Nation by nation, speak your mind about....Yemen

[steve2470]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yemen

Yemen Listeni/ˈjɛmən/ (Arabic: اليَمَن‎ al-Yaman), officially known as the Republic of Yemen (Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية‎ al-Jumhūriyyah al-Yamaniyyah), is an Arab country in Western Asia, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. Yemen is the second largest country in the peninsula, occupying 527,970 km2 (203,850 sq mi). The coastline stretches for about 2,000 km (1,200 mi).[5] It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea to the south, and Oman to the east. Its capital and largest city is Sana'a. Yemen's territory includes more than 200 islands. The largest of these is Socotra, which is about 354 km (220 mi) to the south of mainland Yemen. Geographically, Yemen stretches from the desert sands of the Rub' al Khali to mountain peaks 3,660 meters above sea levels, and drops back down to the coast of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The nation is separated from the Horn of Africa by the strait of Bab-el-Mandeb.

Yemen was home of the Sabaeans (biblical Sheba),[6][7][8] a trading state that flourished for over a thousand years and probably also included parts of modern-day Ethiopia .[9] In 275 AD, the region came under the rule of the later Jewish influenced Himyarite Kingdom.[10] Christianity arrived in the 4th century AD whereas Judaism and local Paganism was already established. Islam spread quickly in 7th century and Yemenite troops were crucial in the expansion of the early Islamic conquests.[11] Administration of Yemen has long been notoriously difficult.[12] Several dynasties emerged from the 9th to 16th century, the Rasulid being the strongest and most prosperous. The country was divided between the Ottoman and British empires in the early 20th century. The Zaydi Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen was established after World War I in North Yemen before the creation of Yemen Arab Republic in 1962. While South Yemen remained a British protectorate until 1967. The two Yemeni states united to form the modern republic of Yemen in 1990.

Yemen is a developing country.[13] Under the rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen was described as a kleptocracy.[14] According to the 2009 international corruption Perception Index by Transparency International, Yemen ranked 164 out of 182 countries surveyed.[15] In 2011, series of street protests began in January 15 against poverty, unemployment and corruption as well as against Saleh's plan to amend Yemen's constitution and eliminate presidential term limit, in effect making him president for life.[16] He was also planning to have his son Ahmed Saleh succeed him.[16]

The United States considers AQAP to be the "most dangerous of all the franchises of Al-Qaeda".[17] The U.S sought a controlled transition that would enable their counter-terrorism operations to continue. Saleh handed over power to his vice Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and was granted immunity from persecution.[17] A National Dialogue Conference was launched on March 18, 2012 to reach consensus on major issues facing the country's future. The closing ceremony was held on January 25, 2014. Yemen will become a multi-region federal republic.[18] President Hadi's term was extended for another year in order to appoint and monitor two committees. One to choose between two federal regions (North and South) or six; and the other one to draft a new constitution. The committees are expected to finish their assignments by January 2015.

As with most countries, I've never been here.

[steve2470]

1. bump nt

[bemildred]

2. Yemeni crickets, apparently.

I read a book about Yemen once, that was it's name "Yemen", the book I mean. It sounded like an interesting place, safe to be in back then, maybe thirty-forty years ago. He went into great detail about how qat is consumed, he seemed to like it, even though it sounds like a truly disgusting habit. But he talked a lot about the history and culture of the place too. Which was more interesting. Very old, very tribal, very Arab.

So anyway, just trying to do my part.

[closeupready]

3. I know quite a few Yemenis - for some reason, they

run many of the delicatessens/convenience stores here, almost like an informal network.

Beautiful people, gentle, family-minded, and friendly. Amazing work ethic.

Never been to Yemen, but I always wanted to go, but I'm white as a lily, talk with an American accent, and not sure how safe I'd feel, considering we keep dropping bombs on them.

Wilfred Thesiger wrote a little bit about Yemen in "Arabian Sands" - highly recommend that for those who have an interest in the Arabian Peninsula.