Geography

Yemen is in the Middle East, in the south of Arabia, west of Oman and south of Saudi Arabia. It borders the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden and Red Sea. The Red Sea islands (Hanish Islands, Kamaran and Perim) and Socotra in the Arabian Sea also belong to Yemen.

At 527,970 sq km (203,837 sq mi), Yemen is the world's 49th-largest country (after France).

Geographical Regions

The country can be divided geographically into four main regions: the coastal plains in the west, the western highlands, the central highlands and the Rub al Khali in the east.

Coastal Plains

The Tihamah (hot lands) 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 for malarial mosquitoes. There are also extensive crescent-shaped sand dunes. The evaporation in the Tihama 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.

Western Highlands

The Tihamah ends abruptly at the escarpment of the western highlands. This area, now heavily terraced to meet the demand for food, receives the highest rainfall in Arabia, rapidly increasing from 10 cm (4 inches) per year to about 76 cm (30 inches) in Ta'izz and over 100 cm (40 inches) in Ibb. Agriculture here is very diverse, with such crops as sorghum dominating, but cotton and many fruit trees 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 Tihama.

Central Highlands

The central highlands are an extensive high plateau over 2,000 metres (6,560 feet) in elevation. This area is drier than the western highlands due to rain-shadow influences, but still receives sufficient rain in wet years for extensive cropping. Diurnal temperature ranges are among the highest in the world: variations from 30°C (86°F) in the day to 0°C (32°F) at night are normal. 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'aya, at 3,760 meters (12,336 ft).

The Rub al Khali

The Rub al Khali (Empty Quarter) in the east is much lower, generally below 1,000 metres, and receives almost no rain. It is populated only by Bedouin herders of camels.

Facts and Figures

• Area:
  • Total: 527,970 sq km
  • Land: 527,970 sq km
  • Water: 0 sq km
• Land Boundaries:
  • Total: 1,746 km
  • Oman 288 km
  • Saudi Arabia 1,458 km
• Coastline: 1,906 km
• Maritime Claims:
  • Contiguous zone: 18 nautical miles (33 km) in the North; 24 nautical miles (44 km) in the South
  • Continental shelf: 200 nautical miles (370 km) or to the edge of the continental margin
  • Exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles (370 km)
  • Territorial sea: 12 nautical miles (22 km)
• Elevation Extremes:
  • Lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m
  • Highest point: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,666 m
• Natural Resources:
  • Petroleum
  • Fish
  • Rock salt
  • Marble
  • Small deposits of coal
  • Gold
  • Lead
  • Nickel
  • Copper
  • Fertile soil in west
• Land Use:
  • Arable land: 3%
  • Permanent crops: 0%
  • Permanent pastures: 30%
  • Forests and woodland: 4%
  • Other: 63%
  • Irrigated land: 3,600 sq km
• Natural hazards: sandstorms and dust storms in summer
• Environmental Issues:
  • Very limited natural fresh water resources
  • Inadequate supplies of potable water
  • Overgrazing
  • Soil erosion
  • Desertification