YEMEN

Arabic is the official language of the Republic of Yemen [i]. Arabic is spoken by 18 million+ Yemenis, with over 22 unique dialects ranging from region to region throughout the country. Yemen is also home to many non-Arabic indigenous and endangered languages spoken by ethnic-minorities across the country. The non-Arabic language with the highest number of speakers [ii] is Razihi with over 62,000 speakers. The second largest non-Arabic language is Soqatri, which is the native language of the Soqotrian people living on the archipelago of Socotra. The third largest is Mehri, which is spoken in the far-east governorate of al-Mahra, bordering Oman.

Yemeni traditions range in foods, attire, music, as well as social and tribal traditions and customs. Yemeni culture is heavily influenced by Islam [iii] and tribalism. Tribe identity plays an important role in Yemen’s political and social fabric. Cultural symbols in Yemen include the Jambiya [iv], a dagger worn across the waist by Yemeni men. Aside from Yemen’s religious and tribal-driven culture, the most important cultural institution and recreation is the common agricultural resource ‘Khat.’ This plant is a stimulant chewed in social gatherings where people discuss and debate politics, conduct business transactions, settle disputes and grievances, or listen to music or poetry.

Yemen is a Muslim majority country, and Islam is the state religion [v]. Yemeni Muslims are divided by two sects: Sunni (shafa’i), and Zaydi-Shia. A majority of Zaydi Muslims reside in the northern half of the country, while the Sunni Muslims reside in the midlands and southern region. Islamic law, also known as Sharia, is the source of all legislation. Islam is taught in all schools. Other religious minorities reside [vi] in Yemen such as Christians, Jews, and Hindus. Before the Islamization of the Yemeni region, Yemen was predominantly Jewish. As of today, only a few hundred Yemenite Jews remain in the country.

Yemen is a constitutional republic. The country’s constitution was ratified in 1991 [vii], a year after the country's unification. The constitution underwent some significant amendments after the end of the 1994 civil war, most notably by replacing the Presidential Council with a single, popularly elected President. Yemen is the only democracy in the Arabian peninsula [viii], and presidential elections are held once every five years. The government of Yemen is currently in transition into a federal government, after concluding the 2014 national dialogue, which successfully ratified a new constitution. However, the 2014 Houthi coup d'etat and the ongoing conflict has interrupted the process.

The national currency is the Yemeni Rial, averaging a $1 = 275 rial exchange rate in 2017. Economic figures and exchange rates are uncertain due to the ongoing conflict. Yemen’s 2017 GDP was $31.27 billion, with an average GDP per capita of $2,500, making it one of most economically challenged countries in the Arab world. The ongoing conflict has exacerbated the country’s economic problems, resulting in high unemployment and rampant inflation. The conflict has posed a great risk on the country’s trade, significantly reducing oil, agricultural and commodity exports, subsequently, Yemen has since been highly reliant on foreign humanitarian aid.

The Republic of Yemen was established in 1990, when former Northern and Southern Yemen [xi] unified. Yemen has existed as a nation for thousands of years, dating back to biblical times. Southern Yemen was a British protectorate, also known as the Aden protectorate. It was founded in 1872 and lasted up until the Aden uprising of 1963, which heavily influenced Arab Nationalist movements across the Middle East. A Zaydi Imamate was established in Northern Yemen after the end of Ottman rule. In 1918. Zaydi Imams ruled Northern Yemen until 1970, when the republic overthrew the imam and established the Yemen Arab Republic.

Yemen's interior terrain is predominantly desert, with a rugged mountainous coastline and borders. It’s located on the southwest corner of the Arabian Peninsula, totaling approximately 203,000 square miles [xii]. Yemen's terrain is divided into five major regions, the west coastal plan of Tihamah, the western highlands, the central mountains, the eastern highlands, northeastern desert regions. Yemen borders Saudi Arabia and Oman and has 1,184 miles of coastline on the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, and the Bab-al-Mandab Strait [xiii]. The archipelago of Socotra consists of four islands, two of which are geographically part of Africa, making Yemen a transcontinental country.