| Area Total | 527,968 sq km |
| Climate | mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east |
| Natural Resources | petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble; small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper; fertile soil in west |
| Imports | $4.079 billion (2017 est.) partners: UAE 12.2%, China 12.1%, Turkey 8.7%, Brazil 7.3%, Saudi Arabia 6.5%, Argentina 5.5%, India 4.7% (2017) – food and live animals, machinery and equipment, chemicals |
| Exports | $384.5 million (2017 est.) partners: Egypt 29.4%, Thailand 16.7%, Belarus 13.5%, Oman 10.5%, UAE 6.5%, Saudi Arabia 5% (2017) -crude oil, coffee, dried and salted fish, liquefied natural gas |
| Government | in transition |
| Capital | Sanaa |
| Population | 28.7 million (July 2018 est.) |
| Ethnicity | predominantly Arab; but also Afro-Arab, South Asian, European |
| Language | Arabic (official); note: a distinct Socotri language is widely used on Socotra Island and Archipelago; Mahri is still fairly widely spoken in eastern Yemen |
Yemen occupies the southwest corner of the Arabian peninsula. Saudi Arabia is to its north and Oman to the east.
Within Yemen, there has traditionally been a divide between north and south. The country has only been unified since 1990. Since 2011, a civil war has been going on between the Houthis in the south and the government forces in the north. Saudi Arabia has been participating on the side of the government.
Although Yemen is poor, it has many places of historical and archaeological significance. The Queen of Sheba is said to have reigned there in ancient times.
News about Yemen
- A heartbreaking account of life in Gaza | Lettersby Guardian Staff on October 22, 2024
Rev Graham Murphy says our government’s hands are steeped in this bloody war, and Mimia Umney-Gray asks what has happened to the worldWhat can any of us say to Ahmed Najar, whose family is trapped in the slaughterhouse that is north Gaza (In the Jabalia refugee camp, my sister has reached breaking point. What will it take to stop this nightmare?, 20 […]
- US attacks Houthi targets in Yemen with B-2 stealth bombers for first timeby Bethan McKernan in Jerusalem on October 17, 2024
Escalation was to ‘defend US forces and personnel’, says Lloyd Austin, as Houthi official says US ‘will pay the price’Middle East crisis – live updatesThe US has carried out B-2 stealth bomber strikes on Houthi underground weapons facilities in Yemen for the first time, in an escalation that appears in part to be a warning to the movement’s […]
- Iraq militias step up Israel attacks as Iran looks to junior proxiesby Jason Burke International security correspondent on October 17, 2024
Analysts suggest proxies in Syria, Iraq and Yemen fighting hidden conflict could be targets for Israel as it considers retaliation against TehranIran-linked militias in Iraq have launched about 40 attacks involving missiles, drones or rockets on Israel in the past two and a half weeks, the latest escalation in a largely clandestine proxy battle fought […]
- Drownings of two US Navy Seals were preventable, military investigation findsby Associated Press on October 11, 2024
Review concluded two men drowned due to glaring training failures after raid to seize Iranian weapons bound for Houthis Two US Navy Seals drowned as they tried to climb aboard a ship carrying illicit Iranian-made weapons to Yemen because of glaring training failures and a lack of understanding about what to do after falling into deep, turbulent waters, […]
- Middle East crisis: Iran confirms resumption of air traffic – as it happenedby Helen Livingstone (now); Léonie Chao-Fong, Yohannes Lowe, Neha Gohil and Helen Davidson (earlier) on October 7, 2024
This blog has now closed. You can see all our coverage of the Israel-Gaza war: one year on here and all our coverage of the Israel-Lebanon conflict here.The death toll from the Israeli strike on the Gaza mosque has risen to 24, according to local authorities. The Hamas-run Gaza government media office said 93 people were also wounded in the strikes on the […]
- Night of bombing in south Beirut – as it happenedby Helen Davidson and (earlier) Nadeem Badshah,Adam Gabbatt,Tom Ambrose, Cash Boyle and Rebecca Ratcliffe on October 6, 2024
This blog is now closed. Our latest live reporting of the Middle East crisis is here. And all our Middle East crisis coverage is hereAt least 41,825 Palestinians have been killed and 96,910 wounded in Israel’s military offensive on Gaza since 7 October, the territory’s health authorities said on Saturday.A South Korean military transport aircraft […]
- Smoke rises from Yemen after US airstrikes hit Houthi targets – videoon October 4, 2024
US officials have said its military struck more than a dozen Houthi targets in Yemen, targeting weapons systems, bases and other equipment belonging to the Iran-backed group. According to the US, military aircraft and warships bombed Houthi strongholds at about five locations. Houthi media say the airport in Hodeidah was hit, as well as a military base in […]
- More than 100 people missing after being forced off boats in Djiboutiby Carlos Mureithi in Nairobi on October 4, 2024
Nearly 50 people dead and 108 unaccounted for after smugglers apparently force passengers into the waterMore than 100 people are still missing after smugglers apparently forced migrants to leave their boats and swim in the Red Sea off the coast of Djibouti, the International Organization for Migration has said.Forty-eight people have so far been confirmed […]
- Israel may launch symbolic attack on Iran nuclear-related facilities, says Ehud Barakby Julian Borger on October 4, 2024
Israeli former prime minister says in interview it is too late to significantly set back Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, and that a ‘massive’ attack on Iran’s oil facilities is likelyIsrael is likely to mount a large-scale airstrike against Iran’s oil industry and possibly a symbolic attack on a military target related to its nuclear programme, former […]
- Financial markets could still avoid panic amid oil price risk in Middle East crisisby Richard Partington and Jillian Ambrose on October 1, 2024
Oil prices rose by more than 4% as Israeli troops moved into Lebanon and Iran launched missiles on IsraelAs Israeli troops moved into Lebanon and Iran launched a missile attack on Israel, the risk of a jump in oil prices that could trigger another global inflation shock appeared to be materialising.Oil prices rose by more than 4% to about $75 a barrel on […]
- The Guardian view on war in the Middle East: Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah is growing | Editorialby Editorial on October 1, 2024
With a ground offensive in Lebanon, and Iran firing missiles, the dangers are spiralling. A diplomatic, not military, solution is needed“Limited” is a vague assurance or aspiration, not a definition. How many will be dead in Lebanon by the time Israel’s “limited” ground operation and accompanying strikes are over? More than a thousand have […]
- Israel launches rare strike on central Beirutby William Christou in Beirut, and Peter Beaumont and Andrew Roth in Jerusalem on September 30, 2024
Attack, the first by Israel on centre of Lebanese capital since 2006, targeted senior figures in the Popular Front for the Liberation of PalestineIsrael struck central Beirut for the first time since 2006 early on Monday, hours after dozens of aircraft bombed Yemen in a long-range raid, as it pursued a rapidly expanding war on multiple fronts.The Beirut […]
- Israel strikes port of Hodeidah in Yemen, causing large explosion – videoon September 30, 2024
Israel's military said it carried out airstrikes on the Houthi-controlled Yemeni Red Sea port city of Hodeidah. At least four people were killed and more than 30 injured, according to local health officials. Israel said it targeted the port and a power plant in the city, causing a large explosion. The strike comes after the Houthis fired missiles at Tel […]
- Israel strikes Lebanon and Yemen: what we know so farby Jonathan Yerushalmy on September 30, 2024
Israel’s military has struck more targets in Yemen and Lebanon, including a strike on central Beirut for the first time since 2006, in the wake of Friday’s killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah Continue reading...
- Israel strikes Houthi targets in Yemen as it continues to bomb Lebanonby Jason Burke, Peter Beaumont in Jerusalem and William Christou in Beirut on September 29, 2024
Assault on Iran-backed proxies expands with attacks on fuel facilities and power plants in Hodeidah and Ras IssaIsrael launched a wave of airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Sunday while continuing to attack Hezbollah in Lebanon, where the Lebanese health ministry said 105 people had been killed and another 359 injured. The fresh assaults on […]
