Europeans.
Yemen borders Saudi Arabia and Oman. Its terrain consists of a mountainous interior bordered by desert with a flat and sandy coastal plain. Its climate is temperate in the mountainous regions in the western part of the country, extremely hot with minimal rainfall in the remainder of the country, and humid on the coast. The natural resources of Yemen include: petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble; small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper. Natural hazards facing Yemen include: sandstorms and dust storms in summer, with minimal volcanic activity. The southern tip of Yemen borders Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes.
CIA World Factbook; U.S. State Department Background Notes, 5/2011; 11/2010
This map has also been used:
- Yemen, January 2010