Yemen

Located on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, and sharing borders with Saudi Arabia and Oman, Yemen has had a troubled recent history with civil wars and tribal conflicts predominating.

Cities

• Sana'a - capital
• Aden - former capital of South Yemen

Other destinations

• Wadi Hadramawt
• Haraz Mountains

Understand

Yemen is a difficult country to get around, but the rewards for the perseverent tourist are an unforgettable experience, populated with very friendly and open hosts. Despite being adjacent to Saudi Arabia and on the same peninsula as the United Arab Emirates, Yemen is definitely a place apart.

Get in

Visa regulations change quite regularly, and an embassy should be contacted to make certain that the relevant documentation is obtained. Currently, citizens of most countries (with the possible exception of Gulf Co-operation Council members) need visas. Most visas are valid for 30 days from the date of issue and should be kept with the passport at all times before being surrendered at departure.
Arriving visitors will need to complete an arrival form, which has the unusual requirement of one's father's name and one's gradfather's name. The visa number will be required here, as will other information on the visa form - which is only printed in Arabic.
In practice, officials will only rarely ask for the visa form on departure. The form can therefore be kept as an unusual souvenir.

By plane

Emirates Air flies from Dubai (United Arab Emirates) to Sana'a and back twice weekly. The flight takes slightly more than 2 hours, and Yemen is one hour behind UAE time.

By train

There are no trains to or within Yemen.

By car

It is possible to cross the Omani-Yemeni border in a car, although the border posts are often difficult to negotiate. Crossing from Saudi Arabia in a car is substantially more difficult, as regulations for getting a car into Saudi are very intricate.

By bus

By boat

Get around

Yemen is not an easy country to get around, due predominantly to the effects of civil war.

For trips outside the capital, and most within it, a car (preferably 4WD) is necessary as roads are frequently uncovered and very steep. Maps are also not as reliable as they are in other countries, so engaging the services of a local driver may be a useful expense.
The usual Middle Eastern shared taxi system exists in Yemen.

Additionally, most travel outside the capital will require a travel permit (tasriih), which must be applied for a number of days in advance and will be examined at checkpoints along the way. This may seem inconvenient, however it is designed to prevent travellers unwittingly venturing into areas of tribal unrest - and vice versa.

Some areas of the country are off-limits to travel without military escorts, and still other areas are totally off-limits to travel. While the concept of staying informed about local conditions in your intended destinations is an overused one in Yemen, it is essential, as failure to do so may result in kidnappings or worse.

Talk

Arabic is the official language.

While many locals will at least attempt to communicate with non-Arabic speakers in other languages, any visitor will almost certainly need at least some Arabic, particularly if travel to locations outside the capital is planned.
Even within Sana'a, the bilingual signs common throughout most of the Middle East are commonly absent, with Arabic script and numbers predominating.

Caucasian visitors will often be greeted (particularly in hill villages) with an exuberant display of European languages. This will almost certainly result in some unusual combinations, with greetings such as "Hola, monsieur, how are you today?" being almost commonplace.

Yemenis have a myriad of different accents, due to the historical inaccessibility of parts of the country. It is not unusual for a visitor to be told that his or her laborious attempts at speaking Arabic are in fact "Arabic" and not "Yemeni" or "Yemeni enough". The more vocal village children will almost certainly enjoy hearing a visitor's attempts at their language.

Buy

Almost everywhere you look, you will have the chance to buy the curved dagger (jambiya) worn by local men. This purchase can be simply of the dagger and its accompanying sheath, however handmade belts and silver pouches are also for sale, with many tourists opting to purchase each item separately.
When purchasing a jambiya, remember first and foremost that it counts as a weapon for customs purposes, even though it is not used as one anymore. Secondly, bear in mind that the sheath is predominantly leather with either a base metal or (in more expensive models) silver working added. Traditionally, handles were made of animal horn or even ivory. While it is doubtful that the handles sold today as being made from either of these products are the real thing, a wooden or amber handle may be a better option.
If a real jambiya seems too much, there are also pendants and brooches commonly available in the shape of the knife and its sheath.

Necklaces and jewellery are also common souvenirs, and many of these will in fact be made of the semi-precious stones the souvenir sellers claim. Nevertheless, a healthy grain of salt should be added to any belief that one is actually purchasing a necklace of lapis lazuli or anything like that.

Contrary to guidebooks such as Lonely Planet, bargaining (even with village children) is expected and worthwhile. If you are with local guides, a common approach is to have them ask for the "Yemeni price", however any bargaining on the part of the tourist will result in discounts. Bear in mind, too, that what may seem an absurdly cheap price for an item in Western terms will still be a great return for many locals.

In tourist sites, there will be souvenir-sellers everywhere you look. In some mountain villages, such as Kawkaban, their technique involves almost trapping the tourists with wheelbarrows full of souvenirs. There is an art form to firmly turning down the goods on offer, even when the seller is a young boy or girl in desperately poor circumstances.

Yemen's currency, the rial (riyal), is subject to high inflation. As a result, many prices (particularly those quoted to white-skinned visitors) will be given in American dollars or even Euros. Any of these three currencies will be accepted by the seller, so ask for the cost in whichever currency you are carrying at the time. Discounts for paying in one currency or the other are not high enough to warrant only paying in local money (for example), but luck may be on your side.

Eat

Yemeni cuisine differs markedly from the rest of the Arabian Peninsula, and is a real highlight of any trip to the country - particularly if shared by locals (which is an invitation most visitors will receive more often than they might expect).

The signature dish is salto, a meat-based stew spiced with fenugreek and generally served at the end of the main course. The taste is quite unlike any Western dishes, which may take newcomers by surprise, but it is a taste well worth acquiring.

Yemeni honey is particularly famous throughout the region, and most desserts will feature a liberal serving of it. Of particular note is bint al-saf, a sort of flat dough dish which is drenched in honey. Other sweet foods well worth the trying are Yemeni raisins.

While not a "food" per se, something else to put in one's mouth is the qat leaf. This is the Yemeni social drug and is chewed by almost all of the population from after lunch until roughly dinnertime. The plant is cultivated all over the country, and most Yemenis are more than happy to offer visitors a branch or two.
Actually chewing qat is something of an art, but the general idea is to chew the small, soft leaves only and to build up a large ball of the stuff in a cheek. The ability to chew ever-increasing balls of qat is something of a mark of pride among Yemenis, and the site of men and boys walking down the street in the afternoon with bulging cheeks is one the visitor will soon get used to.
The actual effects of qat are unclear, although it generally acts as a mild stimulant. It also has something of an appetite-suppressant function, which may explain why there are so few overweight Yemenis in spite of the nature of their cuisine.

Drink

Yemen is officially a dry country, however non-Muslims are entitled to bring up to two bottles of any alcoholic beverage into the country. These may only be drunk on private property, and venturing outside while under the influence is not a wise decision.

A wide range of juices and softdrinks are readily available. Many Yemenis will drink tea (shay) or coffee (qahwa) with their meals. Yemeni coffee is considerably weaker than the strong Turkish coffee found elsewhere in Peninsular Arabia.

Most importantly, however, do NOT drink the tap water, even in hotels in the capital. Bottled water - both chilled and at room temperature - is widely available.

Sleep

Outside of the capital and the major centres (Aden and al-Mukalla), accommodation tends to be rather basic and generally of the mattress-on-the-floor variety, generally with shared bathrooms. Most larger villages will have at least one funduq, which will provide this sort of accommodation. The places tend to be named the [Name of Village] Tourist Hotel. Be aware that electricity supplies tend to be a little erratic, so hot water cannot always be counted on.
Funduq accommodation is not rated on the star scale used in other countries, but rather on the Yemeni "sheet" scale, with "no-sheet" being the most basic and "two-sheet" the top of the line. This does not mean that in a "no-sheet" funduq one will not receive a sheet, although in some places it may be worthwhile to bring one!
Most funduqs will offer some food, almost invariably local cuisine, and the better ones will serve it in a diwan-style room, where one can eat while reclining on cushions. In some funduqs, dinner will be followed by a "party", featuring performances of traditional music and jambiya dances - sometimes with audience participation.

Learn

Particularly in Sana'a, there are institutes offering instruction in Arabic. The advantages of learning the language in Yemen are that the dialect spoken is quite close to Classical Arabic, and also that languages other than Arabic are much less commonly spoken than they are in nearby countries.

Work

Work in Yemen is difficult to obtain as a foreigner. The collections of young men waiting in public areas and by the roadside looking for work does not reflect a lack of jobs. Rather, it reflects that many Yemenis do not have a high enough educational attainment to work in non-manual jobs. As a result, immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa are often seen in service industries (with a popular joke among expats being that "something typically Yemeni" is in fact an Ethiopian maid).
Educated westerners do not, however, have it easy as there are many bureaucratic hurdles to working in Yemen. Most westerners who find jobs there tend to be working as expat staff for a western company with interests in the country.

Stay safe

Homosexuality is punishable by death.

While Yemen has often attracted negative media attention as a result of kidnappings of tourists and internal strife, this should not deter the careful traveller. Anyone entering the country is taking a small, but ever-present, risk and should try to keep up-to-date on the exact security situation of their intended destinations and be prepared to change plans if the situation mandates it.

Driving is on the right. While Yemeni drivers have something of a reputation for bad driving, the reality is slightly more nuanced. Risks are taken, particularly in Sana'a, which would not normally be taken in other places, but the locals expect this to happen and compensate accordingly. Interestingly, for travellers who have experienced driving in countries such as France and Italy, the standard of driving may well be higher in Yemen.

For trips outside Sana'a, however, a 4-wheel-drive is almost mandatory as most roads are not sealed. Travellers should also give serious consideration to hiring a local driver/guide, as maps tend not to be as useful as they can be in other countries.

Stay healthy

As mentioned above, the tap water should be avoided at all costs. Stick to the bottled variety.

Additionally, be aware that the country is exceptionally dusty. Travellers with breathing difficulties (such as asthma) may encounter problems in more remote destinations.

Particularly when hiking, remember that much of the country is at altitude. Therefore, as well as taking the usual steps of drinking plenty of water and protection from the sun (which can be very harsh in Yemen), be aware of any dizziness you may be experiencing due to rapid ascents.
Many of the more popular hiking routes are covered in loose stones, so be careful of your footing.

Respect

Three rules should always be followed in exploring Yemen:

1. This is a Muslim country. As such, be sensitive about where you point your camera. There are many great photo opportunities around every corner (the question is usually what to leave out of each image), but when photographing people, always ask first. The Arabic phrase "mumkin akhud sura minak?" is very useful indeed.

2. Despite being close to the richer oil-producing countries, Yemen is one of the poorest states on earth. Living conditions for many locals are very tough indeed, so this should be borne in mind when bargaining for souvenirs and the like.

3. If an area is off-limits, it is that way for a very good reason. Tempting as it may be to play the intrepid explorer, there is no reason to increase your risk of being kidnapped or worse unless you absolutely have to.

In addition, be prepared to be asked for pens (qalam, galam) for the local schools, and also sweets (bonbon). In the former case, if you have one to spare you may wish to consider it. In the latter, resist the urge to give a handout as it will create an expectation for the next foreigner to arrive.

Contact

This article is an from the CIA World Factbook 2002. It's a starting point for creating a real Wikitravel country article according to our . Please and edit it.

North Yemen became independent of the Ottoman Empire in 1918. The British, who had set up a protectorate area around the southern port of Aden in the 19th century, withdrew in 1967 from what became South Yemen. Three years later, the southern government adopted a Marxist orientation. The massive exodus of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis from the south to the north contributed to two decades of hostility between the states. The two countries were formally unified as the Republic of Yemen in 1990. A southern secessionist movement in 1994 was quickly subdued. In 2000, Saudi Arabia and Yemen agreed to a delimitation of their border.

Geography

Location

Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates

15 00 N, 48 00 E

Map references

Middle East

Area

total: 527,970 sq km
land: 527,970 sq km
note: includes Perim, Socotra, the former Yemen Arab Republic (YAR or North Yemen), and the former People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY or South Yemen)
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming

Land boundaries

total: 1,746 km
border countries: Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km

Coastline

1,906 km

Maritime claims

contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

Climate

mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east

Terrain

narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged mountains; dissected upland desert plains in center slope into the desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m
highest point: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,760 m

Natural resources

petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble, small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper, fertile soil in west

Land use

arable land: 2.75%
permanent crops: 0.21%
other: 97.04% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land

4,900 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards

sandstorms and dust storms in summer

Environment - current issues

very limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Geography - note

strategic location on Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes

People

Population

18,701,257 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 47% (male 4,468,928; female 4,317,648)
15-64 years: 50.1% (male 4,783,769; female 4,587,309)
65 years and over: 2.9% (male 273,282; female 270,321) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate

3.4% (2002 est.)

Birth rate

43.3 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate

9.31 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate

66.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 60.59 years
female: 62.46 years (2002 est.)
male: 58.81 years

Total fertility rate

6.9 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.01% (1999 est.)

Nationality

noun: Yemeni(s)
adjective: Yemeni

Ethnic groups

predominantly Arab; but also Afro-Arab, South Asians, Europeans

Religions

Muslim including Shaf'i (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shi'a), small numbers of Jewish, Christian, and Hindu

Languages

Arabic

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 38%
male: 53%
female: 26% (1990 est.)

Government

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of Yemen
conventional short form: Yemen
local short form: Al Yaman
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah

Government type

republic

Capital

Sanaa

Administrative divisions

19 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Abyan, 'Adan, Ad Dali', Al Bayda', Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Al Mahrah, Al Mahwit, 'Amran, Dhamar, Hadramawt, Hajjah, Ibb, Lahij, Ma'rib, Sa'dah, San'a', Shabwah, Ta'izz
note: there may be one additional governorate of the capital city of Sanaa

Independence

22 May 1990, Republic of Yemen was established with the merger of the Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and the Marxist-dominated People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]; previously North Yemen had become independent on NA November 1918 (from the Ottoman Empire) and South Yemen had become independent on 30 November 1967 (from the UK)

National holiday

Unification Day, 22 May (1990)

Constitution

16 May 1991; amended 29 September 1994 and February 2001

Legal system

based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common law, and local tribal customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

; Flag description : three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; similar to the flag of Syria which has two green stars and of Iraq which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt which has a heraldic eagle centered in the white band

Economy

Economy - overview

Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arab world, reported strong growth in the mid-1990s with the onset of oil production, but has been harmed by periodic declines in oil prices. Yemen has embarked on an IMF-supported structural adjustment program designed to modernize and streamline the economy, which has led to substantial foreign debt relief and restructuring. Aided by higher oil prices in 1999-2000, Yemen worked to maintain tight control over spending and implement additional components of the IMF program. A high population growth rate and internal political dissension complicate the government's task.

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

10% (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

most people are employed in agriculture and herding; services, construction, industry, and commerce account for less than one-fourth of the labor force

Unemployment rate

30% (1995 est.)

Industries

crude oil production and petroleum refining; small-scale production of cotton textiles and leather goods; food processing; handicrafts; small aluminum products factory; cement

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Electricity - production

3.2 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption

2.976 billion kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products

grain, fruits, vegetables, pulses, qat (mildly narcotic shrub), coffee, cotton; dairy products, livestock (sheep, goats, cattle, camels), poultry; fish

Exports - commodities

crude oil, coffee, dried and salted fish

Imports - commodities

food and live animals, machinery and equipment

Currency

Yemeni rial (YER)

Currency code

YER

Exchange rates

Yemeni rials per US dollar - 171.860 (December 2001), 168.678 (2001), 161.718 (2000), 155.718 (1999), 135.882 (1998), 129.281 (1997)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use

291,359 (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular

32,042 (2000)

Telephone system

general assessment: since unification in 1990, efforts have been made to create a national telecommunications network
domestic: the national network consists of microwave radio relay, cable, tropospheric scatter, and GSM cellular mobile telephone systems
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 2 Arabsat; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and Djibouti

Radio broadcast stations

AM 6, FM 1, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios

1.05 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations

7 (plus several low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions

470,000 (1997)

Internet country code

.ye

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (2000)

Internet users

17,000 (2002)

Transportation

Railways

0 km

Highways

total: 69,263 km
paved: 9,963 km
unpaved: 59,300 km (1999)

Waterways

none

Pipelines

crude oil 644 km; petroleum products 32 km

Ports and harbors

Aden, Al Hudaydah, Al Mukalla, As Salif, Ras Issa, Mocha, Nishtun

Airports

49 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 16
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 28
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 4 (2002)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international

demarcation of delimited boundary with Saudi Arabia involves nomadic tribal affiliations; Yemen has asserted traditional fishing rights to islands ceded to Eritrea in ICJ ruling

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