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. Former South
Yemen's willingness to merge stemmed partly from the steady decline in
Soviet economic support. 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 compensated for by
remittances from Yemenis working abroad and by 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.
Economic growth in former South Yemen has been constrained by a lack of
incentives, partly stemming from centralized control over production
decisions, investment allocation, and import choices.
National product:
GDP - exchange rate conversion - $8 billion (1992 est.)
National product real growth rate: NA%
National product per capita:
$775 (1992 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
100% (December 1992)
Unemployment rate:
30% (December 1992)
Budget:
revenues $NA, expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Exports:
$908 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.)
commodities:
crude oil, cotton, coffee, hides, vegetables, dried and salted fish
partners:
US, EC countries, South Korea, Saudi Arabia
Imports:
$2.1 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.)
commodities:
textiles and other manufactured consumer goods, petroleum products, sugar,
grain, flour, other foodstuffs, cement, machinery, chemicals
partners:
Japan, Saudi Arabia, Australia, EC countries, China, Russia, US
External debt:
$5.75 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate NA%, accounts for 18% of GDP
Electricity:
714,000 kW capacity; 1,224 million kWh produced, 120 kWh per capita (1992)
Industries:
crude oil production and petroleum refining; small-scale production of
cotton textiles and leather goods; food processing; handicrafts; small
aluminum products factory; cement
Agriculture:
accounted for 26% of GDP; products - grain, fruits, vegetables, qat (mildly
narcotic shrub), coffee, cotton, dairy, poultry, meat, fish; not
self-sufficient in grain
*Yemen, Economy
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:
Yemeni rial (new currency); 1 North Yemeni riyal (YR) = 100 fils; 1 South
Yemeni dinar (YD) = 1,000 fils
note:
following the establishment of the Republic of Yemen on 22 May 1990, the
North Yemeni riyal and the South Yemeni dinar are to be replaced with a new
Yemeni rial
Exchange rates:
Yemeni rials per US$1 - 12.0 (official); 30-40 (unofficial) (est.); 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)
note:
following the establishment of the Republic of Yemen on 22 May 1990, the
North Yemeni riyal and the South Yemeni dinar are to be replaced with a new
Yemeni rial
Fiscal year:
calendar year
*Yemen, Communications
Highways:
15,500 km total; 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, Al Mukalla, 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 oil tanker
Airports:
total:
45
usable:
39
with permanent-surface runways:
10
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
18
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
11
Telecommunications:
since unification in 1990, efforts are still being made to create a national
domestic civil telecommunications network; the network consists of microwave
radio relay, 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
radio relay to Saudi Arabia, and Djibouti
*Yemen, Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, Police
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 2,060,124; fit for military service 1,172,633; reach
military age (14) annually 133,727 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $762 million, 10% of GDP (1992)
*Zaire, Geography
Location:
Central Africa, between Congo and Zambia
Map references:
Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
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:
total 10,271 km, 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
International 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, petroleum, 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:
0%
meadows and pastures:
4%
forest and woodland:
78%
other:
15%
Irrigated land:
100 km2 (1989 est.)
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
*Zaire, People