Yemen is a republic and is located in the Middle East. The country is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the east. It is one and a half times the size of Germany. In the south of Yemen are the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, in the west Yemen borders on the Red Sea. The length of the coastline is 2400 kilometers. Thus, a large part of the country can be found by the sea or on a coast. The land area is also preceded by several islands: these are the largest island of Socotra with an area of 3,600 square kilometers, as well as the islands of Kamaran, Abdalkuri, Samhah, Cal Farum and Dorsa.


Three large landscapes characterise the country
Three large landscapes can be distinguished in Yemen. On the one hand, there is the plain on the coast of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. You can clearly see this on the adjacent map. The layers are drawn in green.
The landscape then rises, steeper in the west than in the east and flows into mountains. These mountains are very high, especially in the west, with mountains higher than 3000 meters. The highest mountain in Yemen, the 3760-meter-high Jabal an-Nabi Shuʿaib, which translates as “Mountain of the Prophet”, is also located here.
The rest of the country is traversed by a highland with average altitudes of 2000 to 2500 meters. Typical for this region are the Wadis. These are rivers that carry water only during the rainy season and dry up outside these times. In total, the mountains occupy at least a third of the country. Yemen has a total area of 528,076 square kilometres and is only sparsely forested.
Why is there a war in Yemen?
What language does Yemen speak?
Is Yemen a rich country?
Is Yemen an Arab country?