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Communications

Internet country code [time series]

.ye

Internet users (Internet hosts) [time series]

138 (2004)

Internet users [time series]

100,000 (2002)

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 6, FM 1, shortwave 2 (1998)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

general assessment: since unification in 1990, efforts have been made to create a national telecommunications network domestic: the national network consists of microwave radio relay, cable, tropospheric scatter, and GSM cellular mobile telephone systems international: country code - 967; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 2 Arabsat; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and Djibouti

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones - main lines in use) [time series]

542,200 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

411,100 (2002)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

7 (plus several low-power repeaters) (1997)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

grain, fruits, vegetables, pulses, qat (mildly narcotic shrub), coffee, cotton; dairy products, livestock (sheep, goats, cattle, camels), poultry; fish

Budget [time series]

revenues: $3.729 billion expenditures: $4.107 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Yemeni rial (YER)

Exchange rates (Currency code) [time series]

YER

Current account balance [time series]

$157 million (2003)

Debt - external [time series]

$6.044 billion (2003)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income (Distribution of family income - Gini index) [time series]

33.4 (1998)

Economic aid (Economic aid - recipient) [time series]

$2.3 billion (2003-07 disbursements)

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arab world, reported strong growth in the mid-1990s with the onset of oil production. It has been harmed by periodic declines in oil prices, but now benefits from current high prices. Yemen has embarked on an IMF-supported structural adjustment program designed to modernize and streamline the economy, which has led to substantial foreign debt relief and restructuring. International donors, meeting in Paris in October 2002, agreed on a further $2.3 billion economic support package. Yemen has worked to maintain tight control over spending and to implement additional components of the IMF program. A markedly high population growth rate and internal political dissension complicate the government's task. Plans include a diversification of the economy, encouragement of tourism, and more efficient use of scarce water resources.

Electricity - consumption [time series]

2.8 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports [time series]

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports [time series]

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - production [time series]

3.01 billion kWh (2001)

Exchange rates [time series]

Yemeni rials per US dollar - NA (2003), 175.625 (2002), 168.672 (2001), 161.718 (2000), 155.718 (1999)

Exports [time series]

$3.92 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities [time series]

crude oil, coffee, dried and salted fish

Exports - partners [time series]

China 31.7%, Thailand 20.3%, India 15.6%, South Korea 4.9%, Malaysia 4.3% (2003)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $15.09 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP - composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 15.2% industry: 45% services: 39.7% (2003)

Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $800 (2003 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]

2.8% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: 3% highest 10%: 25.9% (2003)

Imports [time series]

$3.042 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities [time series]

food and live animals, machinery and equipment, chemicals

Imports - partners [time series]

UAE 12.9%, Saudi Arabia 10.2%, China 8.9%, US 4.9%, Kuwait 4.4%, France 4.1% (2003)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

3% (2003 est.)

Industries [time series]

crude oil production and petroleum refining; small-scale production of cotton textiles and leather goods; food processing; handicrafts; small aluminum products factory; cement

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

10.8% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed) [time series]

29.1% of GDP (2003)

Labor force [time series]

5.79 million (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

most people are employed in agriculture and herding; services, construction, industry, and commerce account for less than one-fourth of the labor force

Natural gas - consumption [time series]

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports [time series]

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports [time series]

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production [time series]

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves [time series]

480 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Oil - consumption [time series]

74,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports [time series]

NA (2001)

Oil - imports [time series]

NA (2001)

Oil - production [time series]

438,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - proved reserves [time series]

3.2 billion bbl (1 January 2002)

Population below poverty line [time series]

15.7% (2001)

Public debt [time series]

39.5% of GDP (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold (Reserves of foreign exchange & gold) [time series]

$5.009 billion (2003)

Unemployment rate [time series]

35% (2003 est.)

Geography

Area [time series]

total: 527,970 sq km land: 527,970 sq km water: 0 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)

Area - comparative [time series]

slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming

Climate [time series]

mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east

Coastline [time series]

1,906 km

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m highest point: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,760 m

Environment - current issues [time series]

very limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates [time series]

15 00 N, 48 00 E

Geography - note [time series]

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

Irrigated land [time series]

4,900 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 1,746 km border countries: Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 2.78% permanent crops: 0.24% other: 96.98% (2001)

Location [time series]

Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia

Map references [time series]

Middle East

Maritime claims [time series]

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Natural hazards [time series]

sandstorms and dust storms in summer

Natural resources [time series]

petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble, small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper, fertile soil in west

Terrain [time series]

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

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

19 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Abyan, 'Adan, Ad Dali', Al Bayda', Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Al Mahrah, Al Mahwit, 'Amran, Dhamar, Hadramawt, Hajjah, Ibb, Lahij, Ma'rib, Sa'dah, San'a', Shabwah, Ta'izz note: for electoral and administrative purposes, the capital city of Sanaa is treated as an additional governorate

Capital [time series]

Sanaa

Constitution [time series]

16 May 1991; amended 29 September 1994 and February 2001

Country name [time series]

conventional long form: Republic of Yemen conventional short form: Yemen local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah local short form: Al Yaman

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas C. KRAJESKI embassy: Saawan Street, Sanaa mailing address: P. O. Box 22347, Sanaa telephone: [967] (1) 303-151 through 159 FAX: [967] (1) 303-160/161/162/164/165

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Abd al-Wahhab Abdallah al-HAJRI chancery: Suite 705, 2600 Virginia Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 965-4760 FAX: [1] (202) 337-2017

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: President Ali Abdallah SALIH (since 22 May 1990, the former president of North Yemen, assumed office upon the merger of North and South Yemen); Vice President Maj. Gen. Abd al-Rab Mansur al-HADI (since 3 October 1994) head of government: Prime Minister Abd al-Qadir BA JAMAL (since 4 April 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister elections: president elected by direct, popular vote for a seven-year term (recently extended from a five-year term by constitutional amendment); election last held 23 September 1999 (next to be held NA 2006); vice president appointed by the president; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president election results: Ali Abdallah SALIH elected president; percent of vote - Ali Abdallah SALIH 96.3%, Najib Qahtan AL-SHAABI 3.7%

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; similar to the flag of Syria, which has two green stars and of Iraq which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt, which has a heraldic eagle centered in the white band

Government type [time series]

republic

Independence [time series]

22 May 1990 (Republic of Yemen established with the merger of the Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and the Marxist-dominated People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]); note - previously North Yemen had become independent in November of 1918 (from the Ottoman Empire) and South Yemen had become independent on 30 November 1967 (from the UK)

International organization participation [time series]

AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court

Legal system [time series]

based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common law, and local tribal customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch [time series]

a new constitutional amendment ratified on 20 February 2001 created a bicameral legislature consisting of a Shura Council (111 seats; members appointed by the president) and a House of Representatives (301 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) elections: last held 27 April 2003 (next to be held NA April 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - GPC 228, Islah 47, YSP 7, Nasserite Unionist Party 3, National Arab Socialist Ba'th Party 2, independents 14

National holiday [time series]

Unification Day, 22 May (1990)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

there are more than 12 political parties active in Yemen, some of the more prominent are: General People's Congress or GPC [President Ali Abdallah SALIH]; Islamic Reform Grouping or Islah [Shaykh Abdallah bin Husayn al-AHMAR]; National Arab Socialist Ba'th Party [Dr. Qassim SALAAM]; Nasserite Unionist Party [Abdel Malik al-MAKHLAFI]; Yemeni Socialist Party or YSP [Ali Salih MUQBIL] note: President SALIH's General People's Congress or GPC won a landslide victory in the April 1997 legislative election and no longer governs in coalition with Shaykh Abdallah bin Husayn al-AHMAR's Islamic Reform Grouping or Islah - the two parties had been in coalition since the end of the civil war in 1994; the YSP, a loyal opposition party, represents the remnants of the former South Yemeni leadership; leaders of the 1994 secessionist movement have been pardoned by President SALIH and some are now returning to Yemen from exile

Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Introduction

Background [time series]

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.

Military

Military - note [time series]

establishment of a Coast Guard, scheduled for May 2001, has been delayed

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

Army (including Special Forces), Naval Forces and Coastal Defenses (including Marines), Air Force (including Air Defense Forces), Republican Guard

Military expenditures - dollar figure [time series]

$885.6 million (2003)

Military expenditures (Military expenditures - percent of GDP) [time series]

7.9% (2003)

Military manpower - availability [time series]

males age 15-49: 4,617,064 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service [time series]

males age 15-49: 2,590,720 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - military age and obligation [time series]

18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2004)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually [time series]

males: 255,426 (2004 est.)

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 46.6% (male 4,751,776; female 4,582,277) 15-64 years: 50.6% (male 5,166,437; female 4,973,543) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 273,199; female 277,635) (2004 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

43.16 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate [time series]

8.78 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Ethnic groups [time series]

predominantly Arab; but also Afro-Arab, South Asians, Europeans

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]

0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]

9,900 (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

total: 63.26 deaths/1,000 live births male: 68.12 deaths/1,000 live births female: 58.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)

Languages [time series]

Arabic

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 61.36 years male: 59.53 years female: 63.29 years (2004 est.)

Literacy [time series]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 50.2% male: 70.5% female: 30% (2003 est.)

Median age [time series]

total: 16.5 years male: 16.5 years female: 16.5 years (2004 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun: Yemeni(s) adjective: Yemeni

Net migration rate [time series]

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Population [time series]

20,024,867 (July 2004 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

3.44% (2004 est.)

Religions [time series]

Muslim including Shaf'i (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shi'a), small numbers of Jewish, Christian, and Hindu

Sex ratio [time series]

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: 0.98 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

6.75 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international [time series]

Yemen protests Eritrea fishing around the Hanish Islands awarded to Yemen by the ICJ in 1999; nomadic groups in border region with Saudi Arabia resist demarcation of boundary in accordance wih 2000 Jeddah Treaty; Yemen protests Saudi erection of a concrete-filled pipe as a security barrier in 2004 to stem illegal cross-border activities in sections of the boundary

Refugees and internally displaced persons [time series]

refugees (country of origin): 60,901 (Somalia) (2004)

Transportation

Airports [time series]

44 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

total: 16 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]

total: 28 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 67,000 km paved: 7,705 km unpaved: 59,295 km (1999 est.)

Merchant marine [time series]

total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 19,766 GRT/24,794 DWT by type: cargo 1, livestock carrier 1, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: Hong Kong 2, Lebanon 1 registered in other countries: 5 (2004 est.)

Pipelines [time series]

gas 88 km; oil 1,174 km (2004)

Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]

Aden, Al Hudaydah, Al Mukalla, As Salif, Ras Issa, Mocha, Nishtun