narily hot, dry,
harsh desert in east

Terrain:

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

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m
highest point: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,760 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble; small deposits of coal, gold,
lead, nickel, and copper; fertile soil in west

Land use:

arable land: 2.91%
permanent crops: 0.25%
other: 96.84% (2005)

Irrigated land:

5,500 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

4.1 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 6.63 cu km/yr (4%/1%/95%)
per capita: 316 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

sandstorms and dust storms in summer

Environment - current issues:

limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of
potable water; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

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

People
Yemen

Population:

23,013,376 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 46.2% (male 5,415,385/female 5,218,237)
15-64 years: 51.2% (male 5,996,202/female 5,795,779)
65 years and over: 2.6% (male 284,195/female 303,578) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 16.7 years
male: 16.7 years
female: 16.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

3.46% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

42.42 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

7.83 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 56.27 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 60.78 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 51.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 62.9 years
male: 60.96 years
female: 6