What is the terrain and geography like in Yemen?
To the west in the Tihama (lowlands adjoining the Red Sea) where there is a mixture of African and Arab cultures, the weather is hot and humid for much of the year. Even in winter, daytime highs can be in the 90s. During the summer, torrential monsoons occur. Aden and the southern coast are similarly hot and humid, with summer temperatures frequently in the 100s. However, winter temperatures are far milder and more pleasant. The Hadhramaut and the interior desert regions extending east from Aden to the Omani border are hot and dry. To the east of the highland interior, the terrain slopes down to the sandy wastes of the deserts of inner Arabia, the famous "Empty Quarter."
To the west in the Tihama (lowlands adjoining the Red Sea) where there is a mixture of African and Arab cultures, the weather is hot and humid for much of the year. Even in winter, daytime highs can be in the 90s. During the summer, torrential monsoons occur. Aden and the southern coast are similarly hot and humid, with summer temperatures frequently in the 100s. However, winter temperatures are far milder and more pleasant. The Hadhramaut and the interior desert regions extending east from Aden to the Omani border are hot and dry. To the east of the highland interior, the terrain slopes down to the sandy wastes of the deserts of inner Arabia, the famous "Empty Quarter."
Geographic Location | Middle East |
Total Area |
203,848 Square Miles 527,968 Square Kilometers |
Land Area |
203,848 Square Miles 527,968 Square Kilometers |
Land Boundaries |
1,085 Miles 1,746 Kilometers |
Irrigated Land |
2,626 Square Miles 6,801 Square Kilometers |
Border Countries | Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km |
Coastline |
1,184 Miles 1,906 Kilometers |
Geographic Coordinates | 15 00 N, 48 00 E |
Terrain | narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged mountains; dissected upland desert plains in center slope into the desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula |
Highest Point | 3,760 Meters |
Highest Point Location | Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,760 m |
Lowest Point Location | Arabian Sea 0 m |
Natural Resources | petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble, small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper, fertile soil in west |
Time Zone | UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) |