The Republic of Yemen was formed on the 22nd of May 1990 by the spectacular merger of North Yemen (the Western-oriented Yemen Arab Republic, or YAR) and South Yemen (The People's Democratic Republic of Yemen - the first and only Marxist Arab state in the world). The event ended a separation that had lasted hundreds of years.
History Yemen is one of the oldest inhabited regions in the world. According to tradition, Shem, the son of Noah, founded the city of Sana'a. Whether this is folklore of historical truth, we do know that Yemen's history dates to the dawn of mankind. Geography Yemen's Arabic name, al-yaman (to the right - of Mecca), suggests its geographic location the the southernmost tip of the Arabian peninsula. Yemen lies on the shores of the southern Red Sea and the southern part of the Arabian Sea. The seas are joined by the narrow strait of Bab al-Mandab which separates the peninsula from the African continent. Yemen shares borders with Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the east. The Arabian Peninsula is an immense plate of granite. Yemen itself is some times referred to as 'the roof of Arabia'. Its topography offers remarkable variety, with flat sandy plains ending abruptly at mountainous regions, and fertile high plateaux. Several parts of the highlands to the east are still volcanically active. Culture Yemen is a poor country, but when we consider cultural achievement, Yemen boasts a tradition of complex architecture and elaborate craftsmanship, of legal sophistication and refined literature, which have flourished both in urban centres and also in remote tribal areas. Travel in Yemen With an area of only 532,000 sqkm, Yemen is smaller than France.