Land area

527,968 sq km

Population

23.6m (IMF, mid-2009 estimate)

Main towns and provinces

Population in '000 (2004 census)

Taiz: 2,403 Hajjah: 1,481

Ibb: 2,138 Dhamar: 1,339

Hodeida: 2,161 Hadramawt: 1,029

Sanaa city (capital): 1,748 Sanaa (province): 918

Climate

Northern and central highlands: warm in summer but cold in winter; Tihama and southern coast including Aden: hot; eastern plains and desert: hot, arid and harsh

Languages

Arabic (official); English is also used in official and business circles

Measures

Predominantly metric in the northern provinces and UK (imperial) in the south; local measures are also in use

Currency

Yemeni riyal (YR) = 100 fils. The riyal was floated on the open market in July 1996

Time

3 hours ahead of GMT

Public holidays

The dates of Islamic holidays are based on the lunar calendar and are therefore approximate. New Year's Day (January 1st); Mawlid al-Nabi (the birthday of the Prophet; February 15th 2011); Labour Day (May 1st); Unity Day (May 22nd); Revolution Day (September 26th); Eid al-Fitr (end of Ramadan; August 30th 2011); National Day (October 14th); Independence Day (November 30th); Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice; November 6th 2011); Islamic New Year (November 26th 2011)