Yemen is a country in Western Asia, one of the 17 entries this site files under that subregion. Its full official name is Republic of Yemen. Government sits in Sana'a.
It covers 527,968 km², which ranks it 51st of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind France and just ahead of Thailand. Put next to a country most people can picture, it is almost exactly the same size as Thailand.
The population is about 40.6 million, placing it 38th of 250 by population — between Canada above it and Morocco below. Within Western Asia alone it is the 3rd largest of 17 and the 3rd most populous.
Geography and neighbours of Yemen
The coordinates the dataset gives are 15.0° N, 48.0° E, which puts it in the northern hemisphere, roughly 1,670 km from the equator, in what geographers would call tropical latitudes.
Niger, Mali and Thailand sit at almost exactly the same latitude on other parts of the globe.
2 countries share a land border with it: Oman and Saudi Arabia. The largest of them by area is Saudi Arabia, which is also the most populous. Together those neighbours hold about 40.6 million people.
It has both a coastline and land borders, which is the most common arrangement of all.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
The people of Yemen
Population divided by land area gives roughly 77 people per square kilometre, which makes it less crowded than the typical entry on this list. For comparison, the median entry on this list sits near 90 per square kilometre.
Officially it is monolingual: Arabic. Another 24 entries list Arabic too — among them Algeria, Bahrain, Chad and the Comoros.
People from Yemen are called Yemenis.
Against Asia as a whole it is the 16th most populous of 50 entries, and it accounts for 13% of everyone living in Western Asia.
Money, codes and practical details
It uses the Yemeni rial (ï·¼, YER). No other entry in this dataset uses it, so the currency is specific to Yemen.
If a quiz asks for the capital of Yemen, the answer is Sana'a.
The top-level domain is .ye. To phone it from abroad you dial +967. Its ISO codes are ye and YEM, which is what most databases and flag files use.
It holds a seat at the United Nations, one of 193 entries here that do. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Yemen shares borders with 2 countries:
Fun facts about Yemen
- It shares land borders with 2 countries: Oman and Saudi Arabia.
- Ranked by land area, Yemen is 51st out of the 250 countries and territories on this site.
- Its capital city is Sana'a.
- Websites based there use the .ye domain.
- Within Western Asia it is the 3rd largest of 17.
- Its full official name is Republic of Yemen.
- Niger and Mali sit at almost the same latitude, on the far side of the globe.
Yemen — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Yemen?
- The capital of Yemen is Sana'a.
- What language is spoken in Yemen?
- The official language of Yemen is Arabic. It is also official in 24 other entries on this list.
- What is the population of Yemen?
- Yemen has a population of about 40.6 million, which makes it the 38th most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Canada sits just above it and Morocco just below.
- Where is Yemen located?
- Yemen is in Western Asia, part of Asia. Its reference coordinates are 15.0° north and 48.0° east, roughly 1,670 km from the equator in tropical latitudes.
- Is Yemen a country?
- Yes. Yemen is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
- Which countries border Yemen?
- Yemen borders 2 countries: Oman and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is the largest of them by area.
- What currency does Yemen use?
- Yemen uses the Yemeni rial, written ï·¼ (currency code YER). No other entry in this dataset uses it.
- How big is Yemen?
- Yemen covers 527,968 km², ranking 51st of 250 by land area. That makes it almost exactly the same size as Thailand.
