MOTTO :
الله، الوَطَن، الثَورة، الوَحدة (Arabic)
"Allāh, al-Waṭan, aṯ-Ṯhawrah, al-Waḥdah"
"God, Country, Revolution, Unity"
CAPITAL AND LARGEST CITY: Sana'a
PRESIDENT: Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi
PRIME MINISTER: Mohammed Basindawa
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) 2012 estimate:
- Total $58.202 billion
- Per capita $2,249
GDP (Nominal) 2012 estimate:
- Total $36.700 billion
- Per capita $1,418
Currency: Yemeni rial (YER)
GEOGRAPHY AND LOCATION
An Arab country in Western Asia, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula.
Yemen is the second largest country in the peninsula, occupying 527,970 km2 (203,850 sq mi)
It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea to the south, and Oman to the east.
Its capital and largest city is Sana'a.
Yemen's territory includes more than 200 islands. The largest of these is Socotra, which is about 354 km (220 mi) to the south of mainland Yemen.
Yemen is the world's 50th-largest country. It is comparable in size to Thailand and larger than the U.S. state of California.
RELIGION
Religion in Yemen consists primarily of two principal Islamic religious groups: 65% of the Muslim population is Sunni and over 35% is Shia, according to the International Religious Freedom Report.
There are mixed communities in the larger cities. About 1 percent of Yemenis are non-Muslim, adhering to Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, or atheism.
GOVERNMENT
Several dynasties emerged from the 9th to 16th century, the Rasulid being the strongest and most prosperous.
The country was divided between the Ottoman and British empires in the early 20th century.
The Zaydi Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen was established after World War I in North Yemen before the creation of Yemen Arab Republic in 1962, while South Yemen remained a British protectorate until 1967.
The two Yemeni states united to form the modern republic