The 1992 CIA World Factbook

by United States. Central Intelligence Agency

:Yemen Economy

Overview:
Whereas the northern city Sanaa is the political capital of a united Yemen,
the southern city Aden, with its refinery and port facilities, is the
economic and commercial capital. Future economic development depends heavily
on Western-assisted development of promising oil resources. South Yemen's
willingness to merge stemmed partly from the steady decline in Soviet
economic support.
Overview:
North:
The low level of domestic industry and agriculture have made northern Yemen
dependent on imports for virtually all of its essential needs. Large trade
deficits have been made up for by remittances from Yemenis working abroad
and foreign aid. Once self-sufficient in food production, northern Yemen has
become a major importer. Land once used for export crops - cotton, fruit,
and vegetables - has been turned over to growing qat, a mildly narcotic
shrub chewed by Yemenis which has no significant export market. Oil export
revenues started flowing in late 1987 and boosted 1988 earnings by about
$800 million.
South:
This has been one of the poorest Arab countries, with a per capita GNP of
about $500. A shortage of natural resources, a widely dispersed population,
and an arid climate have made economic development difficult. The economy
has grown at an average annual rate of only 2-3% since the mid-1970s. The
economy had been organized along socialist lines, dominated by the public
sector. Economic growth has been constrained by a lack of incentives, partly
stemming from centralized control over production decisions, investment
allocation, and import choices.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $5.3 billion, per capita $545; real growth rate
NA% (1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
North:
16.9% (1988)
South:
0% (1989)
Unemployment rate:
North:
13% (1986)
South:
NA%
Budget:
North:
revenues $1.4 billion; expenditures $2.2 billion, including capital
expenditures of $590 million (1988 est.)
South:
revenues and grants $435 million; expenditures $1.0 billion, including
capital expenditure of $460 million (1988 est.)
Exports:
North:
$606 million (f.o.b., 1989)
commodities:
crude oil, cotton, coffee, hides, vegetables
partners:
FRG 29%, US 26%, Netherlands 12%
South:
$113.8 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.)
commodities:
cotton, hides, skins, dried and salted fish

:Yemen Economy

partners:
Japan, North Yemen, Italy
Imports:
North:
$1.3 billion (f.o.b., 1988)
Imports:
commodities:
textiles and other manufactured consumer goods, petroleum products, sugar,
grain, flour, other foodstuffs, and cement
partners:
Saudi Arabia 12%, France 6%, US 5%, Australia 5% (1985)
South:
$553.9 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.)
commodities:
grain, consumer goods, crude oil, machinery, chemicals
partners:
USSR, UK, Ethiopia
External debt:
$5.75 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production:
North:
growth rate 2% in manufacturing (1988)
South:
growth rate NA% in manufacturing
Electricity:
700,000 kW capacity; 1,200 million kWh produced, 120 kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
crude oil production and petroleum refining; small-scale production of
cotton textiles and leather goods; food processing; handicrafts; fishing;
small aluminum products factory; cement
Agriculture:
North:
accounted for 26% of GDP and 70% of labor force; farm products - grain,
fruits, vegetables, qat (mildly narcotic shrub), coffee, cotton, dairy,
poultry, meat, goat meat; not self-sufficient in grain
South:
accounted for 17% of GNP and 45% of labor force; products - grain, qat
(mildly narcotic shrub), coffee, fish, livestock; fish and honey major
exports; most food imported
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $389 million; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $2.0 billion; OPEC
bilateral aid (1979-89), $3.2 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $2.4
billion
Currency:
North Yemeni riyal (plural - riyals); 1 North Yemeni riyal (YR) = 100 fils;
South Yemeni dinar (plural - dinars); 1 South Yemeni dinar (YD) = 1,000 fils
Exchange rates:
North Yemeni riyals (YR) per US$1 - 12,1000 (June 1992), 12.0000 (1991),
9.7600 (1990), 9.7600 (January 1989), 9.7717 (1988), 10.3417 (1987); South
Yemeni dinars (YD) per US$1 - 0.3454 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year:
calendar year

:Yemen Communications

Highways:
15,500 km; 4,000 km paved, 11,500 km natural surface (est.)
Pipelines:
crude oil 644 km, petroleum products 32 km
Ports:
Aden, Al Hudaydah, Al Khalf, Mocha, Nishtun, Ra's Kathib, Salif
Merchant marine:
3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,309 GRT/6,568 DWT; includes 2 cargo,
1 petroleum tanker
Civil air:
11 major transport aircraft
Airports:
46 total, 40 usable; 10 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways
over 3,659 m; 20 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 11 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
since unification in 1990, efforts are being made to create a national
domestic civil telecommunications network and to revitalize the
infrastructure of a united Yemen; the network consists of microwave, cable
and troposcatter; 65,000 telephones (est.); broadcast stations - 4 AM, 1 FM,
10 TV; satellite earth stations - 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Atlantic Ocean
INTELSAT, 1 Intersputnik, 2 ARABSAT; microwave to Saudi Arabia, and Djibouti

:Yemen Defense Forces

Branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, Police
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 1,981,710; 1,127,391 fit for military service; 130,405 reach
military age (14) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $1.06 billion, 20% of GDP (1990)

:Zaire Geography

Total area:
2,345,410 km2
Land area:
2,267,600 km2
Comparative area:
slightly more than one-quarter the size of US
Land boundaries:
10,271 km total; Angola 2,511 km, Burundi 233 km, Central African Republic
1,577 km, Congo 2,410 km, Rwanda 217 km, Sudan 628 km, Uganda 765 km, Zambia
1,930 km
Coastline:
37 km
Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
Tanzania-Zaire-Zambia tripoint in Lake Tanganyika may no longer be
indefinite since it is reported that the indefinite section of the
Zaire-Zambia boundary has been settled; long section with Congo along the
Congo River is indefinite (no division of the river or its islands has been
made)
Climate:
tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in
southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of Equator
- wet season April to October, dry season December to February; south of
Equator - wet season November to March, dry season April to October
Terrain:
vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east
Natural resources:
cobalt, copper, cadmium, crude oil, industrial and gem diamonds, gold,
silver, zinc, manganese, tin, germanium, uranium, radium, bauxite, iron ore,
coal, hydropower potential
Land use:
arable land 3%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 4%; forest and
woodland 78%; other 15%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Environment:
dense tropical rain forest in central river basin and eastern highlands;
periodic droughts in south
Note:
straddles Equator; very narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo
River and is only outlet to South Atlantic Ocean