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Yemen

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Countries; Middle Eastern
Countries

         الجمهورية اليمنية
   Al-Ǧumhūriyyah al-Yamaniyyah
   Republic of Yemen

   Flag of Yemen Coat of arms of Yemen
   Flag          Coat of arms
   Motto: Allah, al-Watan, at-Thawra
   Anthem: United Republic
   Location of Yemen
   Capital
   (and largest city)    Sana'a
                         15°21′N 12°24′E
    Official languages   Arabic
   Government            Republic
    - President          Ali Abdullah Saleh
    - Prime Minister     Abdul Qadir Bajamal
       Establishment
    - Unification        May 22, 1990
                       Area
    - Total              527,968 km² ( 49th)
                         203,849 sq mi
    - Water (%)          negligible
                    Population
    - July 2005 estimate 20,975,000 ( 51st)
    - Density            40/km² ( 160th)
                         104/sq mi
        GDP ( PPP)       2005 estimate
    - Total              $19.480 billion ( 110th)
    - Per capita         $751 ( 175th)
        HDI  (2006)      0.492 (low) ( 150th)
         Currency        Yemeni rial ( YER)
         Time zone       ( UTC+3)
    - Summer ( DST)      ( UTC+4)
       Internet TLD      .ye
       Calling code      +967

   Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen (Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية ),
   is a Middle Eastern country located on the Arabian Peninsula in
   Southwest Asia. Yemen is composed of former North and South Yemen. It
   borders the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden on the south, the Red Sea on
   the west, Oman to the northeast and the rest of the country borders
   Saudi Arabia. Its territory includes the remote island of Socotra,
   about 350 kilometres (217  mi) to the south off the coast of East
   Africa.

History

   Yemen is one of the oldest centers of civilization in the world.
   Between the ninth century BC and the sixth century AD, it was part of
   the Sabaean, Awsanian, Minaean, Qatabanian, Hadhramawtian, Himyarite,
   and some other kingdoms, which controlled the lucrative spice trade. It
   was known to the Romans as "Arabia Felix" ("Happy Arabia") because of
   the riches its trade generated. Augustus Caesar attempted to annex it,
   but the expedition failed. It was annexed by the Ethiopian Kingdom of
   Aksum around 520, and subsequently taken by the Sassanids around 570.
   The town of Hajarin, which features some of the oldest "skyscrapers" in
   the world - six story buildings made of mud bricks and mortar.
   Enlarge
   The town of Hajarin, which features some of the oldest " skyscrapers"
   in the world - six story buildings made of mud bricks and mortar.

   In the late sixth and early seventh centuries, many Sabaean people had
   continued to migrate from the land of Yemen following the destruction
   of the Ma'rib Dam (sadd Ma'rib) and became Bedouin. At this time when
   the Kingdom of Aksum did not have any intentions on keeping their
   ancient lush kingdom. That had become barren land from extending
   commerce trade of its lucrative spice trade with the Romans, Persian
   Sassanid kings. Yemen was successively incorporated into the Ethiopian
   and Persian Sassanid empires. In the 7th century, Islamic caliphs began
   to exert control over the area. After this caliphate broke up, the
   former North Yemen came under control of Imams of various dynasties
   usually of the Zaidi sect, who established a theocratic political
   structure that survived until modern times. (Imam is a religious term.
   The Shiites apply it to the prophet Muhammad's son-in-law Ali, his sons
   Hassan and Hussein, and subsequent lineal descendants, whom they
   consider to have been divinely ordained unclassified successors of the
   prophet.)

   Egyptian Sunni Caliphs occupied much of North Yemen throughout the
   eleventh century. By the sixteenth century and again in the nineteenth
   century, north Yemen was part of the Ottoman Empire, and in some
   periods its Imams exerted control over south Yemen.

   North Yemen became independent of the Ottoman Empire in 1918 and became
   a republic in 1962. In 1839, the British occupied the port of Aden and
   established it as a colony in September of that year. They also set up
   a zone of loose alliances (known as protectorates) around Aden to act
   as a protective buffer. In 1967, they withdrew following increasing
   pressure from local insurgency and Egyptian-sponsored attacks from the
   north. After the British withdrawal, this area became known as South
   Yemen. In 1970, the southern government adopted a communist
   governmental system. The two countries were formally united as the
   Republic of Yemen on May 22, 1990.

Politics

   Old Sana'a
   Enlarge
   Old Sana'a

   Yemen is a republic with a bicameral legislature. Under the
   constitution, an elected president, an elected 301-seat House of
   Representatives, and an appointed 111-member Shura Council share power.
   The president is head of state, and the prime minister is head of
   government. The constitution provides that the president be elected by
   popular vote from at least two candidates endorsed by Parliament; the
   prime minister is appointed by the president. The presidential term of
   office is seven years, and the parliamentary term of elected office is
   six years. Suffrage is universal over 18 years of age.

   President Ali Abdullah Saleh became the first elected President in
   reunified Yemen in 1999 [though he had been President of unified Yemen
   since 1990 and President of North Yemen since 1978] and most recently
   was re-elected in September of 2006 after an initial reluctance to run
   once more. His victory was marked by an election that international
   observers judged to be "generally free and fair". Popular
   demonstrations and editorials of support in major papers helped change
   his mind to run again. In April 2003 parliamentary elections were held,
   and the General People's Congress (GPC) maintained an absolute
   majority. There was a marked decrease from previous years in
   election-related violence; however, there were some problems with
   underage voting, confiscation of ballot boxes, voter intimidation, and
   election-related violence.

   The constitution calls for an independent judiciary. The former
   northern and southern legal codes have been unified. The legal system
   includes separate commercial courts and a Supreme Court based in Sanaá.
   Since the country is an Islamic state, the Islamic holy book, the
   Qur'an, is the basis for all laws, and no law may contradict the
   Qur'an. Indeed many court cases are debated by the religious basis of
   the laws i.e. by interpretations of the Qur'an. For this reason, many
   Judges are religious scholars as well as legal authorities. Unlike
   Saudi Arabia and other Islamic states, the consumption of alcohol by
   foreigners is tolerated, and the mild narcotic Qat is chewed by Yemenis
   of all strata of society, despite being banned or frowned upon by other
   Islamic countries and groups.

Administrative divisions

   As of February 2004, Yemen is divided into twenty governorates and one
   municipality . The size of each governorate in terms of population is
   as follows:

   Aden          1,000,000
   Al Bayda'       571,778
   Al Dali'        470,460
   Al Hudaydah   2,161,379
   Al Jawf         451,426
   Al Mahrah        89,093
   Al Mahwit       495,865



                          Amran         872,789
                          Dhamar      1,339,229
                          Hadramawt   1,029,462
                          Hajjah      1,480,897
                          Ibb         2,137,546
                          Lahij         727,203
                          Ma'rib        241,690



                                               Raimah            395,076
                                               Sa'dah            693,217
                                               San'a'            918,379
                                               San'a' City^a   1,747,627
                                               Shabwah           466,889
                                               Socotra          43,000^b
                                               Ta'izz          1,438,656

   21 divisions: 21,721,643 ^b
   ^a capital (municipality); ^b approx.

Geography

   Map of Yemen
   Enlarge
   Map of Yemen

   Yemen is in the Middle East, in the south of Arabia, bordering the
   Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, west of Oman and south of Saudi
   Arabia. It is considered to be one of the fifteen states that comprise
   the Cradle of Humanity.

   The Red Sea islands: Hanish Islands, Kamaran and Perim as well as
   Socotra in the Arabian Sea belong to Yemen.

   At 203,837  mi² (527,970  km²), Yemen is the world's 49th-largest
   country (after France). It is comparable in size to Thailand, and
   somewhat larger than the US state of California.

   Until recently its northern border was undefined because the Arabian
   Desert prevented any human habitation there.

   The country can be divided geographically into four main regions: the
   coastal plains in the west, the western highlands, the eastern
   highlands, and the Rub al Khali in the east.

   The Tihamah ("hot lands") form a very arid and flat coastal plain.
   Despite the aridity, the presence of many lagoons makes this region
   very marshy and a suitable breeding ground for malarial mosquitoes.
   There are also extensive crescent-shaped sand dunes. The evaporation in
   the Tihama is so great that streams from the highlands never reach the
   sea, but they do contribute to extensive groundwater reserves; today
   these are heavily exploited for agricultural use.

   The Tihamah ends abruptly at the escarpment of the western highlands.
   This area, now heavily terraced to meet the demand for food, receives
   the highest rainfall in Arabia, rapidly increasing from 100  mm (4
   inches) per year to about 760 mm (30 inches) in Ta'izz and over
   1,000 mm (40 inches) in Ibb. Agriculture here is very diverse, with
   such crops as sorghum dominating, but cotton and many fruit trees are
   also grown, with mangoes being the most valuable. Temperatures are hot
   in the day but fall dramatically at night. There are perennial streams
   in the highlands but these never reach the sea because of high
   evaporation in the Tihama.
   Sana'a, the capital of Yemen.
   Enlarge
   Sana'a, the capital of Yemen.

   The central highlands are an extensive high plateau over 2,000 metres
   (6,560  feet) in elevation. This area is drier than the western
   highlands because of rain-shadow influences, but still receives
   sufficient rain in wet years for extensive cropping. Diurnal
   temperature ranges are among the highest in the world: ranges from 30°C
   (86°F) in the day to 0°C (32°F) at night are normal. Water storage
   allows for irrigation and the growing of wheat and barley. Sana'a is
   located in this region. The highest point in Yemen is Jabal an Nabi
   Shu'aya, at 3,760 meters (12,336  ft).

   The Rub al Khali in the East is much lower, generally below
   1,000 metres, and receives almost no rain. It is populated only by
   Bedouin herders of camels.

Economy

   In terms of GDP per capita, Yemen is the poorest country in the Arab
   world and one of the poorest nations in the world overall. Yemen is
   also the only country in Asia with a "low" Human Development Index. At
   unification, both the YAR and the PDRY were struggling, underdeveloped
   economies. In the north, disruptions of civil war (1962–1970) and
   frequent periods of drought had dealt severe blows to a previously
   prosperous agricultural sector. Coffee, formerly the north's main
   export and principal form of foreign exchange, declined as the
   cultivation of qat increased. Low domestic industrial output and a lack
   of raw materials made the YAR dependent on a wide variety of imports.

   Remittances from Yemenis working abroad and foreign aid paid for
   perennial trade deficits. Substantial Yemeni communities exist in many
   countries of the world, including Yemen's immediate neighbors on the
   Arabian Peninsula, Indonesia, India, East Africa, and also the United
   Kingdom, and the United States. Beginning in the mid- 1950s, the Soviet
   Union and China provided large-scale assistance.

   In the south, pre-independence economic activity was overwhelmingly
   concentrated in the port city of Aden. The seaborne transit trade,
   which the port relied upon, collapsed with the closure of the Suez
   Canal and Britain's withdrawal from Aden in 1967.

   Since unification, the government has worked to integrate two
   relatively disparate economic systems. However, severe shocks,
   including the return in 1990 of approximately 850,000 Yemenis from the
   Gulf states, a subsequent major reduction of aid flows, and internal
   political disputes culminating in the 1994 civil war hampered economic
   growth. Yemen, the fastest growing democracy in the Middle East, is
   attempting to climb into the middle human development region through
   ongoing political and economic reform.

   Since the conclusion of the war, the government entered into agreement
   with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to implement a structural
   adjustment program. Phase one of the IMF program included major
   financial and monetary reforms, including floating the currency,
   reducing the budget deficit, and cutting subsidies. Phase two will
   address structural issues such as civil service reform. The World Bank
   also is active in Yemen, with twenty-two active projects in 2004,
   including projects to improve governance in the public sector, water,
   and education. Since 1998, the government of Yemen has sought to
   implement World Bank economic and fiscal recommendations. In subsequent
   years, Yemen has lowered its debt burden through Paris Club agreements
   and restructuring U.S. foreign debt. In 2003, government reserves
   reached $5 billion.

   The main oil produced and used in Yemen is Marib oil. Marib oil
   contains associated natural gas. Proven reserves of 10 to 13 trillion
   cubic feet (283 to 368 km³) could sustain a liquid natural gas (LNG)
   export project.

Foreign relations

   The geography and ruling Imams of North Yemen kept the country isolated
   from foreign influence before 1962. The country's relations with Saudi
   Arabia were defined by the Taif Agreement of 1934, which delineated the
   northernmost part of the border between the two kingdoms and set the
   framework for commercial and other intercourse. The Taif Agreement has
   been renewed periodically in 20-year increments, and its validity was
   reaffirmed in 1995. Relations with the British colonial authorities in
   Aden and the south were usually tense.

   The Soviet and Chinese Aid Missions established in 1958 and 1959 were
   the first important non-Muslim presence in north Yemen. Following the
   September 1962 revolution, the Yemen Arab Republic became closely
   allied with and heavily dependent upon Egypt. Saudi Arabia aided the
   royalists in their attempt to defeat the Republicans and did not
   recognize the Yemen Arab Republic until 1970. Subsequently, Saudi
   Arabia provided Yemen substantial budgetary and project support. At the
   same time, Saudi Arabia maintained direct contact with Yemeni tribes,
   which sometimes strained its official relations with the Yemeni
   Government. Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis found employment in Saudi
   Arabia during the late 1970s and 1980s.

   In February 1989, north Yemen joined Iraq, Jordan, and Egypt in forming
   the Arab Cooperation Council (ACC), an organization created partly in
   response to the founding of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and intended
   to foster closer economic cooperation and integration among its
   members. After unification, the Republic of Yemen was accepted as a
   member of the ACC in place of its YAR predecessor. In the wake of the
   Gulf crisis, the ACC has remained inactive. Yemen is not a member of
   the Gulf Cooperation Council.

   British authorities left southern Yemen in November 1967 in the wake of
   an intense rebellion. The People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, the
   successor to British colonial rule, had diplomatic relations with many
   nations, but its major links were with the Soviet Union and other
   Marxist countries. Relations between it and the conservative Arab
   states of the Arabian Peninsula were strained. There were military
   clashes with Saudi Arabia in 1969 and 1973, and the PDRY provided
   active support for the Dhofar rebellion against the Sultanate of Oman.
   The PDRY was the only Arab state to vote against admitting new Arab
   states from the Persian Gulf area to the United Nations and the Arab
   League. The PDRY provided sanctuary and material support to various
   insurgent groups around the Middle East.

   Yemen is a member of the United Nations, the Arab League, and the
   Organization of the Islamic Conference. Yemen participates in the
   nonaligned movement. The Republic of Yemen accepted responsibility for
   all treaties and debts of its predecessors, the YAR and the PDRY. Yemen
   has acceded to the nuclear nonproliferation treaty. The Gulf crisis
   dramatically affected Yemen's foreign relations. As a member of the UN
   Security Council (UNSC) for 1990 and 1991,Yemen abstained on a number
   of UNSC resolutions concerning Iraq and Kuwait and voted against the
   "use of force resolution." Western and Gulf Arab states reacted by
   curtailing or canceling aid programs and diplomatic contacts. At least
   850,000 Yemenis returned from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf.

   Subsequent to the liberation of Kuwait, Yemen continued to maintain
   high-level contacts with Iraq. This hampered its efforts to rejoin the
   Arab mainstream and to mend fences with its immediate neighbors. In
   1993, Yemen launched an unsuccessful diplomatic offensive to restore
   relations with its Persian Gulf neighbors. Some of its aggrieved
   neighbors actively aided the south during the 1994 civil war. Since the
   end of that conflict, tangible progress has been made on the diplomatic
   front in restoring normal relations with Yemen's neighbors. The
   Omani-Yemeni border has been officially demarcated. In the summer of
   2000, Yemen and Saudi Arabia signed an International Border Treaty
   settling a fifty year-old dispute over the location of the border
   between the two countries. Yemen settled its dispute with Eritrea over
   the Hanish Islands in 1998.

Demographics

   Yemeni men at market.
   Enlarge
   Yemeni men at market.
   A Yemeni schoolboy.
   Enlarge
   A Yemeni schoolboy.

   Unlike most other people of the Arabian Peninsula who have historically
   been nomads or semi-nomads, Yemenis are almost entirely sedentary and
   live in small villages and towns scattered throughout the highlands and
   coastal regions.

   Yemenis are divided into two principal Islamic religious groups: 42%
   Shi'a and 55% Sunni. This is broken up as: 30-35% of the Zaidi order of
   Shi'a Islam, 7-12% of the Ja'fari and Isma'ili orders of Shi'a Islam,
   and 55% of the Shafi'i order of Sunni Islam.

   The Shi'is are predominantly in the north and northwest of Yemen whilst
   the Sunnis are predominantly in the south and southeast, although there
   are mixed communities in the larger cities. Most of the Yemenite Jews
   immigrated to Israel. The Yemenite Jews make up less than 1% of the
   population.

   The Yemenite Jews once formed a sizeable Jewish minority in Yemen with
   a distinct culture. This community now consists of only a few hundred
   individuals, following the Jewish exodus from Arab lands and Operation
   Magic Carpet (Yemen).

   Yemenis are mainly of Arab origin. Arabic is the official language,
   although English is increasingly understood by citizens in major
   cities. In the Mahra area (the extreme east) and the island Soqatra,
   several ancient south-Arabic languages are spoken. When the former
   states of north and south Yemen were established, most resident
   minority groups departed.

   The country has one of the world's highest birth rates; the average
   Yemeni woman bears seven children. Although this is similar to the rate
   in Somalia to the south, it is roughly twice as high as that of Saudi
   Arabia and nearly three times as high as those in the more modernized
   Persian Gulf states.

Languages

   While the national language is Arabic (spoken in several regional
   dialects), Yemen is one of the main homelands of the South Semitic
   family of languages, which includes the non-Arabic language of the
   ancient Sabaean Kingdom. Its modern Yemeni descendants are closely
   related to the modern Semitic languages of Eritrea (Tigrinya) and
   Ethiopia (Amharic). However, only a small remnant of those languages
   exists in modern Yemen, notably on the island of Socotra and in the
   back hills of the Hadhramaut coastal region. Modern South Arabian
   languages spoken in Yemen include Mehri, with 70,643 speakers, Soqotri,
   with an estimated 43,000 speakers (2004 census) mainly on the island of
   Socotra, and Bathari (with an estimated total of only 200 speakers).

   English is taught as a foreign language in public schools from grade
   seven on, though the quality of public school instruction is low.
   Private schools using a British or American system teach English and
   produce the proficient speakers, but Arabic is the dominant language of
   communication. The number of English speakers in Yemen is small
   compared to other Arab countries such as Egypt, Lebanon, the UAE and
   Saudi Arabia.

Holidays

   Date Holiday Notes
   January 1 New Year's Day
   May 22 National Unity Celebrates the unification of the Republic of
   Yemen
   September 26   1962 Revolution Day   Celebrates the revolution against
   the northern Imams
   October 14 1967 Revolution Day Celebrates the revolution against the
   British in the south
   November 30 Independence Day Independence from the British

Dates following the lunar Islamic calendar

         Date        Holiday/Festival
   Dhul Hijjah 10   Eid al-Adha
   Shawwal 1        Eid al-Fitr
   Muharram 1       (Islamic New Year)

Geographic locale

   Flag of Saudi Arabia  Saudi Arabia Flag of Oman  Oman
   Flag of Eritrea  Eritrea  Image:Template CanadianCityGeoLocation
   West.png   Red Sea North
   West    Flag of Yemen  Yemen     East
   South
   Flag of Djibouti  Djibouti  Image:Template CanadianCityGeoLocation
   West.png   Bab-el-Mandeb Gulf of Aden
   Image:Template CanadianCityGeoLocation South.png
   Flag of Somalia  Somalia Arabian Sea

   Countries and territories of the Middle East

   Bahrain • Cyprus • Egypt • Iran • Iraq • Israel • Jordan • Kuwait •
   Lebanon • Oman • Palestinian territories • Qatar • Saudi Arabia •
   Syria • Turkey ( disputed) • United Arab Emirates • Yemen
   Countries in Southwest Asia

   Armenia • Azerbaijan • Bahrain • Cyprus • Georgia • Iran • Iraq •
   Israel • Jordan • Kuwait Lebanon • Oman • Qatar • Saudi Arabia • Syria
   • Turkey • United Arab Emirates • Yemen
   Countries of Asia

   Afghanistan • Armenia • Azerbaijan ^1 • Bahrain • Bangladesh • Bhutan •
   Brunei • Cambodia • People's Republic of China ^2 • Cyprus • East Timor
   ^3 • Georgia ^1 • India • Indonesia ^3 • Iran • Iraq • Israel • Japan •
   Jordan • Kazakhstan ^1 • Kuwait • Kyrgyzstan • Laos • Lebanon •
   Malaysia • Maldives • Mongolia • Myanmar • Nepal • North Korea • Oman •
   Pakistan • Philippines • Qatar • Russia ^1 • Saudi Arabia • Singapore •
   South Korea • Sri Lanka • Syria • Tajikistan • Thailand • Turkey ^1 •
   Turkmenistan • United Arab Emirates • Uzbekistan • Vietnam • Yemen

   For dependent and other territories, see Dependent territory and List
   of unrecognized countries.

   ^1 Partly in Europe. ^2 The Republic of China (Taiwan) not officially
   recognized by the United Nations; see Political status of Taiwan.
   ^3 Partly or wholly reckoned in Oceania.
   Countries on the Arabian Sea

   Flag of India  India • Flag of Iran  Iran • Flag of Maldives  Maldives
   • Flag of Oman  Oman • Flag of Pakistan  Pakistan • Flag of Somalia
   Somalia • Flag of Sri Lanka  Sri Lanka • Flag of Yemen  Yemen
   Countries on the Red Sea

   Flag of Djibouti  Djibouti • Flag of Egypt  Egypt • Flag of Eritrea
   Eritrea • Flag of Israel  Israel • Flag of Jordan  Jordan • Flag of
   Saudi Arabia  Saudi Arabia • Flag of Somalia  Somalia •
   Flag of Sudan  Sudan • Flag of Yemen  Yemen
   Countries and territories on the Indian Ocean

   Eurasia: Bahrain • Bangladesh • Christmas Island • Cocos (Keeling)
   Islands • India • Indonesia • Iran • Iraq • Israel • Kuwait • Malaysia
   • Maldives • Myanmar • Oman • Pakistan • Qatar • Saudi Arabia • Sri
   Lanka • Thailand • United Arab Emirates • Yemen

   Africa: Comoros • Djibouti • Eritrea • Kenya • Madagascar • Mauritius •
   Mayotte • Mozambique • Seychelles • Somalia • Somaliland • South Africa
   • Sudan • Tanzania

   Oceania: Australia • Christmas Island • Cocos (Keeling) Islands

   Islands: Bahrain • Christmas Island • Cocos (Keeling) Islands •
   Madagascar • Maldives • Mauritius • Mayotte • Seychelles • Sri Lanka
   Arab League
   Flag of the League of Arab States

   Algeria • Bahrain • Comoros • Djibouti • Egypt • Iraq • Jordan • Kuwait
   • Lebanon • Libya • Mauritania • Morocco • Oman • State of Palestine •
   Qatar • Saudi Arabia • Somalia • Sudan • Syria • Tunisia • United Arab
   Emirates • Yemen
   Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)
   Flag of the OIC

   Afghanistan • Albania • Algeria • Azerbaijan • Bahrain • Bangladesh •
   Benin • Burkina Faso • Brunei • Cameroon • Chad • Comoros •
   Côte d'Ivoire • Djibouti • Egypt • Gabon • Gambia • Guinea •
   Guinea-Bissau • Guyana • Indonesia • Iran • Iraq • Jordan • Kuwait •
   Kazakhstan • Kyrgyzstan • Lebanon • Libya • Maldives • Malaysia •
   Mali • Mauritania • Morocco • Mozambique • Niger • Nigeria • Oman •
   Pakistan • State of Palestine • Qatar • Saudi Arabia • Senegal •
   Sierra Leone • Somalia • Sudan • Surinam • Syria • Tajikistan •
   Turkey • Tunisia • Togo • Turkmenistan • Uganda • Uzbekistan •
   United Arab Emirates • Yemen

   Observer countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina • Central African Republic •
   Russia • Thailand • Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

   Observer Muslim organizations and communities:
   Moro National Liberation Front

   Observer international organizations:
   Economic Cooperation Organization • Organisation of African Unity •
   League of Arab States • Non-Aligned Movement • United Nations
   Semitic-speaking nations

   Arabic and Maltese

   Flag of Algeria  Algeria • Flag of Bahrain  Bahrain • Flag of Egypt
   Egypt • Flag of Iraq  Iraq • Flag of Jordan  Jordan • Flag of Kuwait
   Kuwait • Flag of Lebanon  Lebanon • Flag of Libya  Libya • Flag of
   Malta  Malta • Flag of Mauritania  Mauritania • Flag of Morocco
   Morocco • Flag of Oman  Oman • Flag of Palestinian National Authority
   Palestine • Flag of Qatar  Qatar • Flag of Saudi Arabia  Saudi Arabia •
   Flag of Sudan  Sudan • Flag of Syria  Syria • Flag of Tunisia  Tunisia
   • Flag of United Arab Emirates  United Arab Emirates • Flag of Western
   Sahara  Western Sahara • Flag of Yemen  Yemen

   Northwest Semitic ( Aramaic and Hebrew)

   Flag of Iraq  Iraq • Flag of Israel  Israel • Flag of Syria  Syria

   South Semitic

   Flag of Eritrea  Eritrea • Flag of Ethiopia  Ethiopia • Flag of Oman
   Oman • Flag of Yemen  Yemen
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yemen"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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