Location
The
Republic of Yemen lies in the South of Arabia (The Arabian Peninsula),
south-west of Asia, between latitudes 12 and 20 degrees to the north of
the equator, and between longitudes 41and 54 degrees to the south of
Greenwich, bordered on the north by Saudi Arabia, on the south by the Arab
Sea and the Gulf of Aden, on the east by the Sultanate of Oman and on the
west by the Red Sea.
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Area
The area of
the Republic of Yemen exceeds 555,000 km. excluding the Empty Quarter.
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Population
The
population of the Republic of Yemen is 17,000,000
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Language
Arabic is
the official language of the country, with English being the most widely
used second language.
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Religion
Islam is the official religion and is the religion of the
majority of the population except for a Jewish minority.
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Geographical Divisions
In view of its topographical structure, the Republic of
Yemen is divided into five regions:
1.
Mountain
2.
Highland
3.
Coastal
4.
Empty Quarter
5.
The Yemen
Islands
1. Mountain region with
heights ranging between 1000-3760m. high
The western mountain range represents a large area of the
country. It is the range called Al-Surat mountains stretching
longitudinally from the north to the south and transversally from the west
to the east which resembles the letter "L". These heights go down in
different directions. They descend sharply westwards to the Red Sea,
southwards to the Gulf of Aden, and eastwards and northwards to the
interior desert areas. In the mountain heights, stretching from the north
to the south, there are a number of basins (beds), of considerable
agricultural importance with large populations, such as Sana'a basin,
Yarim basin, Jahran flatland, Sa'da flatland, Alboun flatland, Aqwat
Hadhramout bed and Si'aith bed in Mahara. The most prominent mountains in
these heights are the mountains of Attaq, Bayhan, Mukairas, Al-Dhalie',
Yafie', Sabra, Hudhour Alsheikh, Miswar and Prophet Shu'aib which at
3766m above sea level is the highest mountain in Arabia
2. The Highland region
This area lies to the east and north of the mountainous
heights going in parallel to the heights towards the Empty Quarter. The
maximum height of this area is 1000m gradually descending. Such area is
represented by the highlands in Sana'a, Al Jouf, Shabwa, Hadhramout and
Mahara. The out- skirts of this area in the north overlap with the Empty
Quarter.
3. The Coastal Area
This area includes the coastal plains overlooking the Red
Sea, Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea. They are connected to each other
forming a coastal strip that extends from the Oman border south- westward
to Bab Al-Mandab. This strip then changes its direction northward to the
borders of Saudi Arabia, thus making it more than 2400km. long. The width
of the plains range from 30 to 60 km.
4. The Empty Quarter (Alrub
AlKhali)
This is a Yemeni desert area located to the north of
Hadhramout highlands, and to the south of the western heights. This area
consists of desert plains covered with gravel, sand and sandy dunes in
Volving in some parts desert plants and vast oases, that were formed due
to the collection of the seasonal water. It is inhabited by the wandering
nomads because of its pastoral land.
5. The Yemeni Islands
This part of the country consists of islands scattered
along the coasts of Yemen. There are 120 islands, most of which are
located in the Red Sea. The biggest islands are Kamaran, Greater Hunaish,
Minor Hunaish, the rest of Archipelago, Zaqar, Zubair, AL-Tayr and the
strategic island of Meon at the Bab Al-Mandeb. In addition there are
islands located in the Gulf of Aden and thc Arabian Sea, the largest of
which is Soqatra.
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Climate
Since Yemen is endowed with a varied topography, the
climate, in general, also varies, although there are no major seasonal
differences. We can say there are two long seasons: summer and winter
During summer, the temperature and humidity are high in the coastal areas,
while the climate is moderate during winter. From time to time the
rainfall, due to the monsoon, moderates the temperature over the coastal
areas in summer. In the mountain areas, the weather is moderate in summer
and cold in winter during the night and in the early morning, but the
bright sun rays raise the temperature during the day making the weather
very moderate in these parts of the country.
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