Capita/: San'a YEMEN ARAB Population: 8·6m. (1988) REPUBLIC GNP per capita: US$650 (1988) al Jamhuriya al Arabiya al Yamaniya

HISTORY. On the death of the Iman Ahmad on 18 Sept. 1962, arrny officers seized power on 26-27 Sept., declared his son, Saif Al-Islam Al-Badr (Iman Mansur Billah Muhammad), deposed and proclaimed a republic. The republican regime was supported by Egyptian troops, whereas the royalist tribes received aid from Saudi Arabia. On 24 Aug. 1965 President Nasser and King Faisal signed an agreement according to which the two powers are to support a plebiscite to deter• mine the future of the Yemen; a conference of republican and royalist delegates met at Haradh on 23 Nov. 1965, but no plebiscite was agreed upon. At a meeting of the Arab heads of state in Aug. 1967 the President and the King agreed upon disen• gaging themselves from the civil war in Yemen. At the time there were still about 50,000 Egyptian troops in the country, holding San'a, Ta'iz, Hodeida and the plains, whereas the mountains were in the hands of the royalist tribes. By the end of 1967 the Egyptians had withdrawn. In Dec. 1989 agreement was reached with the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen on a Constitution for a unified state. AREA AND POPULATION. In the north the boundary between the Yemen and Saudi Arabia has been defined by the Treaty of Taif concluded in lune 1934. This frontier starts from the sea at a point some 5 or 10 miles north of Maidi and runs due east inland until it reaches the hills some 30 miles from the coast, whence it runs northwards for approximately 50 miles so as to leave the Sa'da Basin within the Yemen. Thence it runs in an easterly and south-easterly direction until it reaches the desert area near Nejran. The area is about 73,300 sq. miles (195,000 sq. km) with a population of 8,105,974, census 1986; estimate (1988) 8,595,000. There were 1,168,199 citizens working abroad mainly in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates not included in the census tota!. The capital is San'a with a popula• tion of (1986) 427,150. Other important towns are the port of Hodeida (population, 155,110), and Ta'iz (178,043); other towns are Ibb, Yerim, Dhamar and the ports of Mokha and Loheiya.

CLIMA TE. A desert climate, modified by relief. San'a. lan. 57°F (l3·9°C), luly 71°F (21·7°C). Annual rainfa1l20" (508 mm). CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT. A general election was held on 5 luly 1988 for the 128 elective seats on the 159-member People's Consultative Assembly (Majlis ash-Shura); the remaining 31 seats are appointed by the Presi• dent. The Consultative Assembly elects the President. President of the Republic: Co!. Ali Abdullah Saleh (elected 1978; re-elected 1983 and 1988). Vice-President: Abdel-Karim al-Arishi. The Council of Ministers in Dec. 1989 was composed as folIows: Prime Minister: Maj. Abdel Aziz Abdel Ghani. Deputy Prime Ministers: Lieut.-Co!. Mujahid Abu Shawrib (Internal Affairs), Dr Abdel Karim al-Iryani (Foreign Affairs), Dr Muhammad Said al-Attar (Develop• ment), Dr Hassan Mohammed Makki. Agriculture and Fisheries: Dr Nasir Abdullah al-Awlaqi. Waafs and Religious Guidance: Qadi Ali bin Ali as-Samman. Legal and Consultative Assembly Affairs: Ismail Ahmad al-Wazir. Education: Ahmed Muhammad al-Unsi. Communications: 1596 J. Paxton (Ed.), The Statesman’s Year-Book © Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited 1990 YEMEN AR AB REPUBLIC 1597

Ahmad Khadim al -Wajih. Economy: Dr Abd at-Wahhab Mahmud Abd al Hamid. Civil Service and Administrative Reform: Muhammad Abdullah al-Jayfi. Power, Water and Draina!:e : Jamal Muhammad Abduh. Finance: Alawi Salah as-Salami. Health: Muhammad Ali Muqbil. Inj()rmarion and Culture: Hassan Ahmad al• Lawzi. Interior: Abdullah Hussain Barakat. lustice: Lieut.-Col. Muhsin Muhammad al-Ulufi. Soda! Aij'airs and Lahollr: Ahmad Muhammad Luqman. MlInici{Jalities and HO/Hin!:: Muhsin Ali al-Hamadani. Oi! and Mineral Resollrces: Ahmad Ali al-Muhani. Puhlic Works and Transport: Abdullah Hussain al• Kurshumi. Yourh and Sports: Dr Muhammad Ahmad al-Kabab. Yemen Unity Affairs: Yahya Hussain al-Arashi. National j7ag : Three horizomal stripes of red, white, black, with a green star in the cemre. Loml govemment: There are 11 provinces (Liwa'): Sa'dah, Bayda, San'a, Hodcida, Hajjah, Jawf, Mahwit, Marib, Dhamar, Ibb and Ta' iz.

DEFENCE. Military service for 3 years is compulsory. Army. The Army consists 01' 3 armoured, I mechanized, 9 infantry, 2 para• commando, I Special Forces, 5 anillery brigades, I central guard force and 3 anli• aircraft artillery and 2 air defence battalions. Equipment includes 100 T-34, 480 T-54/-55, 20 T-62 and 64 M-60A I main batlle tanks. Strength (1989) 35,000. Navy. The f10tilla consists of 3 US-buill and 5 Soviet-built inshore patrol craft, 3 Soviet-built inshore minehunters and 4 smallianding craf\. Personnel in 1989 num• bered 500. Air Force. Built up with aid from both the USA and USSR, as weil as Saudi Arabia, the Air Force is believed to be receiving many new Soviet aircraft. Currem equipment includes 15 Su-22 fighter-bombers, 30 MiG-21 and 14 F-5 fighters, a total of 14 11-14, An-12, An-24/26, C-130 Hercules and Skyvan transports, and over 30 Mi-8 and Agusta-Bell JetRanger and 212 helicopters. Personnel (1990) about 1.000.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Membership. The Yemen Arab Republic is a member of UN and the Arab League.

ECONOMY Planning. The Third Development Plan (1987-92) provides investment of US$3,776m. (40% foreign aid), and concemrates principally on agricultural devel• opment. Budget. The budget for 1989 provided for expenditure of 20,789m. riyal and revenue of 16.04Im. ri yal. Currency. The currency is the riyalof 1001ils. In March 1990, 16·03 riyal = EI and 9·78 riyal = US$I.

ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES Electricity. Production (1986) 556m. kwh. Oil. The first large-scale oilfield and pipeline was inaugurated in 1987, following the discovery in 1984. Production ( 1989) 10m. tonnes. Minerals. The only commercial mineral being exploited is salt and (1985) produc• tion was 169,000 tons. Reserves (estimate) 25m. IOnnes. Agriculture. Of the total area of 19· Sm. hectares, I·3m. are arable or permanent crops. Cotton is grown in the Tihama, the coastal bell, round Bait al Faqih and Zabid. Fruit is plentiful, especially fine grapes from the San'a district. Production (1988. in 1,000 tonnes): Sorghum, 542; potatoes, 117; grapes, 133; dates, 15; wheat, 132; barley, 48; maize, 53. 1598 YEMEN ARAB REPUBLIC

Livestock (1988): Cattle, 1,053,000; camels, 63,000; sheep, 2,674,000; goats, 1,709,000; poultry, 23m. Fisheries. Total catch (1986) 22,300 tonnes.

INDUSTRY AND TRADE Industry. There is very little industry. The largest is a textile factory at San'a. Pro• duction of cement (1982) 85,000 tonnes. Commerce. Imports totalled 11, 155m. riyals in 1986, the largest items being food and live animals. Exports totalled 96·7m. in 1985. Total trade between Yemen Arab Republic and UK (British Department of Trade returns, in f1 ,000 sterling): 1986 1987 1988 1989 Imports to UK 2,106 2,306 1,532 1,598 Exports and re-exports from UK 58,149 55,334 42,564 41,653 Tourism. There were about 44,000 tourists in 1986.

COMMUNICATIONS Roads. There were (1985) 37,000 km of roads and (1986) 125,000 cars. Aviation. There are 3 international airports: San'a, Ta'iz and Hodeida. Shipping. Hodeida, Mokha, Salif and Loheiya are the 4 main ports. Post and Broadcasting. There were about 35,000 telephones in 1984. In 1986 there were 50,000 television and 200,000 radio receivers.

RELIGION, EDUCATION AND WELFARE Religion. The population is almost entirely Moslem, comprising 39% Sunni (Shafi'i) and 59% Shi'a (Zaidi). Education. There were (1985-86) 904,487 pupils at primary schools, 112,922 in secondary schools, and 11,616 at teacher-training establishments. In 1982 the Uni• versity of San'a (founded in 1974) had 6,719 students. Health. In 1986 there were 1,234 physicians and 60 hospitals and health centres with 5,986 beds.

DIPLOMA TIC REPRESENT A TIVES Of Yemen Arab Republic in Great Britain (41 South St., London, W I Y 5PD) Ambassador: Ahmed Daifellah AI-Azeib (accredited 16 Oct. 1982). Of Great Britain in Yemen Arab Republic (129 Haddah Rd., San'a) Amhassador and Consul-General: M. A. Marshall. Of Yemen Arab Republic in the USA (600 New Hampshire Ave., NW, Washing- ton, D.C., 20037) Amhassador: Mohsin A. Alaini. Of the USA in Yemen Arab Republic (P.O. Box 1088, San'a) Ambassador: Charles F. Dunbar. Of Yemen Arab Republic to the United Nations Amhassador: Mohamed Abdulaziz Sallam.

Further Reading Bidwell, R., The Two Yemens. Boulder and London, 1983 EI Mallakh, R., The Economic Development of Ihe Yemen Arab Republic. London, 1986 Peterson, J. E., Yemen: TheSearchfora Modern Siaie. London, 1982 Smith, G. R, The Yemens. [Bibliography] Oxford and Santa Barbara, 1984