Yemen

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Yemen

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name Al-Jumhuriyya al Yamaniyya/Republic of Yemen Area 531,900 sq km/205,366 sq mi Capital San'a Language Arabic (official) Religion Sunni Muslim 63%, Shiite Muslim 37% Time difference GMT +3 Major holidays 1 May, 26 September; variable: Eid-ul-Adha (5 days), end of Ramadan (4 days), New Year (Muslim), Prophet's Birthday


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Aden, Ta'izz, Al Mukalla, Hodeidah, Ibb, Dhamar Major ports Aden Physical features hot, moist coastal plain, rising to plateau and desert Airports six international airports; domestic services operate between these; total passengers carried: 844,000 (2003 est) Railways none Roads total road network: 67,000 km/41,632 mi, of which 11.5% paved (1999 est); passenger cars: 47.5 per 1,000 people (1998)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state Ali Abdullah Saleh from 1990 Head of government Ali Muhammad Mujawar from 2007 Political system emergent democracy Political executive limited presidency Administrative divisions 17 governorates Political parties General People's Congress (GPC), left of centre; Yemen Socialist Party (YSP), left wing; Yemen Reform Group (al-Islah), Islamic, right of centre; National Opposition Front, left of centre Death penalty retained and used for ordinary crimes Armed forces 66,700; plus 40,000 reservists and paramilitary forces of 71,200 (2006 est) Conscription military service is compulsory for two years Defence spend (% GDP) 6.3 (2004 est) Education spend (% GDP) 9.5 (2002 est) Health spend (% GDP) 1.5 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency riyal GDP (US$) 14.5 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 3.9 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 12.7 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 920 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 15.5% (2006 est) Unemployment 35% (2003 est) Labour force 53% agriculture, 11% industry, 36% services (2003) Foreign debt (US$) 5.4 billion (2005 est) Major trading partners China, United Arab Emirates, Chile, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Japan, Kuwait, USA, India Resources petroleum, natural gas, gypsum, salt; deposits of copper, gold, lead, zinc, molybdenum Industries petroleum refining and petroleum products, building materials, food processing, beverages, tobacco, chemical products, textiles, leather goods, metal goods Exports petroleum and petroleum products, food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment, basic manufactures, raw materials. Principal market: China 37.3% (2005) Imports machinery and transport equipment, food and live animals, textiles and other manufactured consumer goods, petroleum products, food and live animals, cement, chemicals. Principal source: United Arab Emirates 13.4% (2005) Arable land 2.9% (2006 est) Agricultural products sorghum, sesame, millet, potatoes, tomatoes, cotton, wheat, grapes, watermelons, coffee, alfalfa, dates, bananas; livestock rearing; fishing


POPULATION

Population 21,639,400 (2006 est) Population growth rate 3.1% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 41 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 26 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 46%, 15–59 50%, 60+ 4% (2005 est) Ethnic groups predominantly Arab; some of mixed Afro-Arab origin; small Asian and European communities Life expectancy 61 (men); 64 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 111 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 9 Literacy rate 70% (men); 29% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 2.2 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 0.6 (2002 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 0.1 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 74 (urban); 68 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 3.9 (2005est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 9.5 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 64 (1997) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 336 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 1.5 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 0.9 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

1st millennium BC South Yemen (Aden) divided between economically advanced Qataban and Hadramawt kingdoms. c. 5th century BC Qataban fell to the Sabaeans (Shebans) of North Yemen (Sana). c. 100 BC–AD 525 All of Yemen became part of the Himyarite kingdom. AD 628 Islam introduced. 1174–1229 Under control of Egyptian Ayyubids. 1229–1451 ‘Golden age’ for arts and sciences under the Rasulids, who had served as governors of Yemen under the Ayyubids. 1538 North Yemen came under control of Turkish Ottoman Empire. 1636 Ottomans left North Yemen and power fell into hands of Yemeni Imams, based on local Zaydi tribes, who also held South Yemen until 1735. 1839 Aden became a British territory. Port developed into an important ship refuelling station after opening of Suez Canal in 1869; protectorate was gradually established over 23 Sultanates inland. 1870s The Ottomans re-established control over North Yemen. 1918 North Yemen became independent, with Imam Yahya from the Hamid al-Din family as king. 1937 Aden became a British crown colony. 1948 Imam Yahya assassinated by exiled Free Yemenis nationalist movement, but the uprising was crushed by his son, Imam Ahmad. 1959 Federation of South Arabia formed by Britain between city of Aden and feudal Sultanates (Aden Protectorate). 1962 Military coup on death of Imam Ahmad; North Yemen declared Yemen Arab Republic (YAR), with Abdullah al-Sallal as president. Civil war broke out between royalists (supported by Saudi Arabia) and republicans (supported by Egypt). 1963 Armed rebellion by National Liberation Front (NLF) began against British rule in Aden. 1967 Civil war ended with republicans victorious. Sallal deposed and replaced by Republican Council. The Independent People's Republic of South Yemen was formed after the British withdrawal from Aden. Many fled to the north as the repressive communist NLF regime took over in south. 1970 People's Republic of South Yemen renamed People's Democratic Republic of Yemen. 1971–72 War between South Yemen and YAR; union agreement brokered by Arab League signed but not kept. 1974 The pro-Saudi Col Ibrahim al-Hamadi seized power in North Yemen; Military Command Council set up. 1977 Hamadi assassinated; replaced by Col Ahmed ibn Hussein al-Ghashmi. 1978 Constituent people's assembly appointed in North Yemen and Military Command Council dissolved. Ghashmi killed by envoy from South Yemen; succeeded by Ali Abdullah Saleh. War broke out again between two Yemens. South Yemen president deposed and executed; Yemen Socialist Party (YSP) formed in the south by communists. 1979 Ceasefire agreed with commitment to future union. 1986 Civil war in South Yemen; autocratic head of state Ali Nasser dismissed. New administration formed under more moderate Haydar Abu Bakr al-Attas; committed to negotiating union with the north because of deteriorating economy in the south. 1989 Draft multiparty constitution for single Yemen state published. 1990 Border between two Yemens opened; countries formally united on 22 May as Republic of Yemen. Ali Abdullah Saleh, president of North Yemen since 1978, appointed president of new unified Yemen. 1991 New constitution approved; Yemen opposed US-led operations against Iraq in Gulf War. 1992 Antigovernment riots. 1993 Saleh's General People's Congress (GPC) won most seats in general election but no overall majority; five-member presidential council elected, including Saleh as president, YSP leader Ali Salim al-Baidh as vice-president, and Bakr al-Attas as prime minister. 1994 Fighting erupted between northern forces, led by President Saleh, and southern forces, led by Vice-President al-Baidh, as southern Yemen announced its secession. Saleh inflicted crushing defeat on al-Baidh and new GPC coalition appointed. 1998 New government headed by Abdul Ali al-Rahman al-Iryani. 1999 In first popular elections for presidency, Ali Abdullah Saleh, president for 21 years, elected. 2000 Terrorist suicide bomb attack on US destroyer USS Cole killed 17 crew members. 2001 Abdel Qadir Bajamal replaced al-Iryani as prime minister. 2002 French supertanker Limburg suffered extensive damage in explosion off southeast coast of Yemen; one crew member killed; widely believed terrorist attack. 2003 In parliamentary elections General People Congress, led by President Saleh, retained power with over two-thirds of seats in Assembly of Representatives. 2004 Government troops battled supporters of dissident Shia cleric Hussein al-Houthi in north; estimates of death toll ranged from 80 to more than 600. Fifteen men sentenced on terrorist charges, including the 2002 bombing of Limburg. Government forces claimed killing of rebel leader al-Houthi. 2005 Renewed fighting between government forces and supporters of al-Houthi killed more than 200 people. At least 36 people reported killed across country in clashes between police and demonstrators protesting against cut in fuel subsidies. 2006 Amnesty released more than 600 followers of al-Houthi. President Saleh re-elected. Clashes in north between government forces and al-Houthi rebels continued. Rebel leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi accepted ceasefire. Suicide bomber attacked tourist convoy in Marib province; seven Spaniards and two Yemenis killed.


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