Library of Congress – Federal Research Division Country Profile: Yemen, August 2008
COUNTRY PROFILE: YEMEN
August 2008
COUNTRY
Formal Name: Republic of Yemen (Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah).
Short Form: Yemen.
Term for Citizen(s): Yemeni(s).
Major Cities: The capital of Yemen is Sanaa. Other major cities are Aden, Taizz, Al Hudaydah, and Al Mukalla.
Independence: North Yemen gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in November 1918, and South Yemen became independent from Britain on November 30, 1967. The Republic of Yemen was established on May 22, 1990, with the merger of North Yemen (the Yemen Arab Republic) and South Yemen (the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen).
Public Holidays: Public holidays other than New Year’s Day, International Women’s Day, Labour Day, Corrective Movement Anniversary, and National Day are dependent on the Islamic calendar and vary from year to year. For 2008 the holidays are: New Year’s Day (January 1); Muharram, Islamic New Year (January 10); Ashoura (January 19); International Women’s Day (March 8); Mouloud, Birth of Muhammad (March 20); Labour Day (May 1); National Unification Day (May 22); Corrective Movement Anniversary (June 13); Leilat al Meiraj, Ascension of Muhammad (July 30); first day of Ramdan (September 1); Eid al Fitr, end of Ramadan (October 1); National Day (October 14); Eid al Adha, Feast of the Sacrifice (December 8); and Muharram, Islamic New Year (December 29).
Flag: Three equal horizontal bands of red (on top), white, and black.
Click to Enlarge Image HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Medieval History: In pre-Islamic times, the area that encompasses the present-day Republic of Yemen was called Arabia Felix—happy or prosperous Arabia—and was ruled by a number of indigenous dynasties in several different kingdoms. The most important cultural, social, and political event in Yemen’s history was the coming of Islam around A.D. 630. Following the conversion of the Persian governor, many of the sheikhs and their tribes converted to Islam, and Yemen was ruled as part of Arab caliphates. The former North Yemen came under the control of imams of various dynasties, the most important of which were the Zaydis, whose dynasty lasted well into the twentieth century.
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