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No Known Restrictions: Jew from Yemen, Matson Collection, ca. 1890s-1900s
  Yemen borders the Red Sea on the west, Saudi Arabia on the north, Oman on the east, and the Gulf of Aden on the south. Yemen's possessions include the 1,400-sq.-mi. (3,636-sq.-km.) island of Socotra in the Gulf of Aden; the islands of Perim, Al Hanish al Kabar, Jazirat Jabal Zuqar, and Kamaran in the Red Sea; and smaller islands in the Arabian Sea. Fortunately, the merger of North and South Yemen in 1990 gave birth to a new nation, the Republic of Yemen, on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. As a result, all Yemenis are joined under a single government for the first time in three centuries. The two separate nations, among the world's poorest, united in hopes of reaching a level of prosperity together that they failed to achieve apart. Yemenis in the north and south have much in common, including their Arab roots and their Muslim religion. They also share a heritage that includes Saba, the biblical Sheba—one of many kingdoms that flourished from the 10th to the 2nd century B.C. Geography - Yemen's geography played a key role in its economic and political development and in the formation of the hardy, independent Yemenis. The nation's location at the entrance to the Red Sea made it an inviting target for invaders from several nations. Its rugged landscape, especially in its mountainous interior, enabled Yemeni traditions to survive long periods of foreign occupation. These same mountains helped keep Yemenis in the north isolated from advances going on nearby. The western region that was once North Yemen contains most of the nation's fertile land. Alongside the Red Sea is a strip of semi-desert plain called the Tihama. About 40 mi. (64 km.) wide, the Tihama is a hot, sandy region with sparse vegetation and an occasional oasis. Wadis, dry waterways that flood during the rainy season, run from the mountains to the sea. Irrigation schemes along the wadis have enabled farmers there to produce an abundance of vegetables, fruits, and cotton. The old port of Mocha, which gave Yemeni coffee its name, is located in the Tihama. Today, the region's main port is Hodeida. East of the coastal strip, the land rises into highlands that reach 4,000 to 12,000 ft. (1,200 to 3,600 m.). More than 15 in. (38 cm.) of rain fall during the summer, when monsoon winds blow off the Indian Ocean. The average July temperature is 70° F. (21° C). PEOPLE All Yemenis speak Arabic. Inhabitants of the Mahra area, in the extreme east, speak several non-Arabic languages as well. Islam was brought to Yemen in a.d. 630, only a few years after the Prophet Mohammed began preaching, and today, all but a handful of Yemenis are Muslim. About two-thirds belong to the Shafi'i sect of Islam's Sunni branch, one-third to the Zaidi sect of the Shi'a branch. Most of the Zaidis live in the western highlands, generally in small villages. There, villagers farm or keep sheep, goats, cattle, and camels. About 10 percent of the southerners are Bedouins, nomadic herders who raise a good portion of the nation's livestock. Tribal loyalties—the sense of being united by a common ancestor— are strong in Yemen, particularly in the north. Class distinctions are important, too. Landowners (sayyids) and bureaucrats (qadis) are on the top of the Yemeni social ladder. Service or crafts people [ba.ni kums), such as butchers and carpenters, are below them. At the bottom of the social scale are the abid, people of African ancestry who are descended from slaves. Slavery was not banned in North Yemen until 1967. Far weaker than it once was, this class system still guides personal decisions, especially in the western highlands. For example, women will marry into a class above theirs but never into a lower one. Status of Women The status of women has been a special concern in the south, where the government of South Yemen made special efforts to give women more power over their lives. Women were the target of special literacy campaigns, and they were encouraged to work outside their homes. In the north, women in the villages work unveiled in the fields. In the cities, they are wrapped from head to toe in bright shawls, and they are heavily veiled outside their homes. The average Yemeni woman bears seven children. Yemeni men wear tight-fitting caps embroidered with gold or silver threads. Over these they wind brightly colored turbans. A man's robe, which reaches below the knees, is worn with an embroidered leather belt. A curved dagger, or jambiya, is often proudly thrust in the belt. Since the 1960s, Yemenis in the north and the south have worked hard to make medical care and schooling more widely available. In the south, an emphasis on health care raised life expectancy from 36 years in 1960 to about 50 years in 1990. The percentage of southerners able to read jumped from 15 to 32 percent between 1967 and 1988. Northerners saw gains, too, although less spectacular ones. Life expectancy is about 44 years. About 20 percent of all males and 2 percent of all females can read. A sandy coastal plain separates Yemen's southern shore from mountains that taper off toward the east. North of the mountains, the land merges into desert—the Rub'al Khali, or Empty Quarter, of Saudi Arabia. Wadis cutting through the mountains permit crops to grow. Some of the nation's best farmland is located in the center of this eastern region, on the banks of the wadi Hadhramaut, where coffee and tobacco are major crops. Away from the mountains, summer temperatures in the south regularly rise above 130°F. (55°C). | |
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Article Contributors Anonymous user updated 1 year ago Anonymous user updated 1 year ago |
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