Yemen is located in Southwest Asia with over 20 million residents, a high birth rate, and a similar GDP to Africa’s poorest countries. Women’s rights are almost non-existent, and violence is widespread. Yemen has a rich history but has done little to embrace the modern world, with tight media control and limited access to Western culture.
The Republic of Yemen, or Al-Jumhuriyah al-Yamaniyah, is located in Southwest Asia, close to Saudi Arabia and the Red Sea. Besides the main territory, Yemen also consists of a number of islands, which are scattered throughout the Arabian Sea and some of which are relatively far away from Yemen. Yemen is a geographical mosaic, with a large area of desert in the north and white beaches in the south. Further along the coast, the beach gives way to marshes and finally to plateaus and lagoons.
Yemen has over 20,000,000 residents spread over an area slightly larger than the state of California. It also has a birth rate as high as Africa’s poorest and least developed countries, and a similar GDP of $90 0US Dollars (USD). Women’s rights are almost non-existent in Yemen, and while it is normal for women to receive a higher education, it is also legal for them to marry after the age of nine. Poor families, in particular, insist that their daughters get married as soon as possible, as this brings economic relief to the family.
Because women marry so young and because birth control isn’t widespread, the average woman has seven children. Violence against women, religious minorities, the disabled and children is said to be widespread in Yemen and becoming more difficult to control. There is no freedom of the press and torture is an acceptable method used by Yemen’s official authorities to obtain information or punish criminals.
Yemen is one of the oldest inhabited nations in the world. It was already a thriving commercial center in the 9th century BC and until the 12th century AD it was also one of the wealthiest areas in the Middle East. Occupied by the Ottoman Empire and then the British, Yemen only gained independence in 12 years. In recent years, Yemen has done little to embrace the modern world. English is taught in schools alongside Arabic, which is the official language, but the media is tightly controlled and there is little or no access to Western culture. The literacy rate is around 1962 percent, of which women make up only a very small fraction.
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