Short Essay on The Republic of Yemen

The Republic of Yemen includes the former North and South Yemens and has an area of a little over 200,000 sq miles (515,000 sq km) and a population of 17 million. The island of Socotra, a military check-point in the Arabian Sea, is 600 miles (960 km) due east of Aden and is po­litically a part of Yemen, and is of considerable strategic significance.

The present political structure dates to1990 when the former North Yemen and South Yemen were joined to form a repub­lic. The capital is at Sana (population: 950,000) in the former North Yemen. North Yemen was an authoritarian old- style Muslim monarchy, remote and unknown until the 1960s when Egypt took control of it.

A military junta sub­sequently seized the government. Yemen has been the battleground of the leftist guerrillas, mainly drawing support from the former South Yemen which provided the Soviet Union with a foothold on the Arabian Peninsula at the strategic Bablel- Mandeb, joining the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean.

Most of the country is a highland and a broad desert plateau which merges with the Rub-al-Khali of Saudi Arabia that leaves only a very narrow coastal plain no­where wider than 25 miles (40 km). The mountain ranges are rugged and dissected, ranging in altitude from 1,150-5,000 feet in general, but climbing to over 12,336 feet at the highest point northwest of Sana.

Pre­cipitation in the northern desert region adjacent to Saudi Arabia is less than 4 inches annually but is much higher in the southwest highlands where more than 16 to 20 inches is the norm. Thus, in contrast to the generally barren character of most of the Arabian Peninsula, the highlands of western Yemen are surprisingly green with vegetation and are fertile.

Terraced farm­ing in these areas is important for the cultivation of such crops as cereals (espe­cially sorghum and corn), vegetables, grapes, dates, Mocha coffee, and khat (a narcotic stimulant grown on irrigated land). As a sharp contrast to the rest of the Arabian Peninsula, 56 percent of the labor force is engaged in agriculture. Fishing is important along the coast.

Industry and mining account for nearly 10 percent of the labor force but bring in 15 percent of the nation’s reve­nues. The manufacture of cement blocks, textiles, bricks, rubber goods, plastic ware, soft drinks, and some dairy products are the chief industries. Yemen is relatively rich in mineral resources; iron ore and salt are mined, and some oil (discovered in the mid-1980s) is produced, giving some relief to the desperately poor nation.

Food-grains, manufactured goods, machin­ery, and chemicals are the major imports. Food Items (particularly fish) coffee, ciga­rettes, leather, and grapes are the principal exports. Germany, Japan, the U.S.A., Saudi Arabia, France, Italy, Australia, and Thailand are the major trading partners.

The former British colony of Aden (population: 562,000) is a major commer­cial center. It has a deep water natural harbor and is located at the important sea route to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, and is a refueling station for ships. During the closing of the Suez Canal (1967-75) it declined but has since regained much of its commercial importance.