The Peoples Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen) and the Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) unified in May of 1990 to form the Republic of Yemen (ROY).
Yemen is the poorest country of the Arabian peninsula. With declining financial and natural resources, it is a leading candidate for state failure in the immediate years ahead. Poverty coupled with high population growth aggravates many of Yemen's problems, fuelling widespread disenchantment and increasing tribal tensions.
Oil resources are declining, with a negative impact on the country's income and limit the government's ability to influence internal processes. Existing oil reserves, which provide a substantial fraction of government revenues, will be depleted within the next few years.
Water scarcity poses a severe challenge to economic growth and development. The water crisis is characterized by a depletion of groundwater, so that economic activity may become unsustainable in some areas.
Khat is chewed by an estimated that up to 90% of adult males, three to four hours daily. Between 1970 and 2000, the area devoted to khat cultivation ballooned from 8000 to 103 000 hectares in Yemen. Nearly 60% of the land cultivated for cash crops is devoted to khat growing. It is estimated that between 27-30% of Yemen's ground water goes into khat irrigation.
Corruption is pervasive, and precludes effective govenment response to these challenges. Yemen earned a low 2.7 rating on Transparency International's 2005 Corruption Perceptions Index, placing it 103 out of 159 countries surveyed.
Tribes remain among the most influential institutions in Yemen. Yemen remains a deeply fragmented society, divided along tribal lines, with a long history of internal armed conflict and civil war. Yemen is not so much at risk of state failure as it is a case of the failure of state formation.
Ali Abdullah Saleh has been Yemen's only president since the country was formed in 1990.
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Land
Area
527,970 sq km (203,797 sq mi) Coastline
1,906 km (1,184 nm)
Red Sea, Gulf of Aden
Religion
Muslim (Zaydi-Shia majority)
(Shaf’i-Sunni minority) Minor presence of Christian, Jewish and Hindu
Nationality
Yemeni
Type of Government
Republic
Key Leaders: President,
Vice President and Prime
Minister
Time
+ 3 hours Coordinated Universal Time
+ 8 hours Eastern Standard Time |
Population
16,387,963 (July 1998 est.)
23 million (2008 est.),
Growth rate: 3.31% (July 1998 est.)Literacy
38%
Major Cities and
Population
(Est. 1992)
Capital: Sanaa 926,595
Aden 400,783
Taiz 290,107
Hodeida 246,068
Al Hudaydah 155,100
International Airports
Aden, Al Hayadah, Ta’izz, Sanaa
Language
Official Language: Arabic
English is widely understood |
Economy
Currency Denomination: Yemeni Riyal (YR):
$1 = 124.09 YR (1998)
GDP $31.8 billion (1997 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): $26.91 billion (2008 est.)
GDP (purchasing power parity): $55.41 billion (2008 est.)
Budget: revenues: $9.243 billion
expenditures: $10.36 billion (2008 est.)
GDP Per capita: $2,300 (1997 est.)
US$ 600 (Nominal - 2006 estimate), US$ 2,300 (PPP - 2007 estimate)
Real growth: 5.0% (1997 est.)
Exports: $2.3 billion (f.o.b., 1997 est.)
Commodities: Crude oil, cotton, coffee, vegetables, dried and salted fish.
Imports: $2.3 billion (f.o.b., 1997 est.)
Commodities: Textiles, manufactured consumer goods, petroleum products, sugar, grain,
fruits, foodstuffs, cement, machinery, and chemicals Unemployment: 30% (1995) Agriculture:
Accounts for about 15% of GDP and over half of the labor force. Products include grain,
vegetables, fruits, qat, coffee, cotton, dairy products, poultry, meat, fish. |
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