352 lines
28 KiB
Plaintext
352 lines
28 KiB
Plaintext
YEMEN
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 527,970 km2; land area: 527,970 km2; includes Perim,
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Socotra, the former Yemen Arab Republic (YAR or North Yemen), and
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the former People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY or South Yemen)
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Comparative area: slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming
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Land boundaries: 1,746 km total; Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km
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Coastline: 1,906 km
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Maritime claims:
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Contiguous zone: North--18 nm; South--24 nm;
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Continental shelf: North--200 meters (depth); South--edge of
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continental margin or 200 nm;
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Exclusive economic zone: North--no claim; South 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Disputes: undefined section of boundary with Saudi Arabia;
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Administrative Line with Oman
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Climate: desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in
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western mountains; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east
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Terrain: narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and
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rugged mountains; dissected upland desert plains in center slope into
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the desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula
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Natural resources: crude oil, fish, rock salt, marble; small
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deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper; fertile soil in west
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Land use: arable land 6%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and
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pastures 30%; forest and woodland 7%; other 57%; includes irrigated
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NEGL%
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Environment: subject to sand and dust storms in summer; scarcity of
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natural freshwater resources; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
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Note: controls Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the Red Sea and
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the Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes
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PEOPLE
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Population: 10,062,633 (July 1991), growth rate 3.2% (1991)
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Birth rate: 51 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 16 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: - 3 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 121 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 49 years male, 51 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 7.4 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Yemeni(s); adjective--Yemeni
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Ethnic divisions:
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North--Arab 90%, Afro-Arab (mixed) 10%;
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South--almost all Arabs; a few Indians, Somalis, and Europeans
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Religion:
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North--Muslim 100% (Sunni and Shia);
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South--Sunni Muslim, some Christian and Hindu
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Language: Arabic
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Literacy: 38% (male 53%, female 26%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1990 est.)
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Labor force:
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North--NA number of workers with agriculture and herding 70%, and
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expatriate laborers 30% (est.);
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South--477,000 with agriculture 45.2%, services 21.2%, construction
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13.4%, industry 10.6%, commerce and other 9.6% (1983)
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Organized labor:
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North--NA;
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South--348,200 and the General Confederation of Workers of the
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People's Democratic Republic of Yemen had 35,000 members
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Republic of Yemen
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Type: republic
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Capital: Sanaa
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Administrative divisions: 17 governorates (muhafazat,
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singular--muhafazah); Abyan, Adan, Al Bayda,
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Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Al Mahrah, Al Mahwit, Dhamar,
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Hadramawt, Hajjah, Ibb, Lahij, Marib, Sadah, Sana,
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Shabwah, Taizz
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Independence: Republic of Yemen was established on 22 May 1990
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with the merger of the Yemen Arab Republic {Yemen (Sanaa) or North
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Yemen} and the Marxist-dominated People's Democratic Republic of Yemen
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{Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen}; previously North Yemen had become
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independent on NA November 1918 (from the Ottoman Empire) and South
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Yemen had become independent on 30 November 1967 (from the UK); the
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union is to be solidified during a 30-month transition period, which
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coincides with the remainder of the five-year terms of both legislatures
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Constitution: 16 April 1991
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Legal system: based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common
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law, and local customary law; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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National holiday: Proclamation of the Republic, 22 May (1990)
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Executive branch: five-member Presidential Council (president,
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vice president, two members from northern Yemen and one member from
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southern Yemen), prime minister
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Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives;
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note--northern Yemen's Consultative Assembly (Majlis Chura) and
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southern Yemen's Supreme People's Council (Majlis al-Shab al-Ala)
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will combine to form the basis for the new unicameral House of
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Representatives
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Judicial branch: North--State Security Court; South--Federal
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High Court
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Leaders:
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Chief of State and Head of Government President Ali Abdallah
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SALIH (since 22 May 1990, the former president of North Yemen); Vice
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President Ali Salim al-BIDH (since 22 May 1990, secretary general of the
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Yemeni Socialist Party); Presidential Council Member Salim Salih
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MUHAMMED (southern Yemen); Presidential Council Member Kadi Abdul-Karim
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al-ARASHI (northern Yemen); Presidential Council Member Abdul-Aziz
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ABDUL-GHANI (northern Yemen); Prime Minister Haydar Abu Bakr
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al-ATTAS (since 22 May 1990, former president of South Yemen)
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Political parties and leaders:
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General People's Congress, Ali Abdallah SALIH;
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Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP; formerly South Yemen's ruling party--a
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coalition of National Front, Bath, and Communist Parties), Ali Salim
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al-BIDH
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Suffrage: universal at age 18
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Elections:
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House of Representatives--last held NA (next to be held
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26-27 May, 12 June, and 24 July 1991);
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results--percent of vote NA;
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seats--(301); number of seats by party NA; note--the 301 members of
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the new House of Representatives will come from North Yemen's
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Consultative Assembly (159 members), South Yemen's Supreme People's
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Council (111 members), and appointments by the New Presidential Council
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(31 members)
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Communists: small number in North, greater but unknown number
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in South
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Other political or pressure groups: conservative tribal groups,
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Muslim Brotherhood, leftist factions--pro-Iraqi Bathists, Nasirists,
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National Democratic Front (NDF)
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Member of: ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, ESCWA, FAO, G-77,
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IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC,
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ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
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WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Muhsin Ahmad al-AYNI;
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Chancery at Suite 840, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20037;
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telephone (202) 965-4760 or 4761; there is a Yemeni Consulate General in
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Detroit and a Consulate in San Francisco;
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US--Ambassador Charles F. DUNBAR; Embassy at Dhahr Himyar Zone,
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Sheraton Hotel District, Sanaa (mailing address is P. O. Box 22347 Sanaa,
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Republic of Yemen or Sanaa--Department of State, Washington, D. C.
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20521-6330); telephone 967 (2) 238-842 through 238-852
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Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black;
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similar to the flag of Syria which has two green stars and of
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Iraq which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a
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horizontal line centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of
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Egypt which has a symbolic eagle centered in the white band
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ECONOMY
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Overview: Whereas the northern city Sanaa is the political
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capital of a united Yemen, the southern city Aden, with its refinery
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and port facilities, is the economic and commercial capital. Future
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economic development depends heavily on Western-assisted development
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of promising oil resources. South Yemen's willingness to merge stemmed
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partly from the steady decline in Soviet economic support.
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North--The low level of domestic industry and agriculture have made
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northern Yemen dependent on imports for virtually all of its essential
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needs. Large trade deficits have been made up for by remittances from
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Yemenis working abroad and foreign aid. Once self-sufficient in food
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production, northern Yemen has been a major importer. Land once used for
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export crops--cotton, fruit, and vegetables--has been turned over to
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growing qat, a mildly narcotic shrub chewed by Yemenis that has no
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significant export market. Oil export revenues started flowing in late
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1987 and boosted 1988 earnings by about $800 million.
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South--This has been one of the poorest Arab countries, with a per
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capita GNP of about $500. A shortage of natural resources, a widely
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dispersed population, and an arid climate have made economic development
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difficult. The economy has grown at an average annual rate of only 2-3%
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since the mid-1970s. The economy had been organized along socialist
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lines, dominated by the public sector. Economic growth has been
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constrained by a lack of incentives, partly stemming from centralized
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control over production decisions, investment allocation, and import
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choices.
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GDP: $5.3 billion, per capita $545; real growth rate NA%
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(1990 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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North--16.9% (1988);
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South--0% (1989)
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Unemployment rate:
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North--13% (1986);
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South--NA%
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Budget:
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North--revenues $1.4 billion; expenditures $2.2 billion,
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including capital expenditures of $590 million (1988 est.);
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South--revenues and grants $435 million; expenditures $1.0 billion,
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including capital expenditure of $460 million (1988 est.)
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Exports:
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North--$606 million (f.o.b., 1989);
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commodities--crude oil, cotton, coffee, hides, vegetables;
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partners--FRG 29%, US 26%, Netherlands 12%;
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South--$113.8 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
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commodities--cotton, hides, skins, dried and salted fish;
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partners--Japan, North Yemen, Italy
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Imports:
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North--$1.3 billion (f.o.b., 1988);
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commodities--textiles and other manufactured consumer goods,
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petroleum products, sugar, grain, flour, other foodstuffs, and cement;
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partners--Saudi Arabia 12%, France 6%, US 5%, Australia 5%
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(1985);
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South--$553.9 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
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commodities--grain, consumer goods, crude oil, machinery,
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chemicals;
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partners--USSR, UK, Ethiopia
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External debt: $5.75 billion (December 1989 est.)
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Industrial production:
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North--growth rate 2% in manufacturing (1988);
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South--growth rate NA% in manufacturing
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Electricity: 670,000 kW capacity; 1,100 million kWh produced,
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110 kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: crude oil production and petroleum refining;
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small-scale production of cotton textiles and leather goods; food
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processing; handicrafts; fishing; small aluminum products factory; cement
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Agriculture:
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North--accounted for 26% of GDP and 70% of labor force; farm
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products--grain, fruits, vegetables, qat (mildly narcotic shrub), coffee,
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cotton, dairy, poultry, meat, goat meat; not self-sufficient in grain;
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South--accounted for 17% of GNP and 45% of labor force;
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products--grain, qat (mildly narcotic shrub), coffee, fish, livestock;
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fish and honey major exports; most food imported
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $389
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million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1970-88), $1.9 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $3.2 billion;
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Communist countries (1970-89), $2.4 billion
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Currency:
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North Yemeni riyal (plural--riyals); 1 North Yemeni riyal
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(YR) = 100 fils;
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South Yemeni dinar (plural--dinars); 1 South Yemeni dinar
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(YD) = 1,000 fils
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Exchange rates:
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North Yemeni riyals (YR) per US$1--9.7600 (January 1990), 9.7600 (1989),
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9.7717 (1988), 10.3417 (1987), 9.6392 (1986), 7.3633 (1985);
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South Yemeni dinars (YD) per US$1--0.3454 (fixed rate)
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Highways: 15,500 km; 4,000 km bituminous, 11,500 km natural
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surface (est.)
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Pipelines: crude oil, 424 km; refined products, 32 km
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Ports: Aden, Al Hudaydah, Al Khalf, Mocha, Nishtun,
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Ras Kathib, Salif
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Merchant marine: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
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4,309 GRT/6,568 DWT; includes 2 cargo, 1 petroleum, oils, and
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lubricants (POL) tanker
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Civil air: 15 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 49 total, 40 usable; 10 with permanent-surface runways;
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none with runways over 3,659 m; 20 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
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12 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: the North has a poor but improving system with
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new radio relay and cable networks, while the South has a small system of
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open-wire, radio relay, multiconductor cable, and radio communications
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stations; 65,000 telephones (est.); stations--4 AM, no FM, 22 TV;
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satellite earth stations--2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Atlantic Ocean
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INTELSAT, 1 Intersputnik, 2 ARABSAT; radio relay to Saudi Arabia, and
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Djibouti
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Police
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,906,887;
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1,084,122 fit for military service;
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134,158 reach military age (14) annually
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Defense expenditures: $1.06 billion, 20% of GDP (1990)
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