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Further Reading

Geography

The Republic of Yemen lies at the southwestern tip of the Arabian Peninsula between longitude 12 and 20 north and between 14 and 54 east. Total land area is about 555,000 Km2 (excluding the Empty Quarter). Yemen is bordered by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the north, the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean in the south, the Red Sea in the west and the Sultanate of Oman in the east.

Diversity and mountains characterize Yemen's landscape. A chain of high and low mountains and terrain overlook coastal plains. Yemen features low lands, coastal plains and green valleys of running water during rainy seasons. The vast desert of Yemen extends to the east and north (especially northeast) of the country. The natural topography of Yemen is divided into five different regions: the coastal region, the highlands, the mountains, the Empty Quarter and Yemeni Islands. In the Arabian sea, there are a number of Yemeni Islands close to one another. The largest and most famous one is Socatra Island which enjoys abundant and rare fauna and flora.

The ancient Greek and Roman geographers were in the habit of dividing Arabia into three great provinces,-Arabia Felix, Arabia Petrea, and Arabia Deserta : the first nearly corresponding to the modern Yemen, but including Mahra, and Hadramaut; the second the modern Hejaz ; and the third extending north-east from Arabia Felix as far as the Euphrates. These divisions, however, were purely arbitrary, and neither known to nor recognised by the inhabitants of the country.

Some oriental authors included the whole peninsula within the two provinces of Yemen and Hejaz, while others have divided it into five, namely, Yemen, Hejaz, Nejd, the Tehama, and Yemama. Hadramaut, Mahra, Shehr, and Oman have also been reckoned independent provinces by some, while many include them in the two great divisions, Yemen and Hejaz.

Yemen Proper forms the southern portion of the Arabian peninsula. It is bounded on the south by that portion of the Indian Ocean known as the Gulf of Aden; on the west by the Red Sea; on the north by the Hejaz and the Desert of Ahkaf; and on the east by the province of Hadramaut. It is naturally separated into two divisions,-the low country, styled the Tehama, which is parallel to the sea coast; and the Interior, or mountainous region between it and the Great Arabian Desert. The former, which signifies a warm or maritime region,-f- is the tract intervening between the mountains and the sea; it extends in length from the Gulf of Akaba to the Straits of Bab-el-Mandeb, and is divided into two portions, the Tehamas of the Hejaz and of Yemen.

This district has few perennial springs, but is watered in some places by mountain torrents, which, descending from the high land, flow during the greater portion of the year, and in the beds of which, even in seasons of the greatest drought, water can be obtained by digging a few feet below the surface of the ground. It is not unusual in the Tehama for whole years to pass without any rain, save a few gentle showers, and in such cases the hill torrents are absorbed long ere they reach the sea; but the heavy dews are usually sufficient to refresh the parched soil, and prevent an absolute famine. Here cereals and vegetables are produced in tolerable abundance, but the soil is not well suited for the growth of fruit.

Parallel to the sea coast are a number of islands, and a multitude of coral reefs and islets. The mountainous region comprehends the finest and most fertile parts of the peninsula, and forms a striking contrast to the arid and sandy plains which occur on the littoral of the Red Sea. It extends over the crest and slopes of the great mountain chain which traverses the country in a south-easterly direction, increasing in elevation towards the south, and, from the abundance of its grain, coffee, vines, and fruits, and all the productions which constitute the chief wealth of an agricultural country, as well as from its salubrious climate and abundance of water, it has well merited the title of "Happy."

Even though Yemen is considered among countries of high temperature due to the sun shining on it most of the year, the diversity of Yemen's topography has led to diversity in climatic conditions. The climate in the coastal region is characterized by high temperature with humidity during the summer and moderate weather during winter. The interior and mountainous region is rather moderate during summer and cold during winter. Moderate temperature prevails in the highlands and western plains where temperature ranges between 10-30 degrees and dropping below zero during winter. Humidity could reach 80% with rainfall between 300 mm and more than 1000 mm a year. The climate is different in the dry eastern region where temperatures reach 40 degrees during the summer and drop to 10-15 degrees during the winter with rainfall not more than 50-100 mm, especially at the far lands of the Empty Quarter. Between these two regional climates, there is a 'transitional' climate which extends from north and east of Sana'a to the western borders of Mareb. These areas are affected by monsoon wind coming from the east and with climate dropping from the west accompanied by rain during the summer and less rain during the winter.