Yemen

Geography

Location: Asia, Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia. Area: 527,970 sq- km. Principal cities: Sana'a, Aden, Al Hudaydah, and Ta'izz. Tourist attractions: Dar ai-Hajar, Great Mosque, Old San'a, Shaharah, Shibam, and The Haraz Mountains. Time zone: GMT + 3 hours.

People

Population: 22.230,531 (July 2007 est.). Population growth rate:
3.461% (2007 est-)- Sex ratio: 1.034 male(s)/female (2007 est.). Religions: Muslim including Shaf'i (Sunni) and Zaiydi (Shi'a), small numbers of Jew, Christian, and Hindu. Literacy rate: Total 50.2%, Male 70.5%, Female 30% (2003 est.). Infant mortality rate: 57.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.). Life expectancy: Total 62.52 years, Male 60.61 years, Female 64.54 years (2007 est.).

Government

Capital: Sana'a. National anthem: United Republic. Government type: Republic. Independence: 22 May 1990. The merger of the Yemen Arab Republic and the Marxist-dominated People's Democratic Republic of Yemen created the Republic of Yemen. Legal system: Based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common law, and local tribal customary law. Executive branch: Chief of state: President Field Marshal! Ali Abdallah Salih (since 22 May 1990, the former President of North Yemen, he assumed office fol­lowing the merger of North and South Yemen). Head of government: Prime Minister Ali Muhammad Mujawwar (since 3 I March 2007). Elections and election results: The president is elected by direct, popular vote for a seven-year term. The last elections were held on 20 September 2006 and the next elections are scheduled for 2013. Legislative branch: Bicameral legislature consisting of a Shura Council and a House of Representatives. Judicial branch: Supreme court.

Economy

Currency: Yemeni rial. Currency conversion: Yemeni rial per Indian rupee— 4.9279 (June 2007 est.). GDP—real growth rate: 2.6% (2006 est.). GDP—per capita: Purchasing power parity—$1,000 (2006 est.). Inflation rate: 14.8% (2006 est.). Exports: $8,214 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.). Imports: $5,042 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.). External debt: $5,469 billion (2006 est.).

Transport and Communications

Railways: None. Roads: 71,300 km. Airports: Aden International Airport. Telephones: 900,000 (2006). Mobile cellular: 2.075 million (2006). Internet users: 100,000 (2003). Internet country code: .ye. ISD code: 681.