1986 Edition

Agriculture

cocoa, bananas, copra; staple foods include coconuts, bananas, taro, yams

sorghum and millet, qat (a mild narcotic), cotton, coffee, fruits and vegetables

cotton is main cash crop; cereals, dates, qat (a mild narcotic), coffee, and livestock are raised, and there is a growing fishing industry; large amount of food must be imported (particularly for Aden); cotton, hides, skins, dried and salted fish are exported

Aid

economic commitments — US (FY7084), $12 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF (1970-83), $176 million

Airfields

4 total, 4 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways 1,220-2,439 m

20 total, 14 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 5 with runways 1, 220-2,439 m

41 total, 30 usable; 7 with permanent-surface runways; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 12 with runways 1, 220-2,439 m

Branches

Head of State and Executive Council; unicameral legislature (47-member Legislative Assembly); Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, Land and Titles Court, village courts

President, Prime Minister, Cabinet; People's Constituent Assembly

Army, Navy, Air Force

unicameral legislature (People's Assembly); Supreme Cabinet

Army, Navy, Air Force, People's Militia, People's Police

Budget

(1982 est.) revenues, $36.9 million; expenditures, $37.6 million; development expenditure, $34.9 million

(1984) total receipts, $830 million; current expenditures, $1.1 billion;' development expenditures, $480 million

(1983) total receipts $452 million, current expenditures $455 million, development expenditures $402 million

Capital

Apia

Sanaa

Aden

Civil air

3 major transport aircraft

9 major transport aircraft

9 major transport aircraft

Coastline

523 km People

1,383 km People

Communists

unknown

small number

unknown number

Elections

held triennially; last held in February 1982 Political parties and leaders: no clearly defined political party structure

elections for legislative body, Supreme People's Council, called for in the constitution; none have been held Political parties and leaders: Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP), the only legal party, is coalition of National Front, Ba'th, and Communist Parties

Electric power

62,000 kW capacity (1985); 79 million kWh produced (1985), 485 kWh per capita

254,900 kW capacity (1985); 446 million kWh produced (1985), 73 kWh per capita

235,200 kW capacity (1985); 446 million kWh produced (1985), 200 kWh per capita

Ethnic divisions

90% Arab, 10% AfroArab (mixed)

almost all Arabs; a few Indians, Somalis, and Europeans

Exports

$19.5 million (1984); copra 43.3%, cocoa 32.3%, timber 2.0%, mineral fuel, bananas

$9 million (f.o.b., 1984); qat, cotton, coffee, hides, vegetables

$800 million (1982)

Fiscal year

1 July-30June Communications

calendar year Communications

GNP

$50 million (1984), $770 per capita

$3.6 billion (1983), $580 per capita

$792 million (1978 est), $430 per capita (1980)

Government leaders

MALIETOA Tanumafili II, Head of State (since 1962); Va'ai KOLONE, Prime Minister (since December 1985)

Col. 'Ali 'Abdallah SALIH, President (since 1978); 'Abd al-'Aziz 'ABD AL-GHANI, Prime Minister (since 1983)

Haydar Abu Baler al-'ATTAS, Chairman, Presidium, Supreme People's Council (since February 1986); 'Ali Salim al-BID, secretary general, Yemeni Socialist Party (since February 1986); Yasin Sa'id NU'MAN, Chairman, Council of Ministers (since February 1986)

Highways

784 km total; 375 km bituminous, remainder mostly gravel, crushed stone, or earth

4,000 km total; 1, 775 km bituminous; 500 km crushed stone and gravel; 1,725 km earth, sand, and light gravel

5,600 km total; 1,700 km bituminous treated, 630 km crushed stone and gravel, 3,270 km motorable track

Imports

$57 million (1984); food 30%, manufactured goods 25%, machinery

$1.4 billion (f.o.b., 1984); textiles and other manufactured consumer goods, petroleum products, sugar, grain, flour, other foodstuffs, and cement (one of the worst export/import ratios in the world)

$670 million (f.o.b., 1980)

Infant mortality rate

152/1,000(1983)

114/1,000(1980)

Inland waterways

none

Labor force

about 37,000 (1983); about 22,000 employed in agriculture Government

approximately one-third expatriate laborers; remainder almost entirely agriculture and herding

Land boundaries

1,528 km Water

1,802 km Water

Language

Arabic

Arabic

Legal system

based on English common law and local customs; constitution came into effect upon independence in 1962; judicial review of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the citizen; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

based on Turkish law, Islamic law, and local customary law; first constitution promulgated December 1970, suspended June 1974; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

based on Islamic law (for personal matters) and English common law (for commercial matters); highest judicial organ, Federal High Court, interprets constitution and determines disputes between states

Life expectancy

men 37.3, women 38.7

men 40.6, women 42.4

Limits of territorial waters (claimed)

12 nm

12 nm (200 nm exclusive economic zone)

Literacy

15% (est.)

25% Government

Major industries

timber, tourism, light industry

cotton textiles and leather goods produced on a small scale; handicraft and some fishing; small aluminum products factory

petroleum refinery at Little Aden operates on imported crude

Major trade partners

exports — 31% FRG, 26% New Zealand, 12% US, 2% Australia; imports— 30% US, 28% New Zealand, 10% Australia, 6% UK (1981)

China, South Yemen, USSR, Japan, UK, Australia, Saudi Arabia

North Yemen, East Africa, but some cement and sugar imported from Communist countries; crude oil imported from Persian Gulf, exports mainly to UK and Japan

Member of

ADB, Commonwealth, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IMF, South Pacific Commission, SPF, UN, UNESCO, WHO Economy

Arab League, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDE— Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, QIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO Economy

Arab League, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDE— Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, ITU, NAM, QIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO Economy

Military manpower

males 15-49, 39,000; 20,000 fit for military service 125km Sgc regional map VI Land 194,250 km2 (parts of border with Saudi Arabia and People's Democratic Republic of Yemen undefined); slightly smaller than South Dakota; 79% desert, waste, or urban; 20% agricultural; 1% forest

males 15-49, 1,193,000; 664,000 fit for military service; about 69,000 reach military age (18) annually 300km Gulf of Aden Land 322,968 km2; the size of Nevada; (border with Saudi Arabia and Yeman Arab Republic undefined); only about 1% arable (of which less than 25% cultivated)

males 15-49, 493,000; 276,000 fit for military service

Monetary conversion rate

1.533 WS tala= US$1 (February 1984) Communications

6.5 rials=US$l (October 1985)

0.3425 dinar=US$l (October 1985)

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 January

Proclamation of the Republic, 26 September

14 October

Nationality

noun — Yemeni(s); adjective — Yemeni

noun — Yemeni(s); adjective — Yemeni

Natural resources

hardwood forests, fish

petroleum, rock salt, small deposits of coal and copper, oil

fish

Official name

Independent State of Western Samoa

Yemen Arab Republic

People's Democratic Republic of Yemen

Pipelines

refined products, 32 km

Political parties or pressure groups

no legal political parties; in 1983 President Salih started the General People's Congress, which is designed to function as the country's sole political party; conservative tribal groups, Muslim Brotherhood, and leftist factions — pro-Iraqi Ba'thists, Nasirists, National Democratic Front (NDF) supported by South Yemen — exert political influence

Political subdivisions

1 1 provinces

six governorates

Population

6,339,000 (July 1986), average annual growth rate 2.9%

2,275,000, excluding the island of Perim for which no data are available (July 1986); average annual growth rate 2.9%

Ports

1 principal (Apia), 1 minor

1 major (Al Hudaydah), 3 minor

1 major (Aden), 5 minor

Railroads

none

none

none

Religion

100% Muslim (Sunni and Shi'a)

Sunni Muslim, some Christian and Hindu

Suffrage

45 members of Legislative Assembly are elected by holders of matai (heads of family) titles (about 12,000 persons); two members are elected by universal adult suffrage of persons lacking traditional family ties

all citizens age 18 and over

Telecommunications

3,800 telephones (2.5 per 100 popl.O; 50,000 radio receivers; 1 AM station Defense Forces

system poor but improving; new radio-relay and cable networks; 50,000 telephones (0.9 per 100 popl.); 3 AM, no FM, 5 TV stations; 1 Indian Ocean, 1 Atlantic Ocean, and 1 Arab satellite station; tropospheric scatter to South

small system of openwire, radiorelay, multiconductor cable, and radio communications stations; only center Aden; estimated 15,000 telephones (0.6 per 100 popl.); 1 AM, no FM, 5 TV stations; 1 Indian Ocean satellite antenna; tropospheric scatter to North Yemen Defense Forces

Type

constitutional monarchy under native chief; special treaty relationship with New Zealand

republic; military regime assumed power in June 1974

republic; power centered in ruling Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP)