With a population of some 24 million, the country known as the Republic of Yemen has been a centre of trade for thousands of years being easily accessible from Africa, Asia and the Middle east, where despite this rich history, it is the Middle East's poorest country.

Situated at the south of the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen has less than 3% of arable land and is increasingly suffering from desertification, particularly along the border with Saudi Arabia. The country has a mountainous interior and not a single permanent river! Explore Yemen, including its 200 islands, with this map and zoom in and discover features you would not normally associate with the country then check out our Yemen profile pages with many images of Yemen here