What is Yemen?

الجمهورِيّة اليَمَنيّة Al-Jumhūriyyah al-Yamaniyyah Republic of Yemen
Flag Coat of arms
Motto "Allah, al-Watan, at-Thawra, al-Wehda" "God, Nation, Revolution, Unity"
Anthem United Republic
Capital (and largest city)		Sanaa
Official languages		Arabic
Demonym		Yemeni
Government		Republic
-	President	Ali Abdullah Saleh
-	Prime Minister	Ali Mohammed Mojawar
Establishment
-	Unification	May 22 1990
-	Water (%)	negligible
Population
-	July 2005 estimate	20,975,000 (51st)
GDP (PPP)		2005 estimate
-	Total	$19.480 billion (110th)
-	Per capita	$900 (175th)
FSI (2007)		93.2 3.4 (Alert) (24th)
HDI (2004)		0.492 (low) (150th)
Currency		Yemeni rial $1 = 198.13 Rials (YER)
Time zone		(UTC+3)
Internet TLD		.ye
Calling code		+967
2

Yemen (Arabic: اليَمَن AL-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen (Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية al-Jumhuuriyya al-Yamaniyya) is a Middle Eastern country located on the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia. With a population of about 20 million people, Yemen is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the North, the Red Sea to the West, the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden to the South, and Oman to the east. Yemen's territory includes over 200 islands, the largest of which is Socotra, about 415 kilometres (260 miles) to the south of Yemen, off the coast of Somalia.

History

Main article: History of Yemen

Yemen is one of the oldest centers of civilization in the world. Between the ninth century BC and the sixth century AD, it was part of the Sabaean, Awsanian, Minaean, Qatabanian, Hadhramawtian, Himyarite, and some other kingdoms, which controlled the lucrative spice trade. It was known to the Ancient Romans as Arabia Felix ("Happy Arabia") because of the riches its trade generated. Augustus Caesar attempted to annex it, but the expedition failed. The Ethiopian Kingdom of Aksum annexed it by around 520, and it was subsequently taken by the Sassanids Persians around 570.

In the 3rd century and again in the late sixth and early seventh centuries AD, many Sabaean and Himyarite people migrated out of the land of Yemen following the destructions of the Ma'rib Dam (sadd Ma'rib) and migrated to North Africa and northern part of the Arabian Peninsula. In the 7th century, Islamic caliphs began to exert control over the area. After this caliphate broke up, the former North Yemen came under control of Imams of various dynasties usually of the Zaidi sect, who established a theocratic political structure that survived until modern times. (Imam is an Arabic term meaning religious leader). Egyptian Sunni Caliphs occupied much of North Yemen throughout the eleventh century. By the sixteenth century and again in the nineteenth century, north Yemen was part of the Ottoman Empire, and in some periods its Imams exerted control over south Yemen.

North Yemen became independent of the Ottoman Empire in 1918 and became a republic in 1962. In 1839, the British occupied the port of Aden and established it as a colony in September of that year. They also set up a zone of loose alliances (known as protectorates) around Aden to act as a protective buffer. In 1967, the British withdrew and gave back Aden to Yemen due to extreme pressure of battles with the North and Egyptian allies. After the British withdrawal, this area became known as South Yemen. The two countries were formally united as the Republic of Yemen on May 22 1990.

2007 volcano eruption

Main article: Jabal al-Tair island

On 30 September 2007, a dormant volcano erupted on the Red Sea island Jabal al-Tair, causing some loss of life and damage to a military base. [1]

Politics

Main article: Politics of Yemen

Yemen is a republic with a bicameral legislature. Under the constitution, an elected president, an elected 301-seat House of Representatives, and an appointed 111-member Shura Council share power. The president is head of state, and the prime minister is head of government. The constitution provides that the president be elected by popular vote from at least two candidates endorsed by Parliament; the prime minister is appointed by the president. The presidential term of office is seven years, and the parliamentary term of elected office is six years. Suffrage is universal over 18 years of age.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh became the first elected President in reunified Yemen in 1999 [though he had been President of unified Yemen since 1990 and President of North Yemen since 1978] and most recently was re-elected in September of 2006 after an initial reluctance to run once more. His victory was marked by an election that international observers judged to be "generally free and fair." Popular demonstrations and editorials of support in major papers helped change his mind to run again. In April 2003 parliamentary elections were held, and the General People's Congress (GPC) maintained an absolute majority. There was a marked decrease from previous years in election-related violence; however, there were some problems with underage voting, confiscation of ballot boxes, voter intimidation, and election-related violence.

The constitution calls for an independent judiciary. The former northern and southern legal codes have been unified. The legal system includes separate commercial courts and a Supreme Court based in Sanaá. Since the country is an Islamic state, the Islamic holy book, the Qur'an, is the basis for all laws, and no law may contradict the Qur'an. Indeed many court cases are debated by the religious basis of the laws i.e. by interpretations of the Qur'an. For this reason, many Judges are religious scholars as well as legal authorities. Unlike Saudi Arabia and other Islamic states, the consumption of alcohol by foreigners is tolerated, and the mild stimulant Qat is chewed by Yemenis of all strata of society, despite being banned or frowned upon by other Islamic countries and groups.

The political elites of Yemen are the Hashid tribe and the Bakeel tribe. President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the Speaker of the Parliament are from the Hashid Tribe.

Governorates

Main article: Governorates of Yemen

Further information: Historic Governorates of Yemen

As of February 2004, Yemen is divided into twenty governorates (muhafazah) and one municipality.^[1] The size of each governorate in terms of population is as follows:

Division	Capital City	Pop (2004)	Key
Abyan	Zinjibar	???	1
'Adan	Aden	1,000,000	2
Ad Dali'		470,460	3
Al Bayda'	Al Bayda	571,778	4
Al Hudaydah	Al Hudaydah	2,161,379	5
Al Jawf	Al Jawf	451,426	6
Al Mahrah	Al Ghaydah	89,093	7
Al Mahwit	Al Mahwit	495,865	8
'Amran	'Amran	872,789	9
Dhamar	Dhamar	1,339,229	10
Hadramaut	Al Mukalla	1,029,462	11
Hajjah	Hajjah	1,480,897	12
Ibb	Ibb	2,137,546	13
Lahij	Lahij	727,203	14
Ma'rib	Ma'rib	241,690	15
Raymah		395,076	not shown
Sa'dah	Sa`dah	693,217	16
Sana'a	San`a'	918,379	17
Sana'a (capital)		1,747,627	1
Shabwah	`Ataq	466,889	18
Ta'izz	Ta`izz	2,438,656	19

The governorates are subdivided into 333 districts, which are subdivided into 2,210 sub-districts, and then into 38,284 villages (as of 2001).

Before 1990, Yemen existed as two separate entities. For more information, see Historic Governorates of Yemen.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Yemen

Yemen is in the Middle East, in the south of the Arabian Peninsula, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, west of Oman and south of Saudi Arabia.

A number of Red Sea islands, including the Hanish Islands, Kamaran and Perim, as well as Socotra in the Arabian Sea belong to Yemen. Many of the islands are volcanic, for example Jabal al-Tair had a volcanic eruption in 2007 and before that in 1883.

At 203,837 mi² (527,970 km²), Yemen is the world's 49th-largest country (after France). It is comparable in size to Thailand, and somewhat larger than the U.S. state of California. Yemen is found at .

Until recently its northern border was undefined because the Arabian Desert prevented any human habitation there.

The country can be divided geographically into four main regions: the coastal plains in the west, the western highlands, the eastern highlands, and the Rub al Khali in the east.

The Tihamah ("hot lands") form a very arid and flat coastal plain. Despite the aridity, the presence of many lagoons makes this region very marshy and a suitable breeding ground for malarial mosquitoes. There are also extensive crescent-shaped sand dunes. The evaporation in the Tihama is so great that streams from the highlands never reach the sea, but they do contribute to extensive groundwater reserves; today these are heavily exploited for agricultural use. The Tihamah ends abruptly at the escarpment of the western highlands. This area, now heavily terraced to meet the demand for food, receives the highest rainfall in Arabia, rapidly increasing from 100 mm (4 inches) per year to about 760 mm (30 inches) in Ta'izz and over 1,000 mm (40 inches) in Ibb. Agriculture here is very diverse, with such crops as sorghum dominating, but cotton and many fruit trees are also grown, with mangoes being the most valuable. Temperatures are hot in the day but fall dramatically at night. There are perennial streams in the highlands but these never reach the sea because of high evaporation in the Tihama.

The central highlands are an extensive high plateau over 2,000 metres (6,560 feet) in elevation. This area is drier than the western highlands because of rain-shadow influences, but still receives sufficient rain in wet years for extensive cropping. Diurnal temperature ranges are among the highest in the world: ranges from 30 °C (86 °F) in the day to 0 °C (32 °F) at night are normal. Water storage allows for irrigation and the growing of wheat and barley. Sana'a is located in this region. The highest point in Yemen is Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb, at 3,760 meters (12,336 ft).

The Rub al Khali in the East is much lower, generally below 1,000 metres, and receives almost no rain. It is populated only by Bedouin herders of camels.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Yemen

In terms of GDP per capita, Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the Arab world. Remittances from Yemenis working abroad and foreign aid paid for perennial trade deficits. Substantial Yemeni communities exist in many countries of the world, including Yemen's immediate neighbors on the Arabian Peninsula, Indonesia, India, East Africa, and also the United Kingdom, and the United States, especially in the area around Detroit, Michigan and in Lackawanna, NY. Beginning in the mid-1950s, the Soviet Union and China provided large-scale assistance. For example the Chinese are currently involved with the expansion of the International Airport in Sanaa.

In the south, pre-independence economic activity was overwhelmingly concentrated in the port city of Aden. The seaborne transit trade, which the port relied upon, collapsed with the closure of the Suez Canal and Britain's withdrawal from Aden in 1967.

Since unification, the government has worked to integrate two relatively disparate economic systems. However, severe shocks, including the return in 1990 of approximately 850,000 Yemenis from the Gulf states, a subsequent major reduction of aid flows, and internal political disputes culminating in the 1994 civil war hampered economic growth. Yemen, the fastest growing democracy in the Middle East, is attempting to climb into the middle human development region through ongoing political and economic reform.

Since the conclusion of the war, the government entered into agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to implement a structural adjustment program. Phase one of the IMF program included major financial and monetary reforms, including floating the currency, reducing the budget deficit, and cutting subsidies. Phase two will address structural issues such as civil service reform.

In early 1995, the government of Yemen launched an economic, financial and administrative reform program (EFARP) with the support of the World Bank and the IMF, as well international donors. The First Five-Year Plan (FFYP) for the years 1996 to 2000 was introduced in 1996. The World Bank has focused on public sector management,including civil service reform, budget reform and privatization. In addition, attracting diversified private investment, water management and poverty-oriented social sector improvements has been made a priority for the implementation of the programs in Yemen. These programs had a positive impact on Yemen’s economy and led to the reduction of the budget deficit to less than 3% of GDP during the period 1995-99 and the correction of macro-financial imbalances.[2]

In 1997, IMF and the government began medium-term economic reform programs under the Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility (ESAF) and Extended Fund Facility (EFF). This reform program was aimed at reducing dependence on the oil sector and establishing a market environment for real non-oil GDP growth and investment in the non-oil sector. Increasing the growth rate in the non-oil sector was one of the most important problems to be tackled by the government. These programs included reducing unemployment, strengthening the social safety net and increasing financial stability. To achieve these reforms, the government and IMF implemented containment of government wages, improvements in revenue collection with the introduction of reforms in tax administration, and a sharp reduction in subsidies bills by increasing prices on subsidized goods. As a result, the fiscal cash deficit was reduced from 16 percent of GDP to 0.9 percent from 1994 to 1997. This was supported by aid from oil export countries despite the wide-ranging fluctuations in world oil prices. The real growth rate in the non-oil sector rose by 5.6 percent during 1995-97. [3]

The World Bank is active in Yemen, with twenty-two active projects in 2004, including projects to improve governance in the public sector, water, and education. In 1996 and 1997, Yemen has lowered its debt burden through Paris Club agreements and restructuring U.S. foreign debt. In 2003, government reserves reached $5 billion.

The main oil produced and used in Yemen is Marib oil. Marib oil contains associated natural gas. Proven reserves of 10 to 13 trillion cubic feet (283 to 368 km³) could sustain a liquid natural gas (LNG) export project.

Foreign relations

Main article: Foreign relations of Yemen

The geography and ruling Imams of North Yemen kept the country isolated from foreign influence before 1962. The country's relations with Saudi Arabia were defined by the Taif Agreement of 1934, which delineated the northernmost part of the border between the two kingdoms and set the framework for commercial and other intercourse. The Taif Agreement has been renewed periodically in 20-year increments, and its validity was reaffirmed in 1995. Relations with the British colonial authorities in Aden and the south were usually tense.

The Soviet and Chinese Aid Missions established in 1958 and 1959 were the first important non-Muslim presence in North Yemen. Following the September 1962 revolution, the Yemen Arab Republic became closely allied with and heavily dependent upon Egypt. Saudi Arabia aided the royalists in their attempt to defeat the Republicans and did not recognize the Yemen Arab Republic until 1970. Subsequently, Saudi Arabia provided Yemen substantial budgetary and project support. At the same time, Saudi Arabia maintained direct contact with Yemeni tribes, which sometimes strained its official relations with the Yemeni Government. Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis found employment in Saudi Arabia during the late 1970s and 1980s.

In February 1989, North Yemen joined Iraq, Jordan, and Egypt in forming the Arab Cooperation Council (ACC), an organization created partly in response to the founding of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and intended to foster closer economic cooperation and integration among its members. After unification, the Republic of Yemen was accepted as a member of the ACC in place of its YAR predecessor. In the wake of the Gulf crisis, the ACC has remained inactive. Yemen is not a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

British authorities left southern Yemen in November 1967 in the wake of an intense rebellion. The People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, the successor to British colonial rule, had diplomatic relations with many nations, but its major links were with the Soviet Union and other Marxist countries. Relations between it and the conservative Arab states of the Arabian Peninsula were strained. There were military clashes with Saudi Arabia in 1969 and 1973, and the PDRY provided active support for the Dhofar rebellion against the Sultanate of Oman. The PDRY was the only Arab state to vote against admitting new Arab states from the Persian Gulf area to the United Nations and the Arab League. The PDRY provided sanctuary and material support to various insurgent groups around the Middle East.

Yemen is a member of the United Nations, the Arab League, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Yemen participates in the nonaligned movement. The Republic of Yemen accepted responsibility for all treaties and debts of its predecessors, the YAR and the PDRY. Yemen has acceded to the nuclear nonproliferation treaty. The Gulf crisis dramatically affected Yemen's foreign relations. As a member of the UN Security Council (UNSC) for 1990 and 1991,Yemen abstained on a number of UNSC resolutions concerning Iraq and Kuwait and voted against the "use of force resolution." Western and Gulf Arab states reacted by curtailing or canceling aid programs and diplomatic contacts. At least 850,000 Yemenis returned from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf.

Subsequent to the liberation of Kuwait, Yemen continued to maintain high-level contacts with Iraq. This hampered its efforts to rejoin the Arab mainstream and to mend fences with its immediate neighbors. In 1993, Yemen launched an unsuccessful diplomatic offensive to restore relations with its Persian Gulf neighbors. Some of its aggrieved neighbors actively aided the south during the 1994 civil war. Since the end of that conflict, tangible progress has been made on the diplomatic front in restoring normal relations with Yemen's neighbors. The Omani-Yemeni border has been officially demarcated. In the summer of 2000, Yemen and Saudi Arabia signed an International Border Treaty settling a fifty year-old dispute over the location of the border between the two countries. Yemen settled its dispute with Eritrea over the Hanish Islands in 1998.

After the departure from the gulf states as many as 15,000 Yemenis migrated to the U.S. Many Yemenis can be found in the south end of Dearborn, Michigan. In the early 90s Yemenis came in search of manufacturing jobs. They continue to work in the U.S. and send money back to their families.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Yemen

Yemen has one of the world's highest birth rates; the average Yemeni woman bears seven children. Although this is similar to the rate in Somalia to the south, it is roughly twice as high as that of Saudi Arabia and nearly three times as high as those in the more modernized Arab Gulf states. Unlike most other people of the Arabian Peninsula who have historically been nomads or semi-nomads, Yemenis are almost entirely sedentary and live in small villages and towns scattered throughout the highlands and coastal regions.

Yemenis are mainly of Arab origin. Arabic is the official language, although English is increasingly understood by citizens in major cities. In the Mahra area (the extreme east) and the island Soqotra, several ancient south-Arabic languages are spoken. When the former states of north and south Yemen were established, most resident minority groups departed.

Yemenite Jews once formed a sizeable Jewish minority in Yemen with a distinct culture. They also occupied key industries including silver smiths and their influence on Yemeni culture is still discussed within the souks. However, most of them immigrated to Israel in the mid 20th century, following the Jewish exodus from Arab lands and Operation Magic Carpet (Yemen). In the early 20th century they had numbered about 50,000; they currently number only a few hundred individuals and reside largely in Sada. Arab traders have long operated in Southeast Asia, trading in spices, timber and textiles. Most of the prominent Indonesians, Malaysians and Singaporeans of Arab descent have their origins in southern Yemen in the Hadramawt coastal region. As many as 4 million Indonesians are of Hadrami descent and today there are almost 10,000 Hadramis in Singapore.^[2] 50 years ago there were Hadramis who emigrated from Yemen to Africa but this emigration has stopped now.

Yemenis are divided into two principal Islamic religious groups: 50-55% Sunni and 42-48% Shi'a.^[3] Sunnis are primarily Shafi'i, but also include significant groups of Malikis, Salafis and Hanbalis. About 35% of Yemenis are Shafi'i Sunnis, 5% are Maliki Sunnis, 15% are Salafis.

Shi'is are primarily Zaidis, and also have significant minorities related to Jaffari Twelver Shias ^[4] and Musta'ali Western Isma'ili Shias. About 32-38% of Yemenis are Zaidi Shias, 4% are Jaffaris Shias and 6% are Musta'ali Ismaili Shias.

The Sunnis are predominantly in the south and southeast. The Zaidis are predominantly in the north and northwest whilst the Jafaris and Ismailies are in the main centers such as Sana'a and Ma'rib. There are mixed communities in the larger cities. About 2% of Yemenis are non-Muslim pertaining to Hinduism, Christianity and Judaism.

Human rights

Main article: Human rights in Yemen

Languages

While the national language is Arabic (spoken in several regional dialects), Yemen is one of the main homelands of the South Semitic family of languages, which includes the non-Arabic language of the ancient Sabaean Kingdom. Its modern Yemeni descendants are closely related to the modern Semitic languages of Eritrea and Ethiopia. However, only a small remnant of those languages exists in modern Yemen, notably on the island of Socotra and in the back hills of the Hadhramaut coastal region. Modern South Arabian languages spoken in Yemen include Mehri, with 70,643 speakers, Soqotri, with an estimated 43,000 speakers in the Socotra archipelago (2004 census) and 67,000 worldwide, and Bathari (with an estimated total of only 200 speakers).

Foreign language in public schools is taught from grade seven on, though the quality of public school instruction is low. Private schools using a British or American system teach English and produce proficient speakers, but Arabic is the dominant language of communication. The number of English speakers in Yemen is small compared to other Arab countries such as Egypt, Lebanon, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Private schools have also started to teach French alongside Arabic and English.

Culture

Khat

Main article: Khat

Khat is a large, slow growing, evergreen shrub, reaching a height of between 1 and 5 metres, in equatorial regions it may reach a height of 10 meters.^[5] Its scientific name is Catha edulis. This plant is widely cultivated in Yemen and is generally used for chewing. When Khat juice is swallowed, its leaf juice has a caffeine-like effect. It is deeply rooted in Yemeni culture. Khat is not just chewed by men and women, but by children as well. It is addictive and has many side effects to it, and has been linked to various types of mouth and throat cancer. The cost of Khat is significant to the Yemeni economy for it both consumes a significant amount of water to grow and is seen by many to reduce the productivity of the people.

Cinema

Main article: Cinema of Yemen

Holidays

Date	Holiday	Notes
May 22	National Unity	Celebrates the unification of the Republic of Yemen
September 26	1962 Revolution Day	Celebrates the revolution against the northern Imams
October 14	1967 Revolution Day	Celebrates the revolution against the British in the south
November 30	Evacuation Day	Evacuation of the last British soldier from southern Yemen

Dates following the lunar Islamic calendar

Date	Holiday/Festival
Dhul Hijjah 10	Eid al-Adha
Shawwal 1	Eid al-Fitr
Muharram 1	(Islamic New Year)

References

See also

• History of Yemen
• Geography of Yemen
• Demographics of Yemen
• Politics of Yemen
• Economy of Yemen
• Communications in Yemen
• Transportation in Yemen
• Military of Yemen
• Jambiya the Yemeni dagger
• Foreign relations of Yemen
• List of Yemen-related topics
• Arab diaspora
• Arab Singaporean
• Internet usage in Yemen

External links

Government

• Yemen Government Homepage
• President of Yemen
• Rasheed Modern Schools

General information

• Online Newspapers from Yemen - Yemen
• MyDiwan.com - Yemen Social Network
• Arab Gateway - Yemen
• BBC News Country Profile - Yemen
• [https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ym.html CIA World Factbook - Yemen]
• Open Directory Project - Yemen directory category
• U.S. State Department - Yemen includes Background Notes, Country Study and major reports
• Yahoo! - Yemen directory category
• South Arabian Semitic languages family tree from SIL's Ethnologue.
• Yemen Constitution

Services

• The Yemeni Video Portal
• Yemen Page: Technology and Internet Reports
• Business Directory for Exports & Imports
• Go Yemen: A useful local classifieds website
• Yemen Shop: Yemeni eBay Store
• YemenPortal.net: Portal and Search Engine for news on Yemen (English/Arabic)

Other

• AAYSP: American Association of Yemeni Scientists and Professionals.
• Shabab Yemeni: A monthly newspaper in Arabic and English, published by a yemeni team.
• How to chew khat
• Voter turnout, Gender quotas, Electoral system design and Political party financing in Yemen
• Yemeni Students Association Abroad
• Yemen pictures
• Photography of Yemen
• Photos of the east coast of Yemen (Tihamah)
• Cnn News Report on the eruption

Preceded by North Yemen concurrent with South Yemen	Government of Yemen 1990 to date	Succeeded by current

Geographic locale

•  • [ e] Countries and territories of the Middle East Bahrain Egypt Iran Iraq Israel Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Oman Palestinian territories Qatar Saudi Arabia Syria United Arab Emirates Yemen Sometimes included:  Afghanistan • Algeria • Libya • Morocco • Tunisia • Cyprus • Turkey  •  • [ e] Countries of Southwest Asia Armenia Azerbaijan Bahrain Cyprus Georgia Iran Iraq Israel Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia Syria Turkey United Arab Emirates Yemen  •  • [ e] Countries of Asia Afghanistan Armenia Azerbaijan1 Bahrain Bangladesh Bhutan Brunei Cambodia China, People's Republic of China, Republic of (Taiwan)2 Cyprus Egypt3 Georgia1 India Indonesia4 Iran Iraq Israel Japan Jordan Kazakhstan1 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Lebanon Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Myanmar Nepal Oman Pakistan Philippines Qatar Russia1 Saudi Arabia Singapore Sri Lanka Syria Tajikistan Thailand Timor-Leste (East Timor)4 Turkey1 Turkmenistan United Arab Emirates Uzbekistan Vietnam Yemen3 For dependent and other territories, see Dependent territory and List of unrecognized countries. 1 Partly or significantly in Europe.  2 The Republic of China (Taiwan) is not officially recognized by the United Nations; see Political status of Taiwan. 3 Partly or significantly in Africa.  4 Partly or wholly reckoned in Oceania.  •  • [ e] Countries bordering the Red Sea  Djibouti    Egypt    Eritrea    Israel    Jordan    Saudi Arabia    Somalia   The template is . Please use instead. This usage is deprecated. Please replace it with {{tdeprecated|Yemen|Country}}. '''The template is deprecated. Please use instead.     Yemen  •  • [ e] Countries and territories bordering the Indian Ocean Africa Comoros Djibouti Eritrea Kenya Madagascar Mauritius Mayotte Mozambique Seychelles Somalia Somaliland South Africa Sudan Tanzania Asia Bahrain Bangladesh Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands India Indonesia Iran Iraq Kuwait Malaysia Maldives Myanmar Oman Pakistan Qatar Saudi Arabia Sri Lanka Thailand United Arab Emirates Yemen Oceania Australia Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Islands Bahrain British Indian Ocean Territory Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Madagascar Maldives Mauritius Mayotte Seychelles Sri Lanka

International membership

•  • [ e] Arab League Members Algeria Bahrain Comoros Djibouti Egypt Iraq Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Libya Mauritania Morocco Oman State of Palestine Qatar Saudi Arabia Sudan Somalia Syria Tunisia United Arab Emirates Yemen Observers Eritrea India  •  • [ e] Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Afghanistan • Albania • Algeria • Azerbaijan • Bahrain • Bangladesh • Benin • Burkina Faso • Brunei • Cameroon • Chad • Comoros • Côte d'Ivoire • Djibouti • Egypt • Gabon • Gambia • Guinea • Guinea-Bissau • Guyana • Indonesia • Iran • Iraq • Jordan • Kuwait • Kazakhstan • Kyrgyzstan • Lebanon • Libya • Maldives • Malaysia • Mali • Mauritania • Morocco • Mozambique • Niger • Nigeria • Oman • Pakistan • State of Palestine • Qatar • Saudi Arabia • Senegal • Sierra Leone • Somalia • Sudan • Surinam • Syria • Tajikistan • Turkey • Tunisia • Togo • Turkmenistan • Uganda • Uzbekistan • United Arab Emirates • Yemen Observer countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina • Central African Republic • Russia • Thailand • Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Observer Muslim organizations and communities: Moro National Liberation Front Observer international organizations: Economic Cooperation Organization • Organisation of African Unity • League of Arab States • Non-Aligned Movement • United Nations