Yemen is a country located on the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, theArabian Sea and Gulf of Aden to the south, and Oman to the east.
Yemen's land area is just under 530,000 km2 (204,634 sq mi), and its territory includes over 200 islands, the largest of which is Socotra, about 415 km (258 mi) to the south of mainland Yemen, off the coast of Somalia. Yemen is the only state in the Arabian Peninsula to have a purely republican form of government. Its capital is Sana'a.
Yemen is one of the oldest centers of civilization in the Near East. Between the 12th century BC and the 6th century, it was part of the Minaean, Sabaean, Hazramavt, Qataban, Ausan andHimyarite kingdoms, which controlled the lucrative spice trade, and later came under Ethiopianand Persian rule. In the 7th century BC, the Himyarite king Abu-Karib Asad Toba converted to Judaism Yemenite Jews. In the 7th century, Islamic caliphs began to exert control over the area. After this caliphate broke up, Yemen came under the control of many dynasties who ruled part, or often all of Yemen. Imams of Persian origin ruled Yemen intermittently for 160 years, establishing a theocratic political structure that survived until modern times.
Egyptian Sunni caliphs occupied much of Yemen throughout the 11th century. By the 16th century and again in the 19th century, Yemen was part of the Ottoman Empire, and in some periods Imams exerted control over all Yemen.
The modern history of Yemen began in 1918 when North Yemen gained independence from the Ottoman Empire. Between 1918-1962, Yemen was a monarchy ruled by the Hamidaddin family. North Yemen then became a republic in 1962, but it was not until 1967 that the British Empire, which had set up a protective area around the southern port of Aden in the 19th century, withdrew from what became South Yemen. In 1970, the southern government adopted a Communist governmental system. The two countries were formally united as the Republic of Yemen on May 22, 1990.
Yemen is in the Arab World, in the southern half of the Arabian Peninsula, bordering the Arabian Sea,Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea. It lies south of Saudi Arabia, and west of Oman.
A number of Red Sea islands, including the Hanish Islands, Kamaran and Perim, as well asSocotra in the Arabian Sea belong to Yemen. Many of the islands are volcanic; for example Jabal al-Tair had a volcanic eruption in 2007 and before that in 1883.
At 527,970 km2 (203,850 sq mi), Yemen is the world's 49th-largest country. It is comparable in size to Thailand, and larger than the U.S. state of California. Yemen is situated at 15°N 48°E.
Until recently, Yemen's northern border was undefined; the Arabian Desert prevented any human habitation there.
The country can be divided geographically into four main regions: the coastal plains in the west, the western highlands, the eastern highlands, and the Rub al Khali in the east.
The Tihamah ("hot lands" or "hot earth") form a very arid and flat coastal plain. Despite the aridity, the presence of many lagoons makes this region very marshy and a suitable breeding ground formalaria mosquitoes. There are extensive crescent-shaped sand dunes. The evaporation in the Tihamah is so great that streams from the highlands never reach the sea, but they do contribute to extensive groundwater reserves. Today, these are heavily exploited for agricultural use. Near the village of Madar about 48 km (30 mi) north of Sana'a, dinosaur footprints were found, indicating that the area was once a muddy flat.
The Tihamah ends abruptly at the escarpment of the western highlands. This area, now heavilyterraced to meet the demand for food, receives the highest rainfall in Arabia, rapidly increasing from 100 mm (3.9 in) per year to about 760 mm (29.9 in) in Ta'izz and over 1,000 mm (39.4 in) inIbb.
Agriculture here is very diverse, with such crops as sorghum dominating. Cotton and many fruittrees are also grown, with mangoes being the most valuable. Temperatures are hot in the day but fall dramatically at night. There are perennial streams in the highlands but these never reach the sea because of high evaporation in the Tihamah.
The central highlands are an extensive high plateau over 2,000 metres (6,562 ft) in elevation. This area is drier than the western highlands because of rain-shadow influences, but still receives sufficient rain in wet years for extensive cropping. Diurnal temperature ranges are among the highest in the world: ranges from 30 °C (86 °F) in the day to 0 °C (32 °F) at night are normal.[citation needed] Water storage allows for irrigation and the growing of wheat and barley. Sana'a is located in this region. The highest point in Yemen is Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb, at 3,666 metres (12,028 ft).
The Rub al Khali in the east is much lower, generally below 1,000 metres (3,281 ft), and receives almost no rain. It is populated only byBedouin herders of camels.
