YEMEN

Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen is an Arab country located on the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia. Yemen's size is just under 527,968 km2, and its territory includes over 200 islands, the largest of which is Socotra, about 415 km to the south of Yemen, off the coast of Somalia. Yemen is the only republic on the Arabian Peninsula. Islam is the main religion (99% of the population of 23,013,376, a 2008 estimate).

Location

Yemen is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the North, the Red Sea to the West, the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden to the South, and Oman to the east.

Geography

A number of Red Sea islands, including the Hanish Islands, Kamaran and Perim, as well as Socotra in the Arabian Sea belong to Yemen. Many of the islands are volcanic; for example Jabal al-Tair had a volcanic eruption in 2007. The Tihamah area, now heavily terraced to meet the demand for food, receives the highest rainfall in Arabia, rapidly increasing from 100 mm per year to about 760 mm in Ta'izz and over 100 cm in Ibb. Agriculture here is very diverse, with such crops as sorghum dominating.

Capital

San'a

Climate

Temperatures are hot in the day but fall dramatically at night. Diurnal temperature ranges are among the highest in the world: ranges from 30 °C in the day to 0 °C at night are normal. Extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east.

Language

Arabic (Official language), Mehri, Soqotri, Socotra, Bathari.

Monetary Unit

Yemeni rial (YER)

Largest Cities

Sana'a, Aden, Kawkaban, Shibam, Ta'izz, Hutaib

Places to Visit

Warning : It is not advised to travelin Yemen due to internal disturbances. Homosexuality is punishable by death in Yemen. Don't ever, ever try to take pictures of women, even if you're a woman yourself.

Air Ports

Sana'a and Aden are the main International airports. Yemenia is the national carrier.