536,869 sq km (207,286 sq miles).

16,483,000 (1997).

30.7 per sq km.

Sana'a., Economic & Commercial Capital: Aden.

926,595 (1993)., 400,783 (1993).

The Republic of Yemen is bordered in the northwest, north and northeast by Saudi Arabia, in the east by Oman and in the south by the Gulf of Aden. To the west lies the Red Sea. The islands of Perim and Karam in the southern Red Sea are also part of the Republic. Yemen is predominantly mountainous, supporting terraced agriculture. The Hadramaut is a range of high mountains in the centre of the country. Highlands rise steeply in central Yemen, ranging in height from approximately 200m (656ft) to the 4000m (13,123ft) peak of Jabal Nabi Shoveb. In contrast is Tihama, a flat semi-desert coastal plain to the west, 50-100km (30-60 miles) wide. Surface water flows down from the mountains through the valleys during the rainy season and the area is cultivated for cotton and grain. In the east the mountains drop away to the Rub al-Khali or 'Empty Quarter' of the Arabian Peninsula, a vast sea of sand. The arid coastal plains are fringed with sandy beaches.

Republic since 1991. Head of State: President Ali Abdallah Saleh since 1990. Head of Government: Prime Minister Abdel Karim al-Eryani since 1998.

Arabic. English is spoken in some urban areas.

Sunni Muslim (especially in the north) and Shia Muslim, with some small Christian and Hindu communities.

GMT + 3.

220/230 volts AC, 50Hz.