Yemen
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Geography
Area 531,869 sq.km. Mountainous south and south-western portion of the Arabian Peninsula and also the Indian Ocean island of Socotra.
| Year | Population | Ann.Gr. | Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 18,112,066 | +3.81% | 34 per sq. km. |
| 2010 | 25,366,187 | +3.32% | 48 per sq. km. |
| 2025 | 38,985,203 | +2.66% | 73 per sq. km. |
Capital Sana’a 1,400,000. Other major city: Aden 630,000. Urbanites 24%.
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Peoples
Arab 95%. Over 1,700 clans and tribes. Also: Sudanese 300,000; Omani 120,000; Iraqi 70,000.
Immigrant and Refugee communities 4.3%. Somali 670,000; South Asian 76,000; Ethiopian 8,000; Eritrean 8,000.
Other 0.7%. Mahri 80,000; Soqotri 40,000.
Literacy 43% (only 23% for women). Official language Arabic. All languages 7. Languages with Scriptures 2Bi 2por.
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Economy
Agricultural and pastoral economy — the only part of the Arabian Peninsula with a significant rainfall. Oil provides 95% of foreign earnings. The expulsion of over 1 million Yemeni workers from Saudi Arabia in the 1990 Gulf War was a major blow to the economy. The poorest state in the Middle East. HDI 0.449; 148th/174. Public debt 93% of GNP. Income/person $380 (1.2% of USA).
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Politics
A turbulent history of wars and conquests. The North was part of the Ottoman Empire until 1918 and then an isolated feudal theocracy until the 1962 Egyptian-engineered republican revolution. Aden (the South) was ruled by Britain until independence in 1967. A Marxist coup ousted the traditional rulers and imposed a leftist regime. The two countries united in 1990 with the north as the dominant partner. A southern secessionist revolt in 1994 led to a northern victory. A strong presidential government with a measure of democracy.
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Religion
Islam is the official religion and the legal system is based on shari’a law. Sunni Islam 62% (in centre and south), Zaidi Shi’a 37% (in north-east), Ismaili 0.9%. Only freedom of religion for non-Muslims. Persecution index 5th in the world.
| Religions | Population | % Adherents |
|---|---|---|
| Muslim | 99.94 | 18,099,388 |
| Christian | 0.05 | 9,056 |
| Jewish | 0.01 | 1,000 |
| Christians | Denom. | Affil.% | ,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protestant | 1 | 0.00 | 0 |
| Independent | 2 | 0.00 | 1 |
| Anglican | 2 | 0.00 | 0 |
| Catholic | 1 | 0.03 | 6 |
| Orthodox | 2 | 0.02 | 3 |
| Marginal | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
| Churches | Cong. | Members | Affiliates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catholic | 4 | 1,100 | 5,500 |
| Orthodox [2] | 1,000 | 3,000 | |
| Anglican | 4 | 120 | 200 |
| Other denoms [4] | 4 | 774 | 1,244 |
| Total Christians [8] | 12 | 2,994 | 9,944 |
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Internet Links
- CIA World Factbook (http://www.cia.gov/) - Country profile, with only very brief information on religion or society. Brief, largely statistical information on geography, people, government, economy, and more.
- World Skip - Yemen (http://www.worldskip.com/region.asp?PartnerID=&RegionID=ye) - News, information, products and services from every nation on earth.
- Yemen Online (http://yol1.com) - An extensive commercial Web guide, with news.
- Republic of Yemen - Ministry of Information (www.yemeninfo.gov.ye) - News, government, pictures, links, general information. In English and Arabic.
- Yemen.On.Line (www.yemen-online.com)