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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:
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Mountain
-
Highland
-
Coastal
-
Empty Quarter
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The Yemen Islands
1.
Mountain region with heights ranging between 1000-3760m. high
The
western mountain range represent 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
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 AI-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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