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Location:
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Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
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Geographic coordinates:
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15 00 N, 48 00 E
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Map references:
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Middle East
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Area:
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total: 527,970 sq km
land: 527,970 sq km
note: includes Perim, Socotra, the former Yemen Arab Republic (YAR or North Yemen), and the former People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY or South Yemen)
water: 0 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming
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Land boundaries:
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total: 1,746 km
border countries: Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km
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Coastline:
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1,906 km
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Maritime claims:
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contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
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Climate:
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mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east
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Terrain:
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narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged mountains; dissected upland desert plains in center slope into the desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m
highest point: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,760 m
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Natural resources:
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petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble, small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper, fertile soil in west
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Land use:
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arable land: 2.75%
permanent crops: 0.21%
other: 97.04% (1998 est.)
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Irrigated land:
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4,900 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards:
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sandstorms and dust storms in summer
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Environment - current issues:
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very limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban
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Geography - note:
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strategic location on Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes
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